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“I think it’s for the best.” He leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll wait out here until you come back.”
“But what if I want to stay?”
There’s a silence that seems to last an eternity.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll respect that,” he says, and I can hear him smile.
I lean in to touch his face, feeling the ridges of his stubbly jawline, the smooth skin of his forehead, the thick lashes on his eyes, and the slick hair across his head. I memorize it … picture it in front of me, so I can always keep this in my thoughts. So I’ll always have him with me, wherever I go. Knowing that makes me feel safe.
As my hands end on his lips, he presses a kiss to my palm and whispers, “Go … go meet your brother.”
I nod and smile the brightest smile I have before opening the car door and jumping outside.
With renewed energy, I walk along the path, making sure I don’t bump into things. A few more seconds pass before I ring the doorbell.
As someone’s footsteps approach, my throat clamps up, and I cough out loud. Right then, someone opens the door, and I’m left scrambling for air.
I’m here.
I’m finally here.
I kept the paper with the address for so long, it almost faded, but I just couldn’t push myself to actually go visit. Even when I had already deciphered the address using an app on my phone, I still couldn’t bring myself to throw the paper away. It was the only tangible thing I had of them.
When I was still living at Roy’s, the mere thought of facing them made me so anxious I could barely breathe. And when I went back to Chase, it never slipped my mind. I just couldn’t bring myself to actually take that step.
It took me months to gather the courage and ask Chase to take me to their place.
And now the time is finally here.
“Sy…rena?”
Is that … Ella?
Suddenly, warm hands wrap around my neck, enveloping me with love and kindness, and I almost want to burst out into tears.
The last time we met, we were both still trapped behind glass, held prisoner by a cruel man whose only interest was to use us in whatever way he desired. And now we’re finally free.
“Syrena!” she mutters, crying into my shoulder. “You’re here. You’re really here.”
“Ella?” I mutter, overwhelmed by emotions. It feels so unreal.
She nods, whispering, “Yeah. It’s me.”
“Oh, my God …”
I blink as tears well up in my eyes.
I’ve never actually heard her talk.
When we were still in the cage, she never talked because she had selective mutism … Did she finally learn to speak to people?
“How did you find us? Are you okay? What happened to you?”
I have the exact same questions, and I don’t even know whether to answer her first or to ask her first. So much is happening right now.
“I’m so sorry,” she mutters, still whimpering.
I caress her back and say, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“It was … because I couldn’t … Graham took you … and then the buyer …”
She still feels guilty about the fact that Graham made her choose between giving her body to Cage when she didn’t even know who he was yet and losing me. Graham used me as a bargaining chip against her. It was barbaric. But none of it was her fault, and I don’t blame her for making the difficult decisions that she faced.
“Shhh …” I shush her. “It’s okay. It happened. I don’t blame you for anything.”
“But you were sold!” she says. “Did that man hurt you? Did you escape?”
I shake my head. “No. Well, yes, but no.”
“What?”
“It’s a long story.” I chuckle.
“God, we have so much to catch up on,” she says, pulling back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” I say. “I was afraid you’d—”
“Oh shush, you don’t have to explain anything,” she says. “How did you manage to come here? All by yourself?”
“No,” I say, licking my lips. “Chase brought me.”
“Chase … is that your …?” She leans in. “The one who bought you? Is he still here?”
“Yeah, but … he’s not all bad,” I say. “It’s hard to explain. But he’ll stay in the car, don’t worry.”
“Okay,” she mumbles, caressing my arms. “God, it feels like ages since we last met.”
“And finally in freedom,” I add.
“That too.”
“And you can talk,” I mutter, still flabbergasted.
She laughs. “I guess we all changed.”
That’s true. So much has changed since we were in the cage. My whole world was turned upside down by Chase. But in a good way, I suppose. I feel much more free than I ever did before.
“Well, we’ll have all the time in the world.” She grabs my hand. “C’mon. Cage is inside.”
She drags me along with her, closing the door behind us before I can even say a word to Chase. But it’s all right. I feel good about this, and I know he’ll wait. Maybe even forever.
