Whatever she was doing, I hated it.
I crossed the remaining distance and sat beside her. “Okay,” I said. “Ask me anything.” She looked at me. “Whatever you want to know,” I added.
“About my mother?”
“Yes.”
She scoffed. “There’s not much to ask, really. She left to run a family business in Mexico. Iker is my grandfather, and, by the way, why does it have to be him of all people?” She shrugged. “But now I know why she left, which is better than not knowing. So...”
That was another wall. I could see it happening in real time. People handled pain differently, but this kind was the most dangerous one. The ones that adapted too fast.
My hand moved toward her, and she flinched before I even touched her.
There it was.
“I killed a man,” I said. “You will not ask about that?”
She rolled her eyes. “He was rude. I was shocked for a second, I’ll admit that. But then I remembered you told me you killed people while rescuing my father.”
She stood and crossed toward the mirror. I watched her gather her hair and lift it from her neck as she studied her reflection.
“Hm.” She tilted her head slightly. “This actually looks good.”She clicked her tongue. “I need a hair tie.” She moved toward her bag and started digging through it, shifting objects around restlessly.
Trauma did not always look like collapse. Sometimes the mind kept moving simply because stopping meant feeling everything at once.
I was going to watch Inna closely because the wall she was building was going up far too fast.
Chapter Forty-five
Inna Grace
Florida felt like home whenwe landed. I didn’t have many good memories tied specifically to Miami, but Florida had become familiar over time. The mansion, the beach outside, the constant movement of workers through the hallways, all of it sat close to comfort, which was dangerous, and I needed to examine.
I freshened up quickly after we arrived and went straight to Caitlin’s room.
After knocking once, I pushed the door open. The room was empty, but the balcony door was open, the curtains shifting softly in the wind. I walked farther in and stepped onto the balcony where Caitlin stood at the railing with earphones in. She was staring down at the swimming pool area where Cole was riding a bike.
I tapped her shoulder. She turned fast, startled at first, then her face brightened when she saw me. “I thought you’d want to rest first,” she said.
“Just needed to freshen up.” I sat down in a nearby chair.
“How was the trip? Did you tour around New York?”
The question made my chest tighten. It dragged memories about what happened back there. Memories I didn’t want. The way my mother looked at me across the table, like I was an interruption to her schedule. The realization that the man I spent months hating, the man who took my father and wanted Cole, was my grandfather.
I cut the thoughts off before they could settle. There was no point dwelling on them. I had more important things to focus on.
“Inna?” Caitlin snapped her fingers lightly in front of my face.
I blinked and looked down at my phone. “So,” I said, opening my notes app. “I’ve been doing some research. You can say no if it doesn’t feel right,” I continued, “but I think we should open an online store for your designs.”
Her eyebrows lifted, and her expression shifted immediately from curiosity to confusion. “My designs?”
“Yes. They’re good.” I scrolled through my notes. “We find a tailor, make a few pieces, photograph everything properly, then market it on social media and direct traffic to the store.”
She stayed quiet for a moment before sitting beside me. “Do you really think people would buy them?”
“I wouldn’t be suggesting it if I didn’t. It will be your store. Your name. Your designs. You will pay me as your employee.” I said, and a smile tugged at her lips. “We will need startup money,” I continued. “Not much. Just enough for fabric, tailoring, packaging, and the basics. We can figure it out.”
