AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bella yawned, thinking her bed sounded good.
Sofia gave her a quizzical look. “You aren’t going to take a nap, are you? You’re too old.”
“My grandma always said you’re never too old for a nap.”
The girl made a disgusted expression. “I am! You wanna watch cartoons with me?”
“I’d love to. Let me talk with Rita first.”
“Okay.” She skipped out of the room.
Bella put away the game pieces then wandered into the kitchen where she heard Rita talking on the phone.
Rita motioned for her to eat some of the leftovers from the party.
Bella warmed up some tacos. She sat at the table just as her sister set down her phone. “A lot is still in the air, but the attorney said I can take you to the house to pack anything belonging to you. As far as anything belonging to our parents, we have to leave it for now.”
“I don’t want anything of theirs anyway.”
Rita rested a hand on Bella’s arm. “I’m really sorry for trying to control you before. The thought of you getting hurt scared me half to death, and I didn’t want to see you end up in a marriage like I was forced into. I’m still in therapy because of Boone and his abuse. But you’re an adult, and I should’ve let you make your own choices. I shouldn’t have acted out of fear.”
Bella squeezed her sister’s hand. “I get it. You wanted to protect me, and I love you for it. But at the same time, I really do need the space to spread my wings and make my own choices.”
“I promise you have that from here on out. I’m not going to stop you from doing anything you want.”
“Do you think I’ll be able to return to my classes? Father paid my tuition through the school year.”
“Then it sounds like you’re good to go. You’ll have to catch up on missed work, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. You have a good head on your shoulders.”
Bella beamed. “That means a lot coming from you.”
“I mean it.”
A lump formed in Bella’s throat. “Thanks for everything. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to count on you.”
“Always.”
As silence settled, a weight lifted from Bella’s shoulders. She was actually free, and not just from the cult. Her real freedom was in the fact that she could do anything with her life that she wanted. Now she had not only her sister’s support, but that of Grayson and her new friends across the street.
Everything was going to be better than she ever imagined.
ChapterThirty-Four
Ariana sipped her coffee as she stared through the window in the front of her house. It was an unusually sunny afternoon, making the decorations from the Halloween party seem out of place. Especially since one of her neighbors across the street was already putting up Thanksgiving decor on her porch.
Damon came over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”
She glanced at his car. It looked like part of the Halloween props. “I feel bad about your car. It’s your baby.”
He kissed her forehead. “You mean more to me than a thousand Chargers. The only thing I care about is that you’re here safe.”
“We need to replace it.”
Damon shrugged. “Or we can fix it. I’m not worried about it.”
“I think we should get you a Challenger Hellcat. I know you’ve been itching to get one.”
“You were just abducted last night. We can think about cars later. All I want to do is spend the day holding you and appreciating you. Forget the car.”
