AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hugging me tightly, she thanks me.
“What have I missed?’ Emily’s voice echoes from behind us.
“Camila expressed her desire to stay here in the village,” I inform her as she stops beside me.
“I would love for you to join us,” Em tells her sister. “But what I want the most is for you to be happy.”
Hugging her sister, Camila expresses her appreciation for our understanding. Checking on the meal she is cooking, she tells us about a boy she is fond of. She says Nicolas is a local boy her age whose parents work the fields with their mother. According to Camila, both mothers have approved their union, and arrangements for marriage are in place for when they turn eighteen.
“Then I will come and visit you as often as possible,” Emily advises Camila, surprising us both.
“Are you sure, darling?” My shocked voice queries.
“Yes,” she confidently confirms. “I am no longer in danger.”
Excitement radiates from Camila’s voice when she thanks her sister once more. Leaving the two to get to know each other better, I check on their mother.
“How are you feeling, Mariana?” I ask.
“I’m tired, Mr. Hawke,” her breathless voice confirms. “Thank you for bringing my Luciana home to me.”
Reminding her that she’s already thanked me, she explains that she never believed she’d ever see her daughter again. Knowing that Antonio and Andres are dead brings her pleasure and reassurance that her girls will never be in danger again.
I allow her to continue by offering sips of water each time she stops speaking. Mariana knows she doesn’t have long, but she’s finally at peace and ready to join her darling husband, whom she misses greatly every day. There is mention of Nicolas, but she informs me she has asked Em to watch over her sister. When I reassure her they have spoken about this, Mariana smiles.
“You are a good man, Mr. Hawke, and my Luciana loves you very much.”
Not knowing where she is going with this, I sit in silence and wait for her to catch her breath so she can continue.
Grabbing my hand, she pleads, “Take excellent care of her, for God has blessed her.”
There is a hidden meaning to her words which I know she won’t elaborate on, so instead, I promise her that I will spend the rest of my life loving and protecting Emily.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Emily
The unimaginable cruelty I endured at the hands of selfish men when I was barely a woman is something I’ve refused to ever dwell on …until now. The last few days have been surreal, yet surprisingly, they were not as angst-ridden as I’d believed they’d be. Having Antonio and Andres kidnap me from my office was terrifying, which I won’t deny, and of course, I feared for my life every moment I stayed a prisoner.
In reality, though, I was never in any real danger.
Well, not from Antonio.
Once upon a time, I would’ve been like the countless others who allowed the fear from what they’re enduring to take over them, and I would’ve crumbled. Thankfully, there were two brave, strong, and resilient women whose guidance, love, and faith shaped me into the woman I am today. Their lack of empathy for negativity drove me to confront the fear that arose from the grief I was wallowing in over what had been stolen from me.
When I joined my new family, my adopted mom Constance Proctor became my biggest support. Every time I faltered she swooped in, picked me up, and encouraged me to keep moving forward. She sat a seventeen-year-old version of me down and explained in her way what could happen if I allowed the negative emotions to consume me. She always believed that our journeys were never supposed to run smoothly because if they did, how would we gain the knowledge and strength needed to survive in a far-from-perfect world?
Constance’s wisdom always made me re-evaluate how I looked at the world, even when I didn’t want to. There were times when I rebelled, believing that maybe she and Marcus didn’t truly care for me as they’d always claimed. Thankfully, Constance never paid any attention to my silly tantrums, and as soon as they’d begun, they disappeared. As far as Constance was concerned, there will always be someone in the big wide world whose troubles are worse than mine. She never dismissed or questioned how horrific my ordeal was, but it was something she knew I would recover from over time if I were willing to.
Constance and my momma may have given me the strength to endure anything that came along, but the remnants of that fear still lingered deep inside me. It had nothing to do with Antonio, but the memories that resurfaced once I was inside his compound took many years to fade. That was one of the reasons I’ve avoided returning to visit my momma and sister before now.
I wasn’t expecting the admission of love from Antonio, but regardless of what he said or how nice he was to me, he would eventually change. He may not have wanted to believe this would be the case, but men like him crave control and power over everything and everyone.
There was only one thing I prayed for during my incarceration, and that was for Hawke to come and rescue me. A small part of me never doubted he would. Still, because of my history in that house, the sudden anxiety-ridden part dominated and ridiculed me for believing I was even worthy of saving.
I already knew that Hawke loved me, but the fact that he risked his own life by traveling all this way to rescue mine has made him my hero.
My other hero and savior is Hadley Valentine.
