AllFreeNovel
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“Someone hurt you.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
“That’s life, Calix. People get hurt. I’m not special. My story isn’t unique. The only thing that makes us different is how we process the things that happen to us. You can either lie down and take it or stand up and fight back. I’ll admit, lying down often seemed easier. But when you lie down, you get stepped on, and I was so fucking tired of being someone’s doormat.
“So now I fight back. I fight because it’s who I am, and I fight even when I know I can’t win. I fight for me. I fight for all the girls who came before me who couldn’t fight for themselves, and I fight for those who’ll inevitably come long after I’m dead.”
His large hand finds my thigh and rests there as he leans his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes.
“I don’t have anything to offer you. I don’t bring anything to this marriage but trouble, but I can offer you this. Nobody will ever hurt you again. Not while you’re with me.”
I keep quiet and bite my lip, focusing on the road. But in my head, all I can think is, who is going to stop him from hurting me? Because he will, when the time comes.
Everyone always does.
CHAPTERTEN
By the time I pull up outside the gates of the house, it’s past two in the morning. Calix is asleep in the passenger seat beside me, oblivious to my racing heart and sweaty palms as I stave off a panic attack. I take a few deep breaths and will my stomach to settle as the past and present collide. I remind myself that I’m not the same girl I used to be. I’m stronger now, and there is nobody here to hurt me. Hell, all that’s left are memories and ghosts. Lowering the window, I key in the code and wait for the gates to swing open with a creak, like something out of a horror film.
I drive through and watch the gates close behind me in the rearview mirror as I keep going down the long, winding driveway until I reach the front of the house. Well,houseis somewhat of an understatement. The imposing white stone building has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms—definitely a little more than a house, but still smaller than my actual childhood home that Santos burned to the ground.
I step out of the car and look up at the house I once loved before letting my eyes drift closed as I remember this place…before. The pretty flower beds always had something blooming. The large oak door with its fancy lion door knocker always felt magical when I was little, like if I opened it, I might end up inside a castle. I guess this place almost was, in a way. My father treated me like a princess, at least until I became older and realized our family wasn’t like other families.
I’m not sure I truly understood that my father was a criminal. To my young mind, criminals robbed old ladies in back alleys or kidnapped children on the way to school. My dad was always a superhero in my eyes, at least until he wasn’t.
I open my eyes when I feel raindrops falling on my face, and I look up at the sky and whisper a silentthank you. The rain might not be enough to wipe the tainted memories from my brain, but it’s enough to keep me focused. I turn to the door and stare at the lion knocker. The same lion I stared at the last time I was here wallowing in grief and so fucking angry at the world. Tomorrow, I’m going to go online and find something to replace it with. Maybe a giant dick. That would certainly make me smile when I saw it, and hopefully, in time, it will help me forget.
I turn when I hear the car door open. The rain falling almost obscures my vision as Calix climbs out and slams the door behind him.
He strides toward me, reaching for my arm. “What the fuck, angel? Are you trying to make yourself sick?”
“I’m fine. We’re here anyway. Let’s go inside.”
He steps back to look up at the house. I watch him with trepidation as his eyes move over the colossal building. For a minute, I don’t think he’s going to recognize the place. But just as the thought crosses my mind, his body goes rigid, and his head whips around and stares at me.
I open my mouth to explain, but nothing comes out as his eyes move over my face.
“Selene?” he whispers like he’s seen a ghost.
I shake my head, ignoring the stab of pain I feel at hearing that name.
“Sophia?” he chokes out.
“Once upon a time.” I nod and wait for him to process my words. When he does, he goes from shocked to pissed in seconds.
He grabs both my arms, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises as he shakes me. “Is this some kind of fucking joke to you?”
My eyes widen, not expecting that. “A joke? You think this is a fucking joke?”
He growls and drags me to the car before shoving me down onto the hood. The rain intensifies as if feeding off our combined anger as he leans over me.
“You remember me now, huh?” I taunt.
“You fucking bitch. You set me up?”
“Set you up for what, Calix? Look around you. Do you see an ambush lying in wait?”
“That means fuck all, and you know it.”
Rain drips off his hair onto my face.
