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Dani, Riley's having a breakdown.
911, I need you here now.
I'm out of bed before I can even blink, throwing on clothes and racing for the door with my heart in my throat. Whatever dream I was living in a moment ago is completely forgotten, while this dreadful feeling that I'm about to step into a nightmare fills my chest.
Chapter Nineteen
Danielle
As I burst into Riley's room, a whirlwind of bridal chaos greets me. My stomach flips over and my head spins as I take in the scene. Morgan stands there, her face a mask of concern, while Riley, huddled in a corner, clutches her phone like a lifeline. The room smells like roses and panic mixed, an intoxicating, nerve-twisting cocktail.
"Riley, what's happening?" I ask, my voice trembling slightly, echoing off the elegant tiled walls adorned with art. Elegant beauty, now overshadowed by a palpable terror.
Riley doesn't hear me.
Morgan stops me from saying anything more with a look that's equal parts dread and warning.
I go to my friend and I give her a hug. Half because she looks like she needs it, half because I need it, too. Though I do not know what is happening, fear is suffocating me and every breath I take feels inadequate.
Riley's voice cracks over the phone. Her hands shake. Her eyes are glassy, full of tears and red veins that hint at a high not far behind her.
"I can't, Mom... I just... Yes, the wedding will happen," she sobs, her gaze distant and haunted. “It will, it will…”
I glance at Morgan, her expression etched with a mix of anger and helplessness, mirroring the storm brewing inside me.
"What is it?" I whisper.
"There's so much I didn't know..." Morgan says. Her voice is bitter, yet still laced with love. "She disappeared for a while, you know that. I thought it was just another one of her times falling off the wagon. Yet, now... she's my sister and there's so much I didn't know."
"Morgan, tell me."
"It's not for me to tell. I don't even think I can say the words, Dani."
For the first time in my life, when I look into her eyes, I can't tell what's going on inside her head. We've always had this connection, we've always been closer than just friends. Sisters. But now, all I get when I look at her is an overwhelming sensation of sickness and pain.
As Riley ends the call, I step forward, my voice laced with urgency. I can't forget why Morgan and I both are here: we have to save Riley from the monster she's about to marry.
"Riley, Morgan and I both love you. We love you and we're here for you. We need to talk about Michael. You don't have to marry him. We can help you escape this." My words feel hollow in the face of her despair. "He's no good for you. The drugs, the business he's involved in... it's just going to get you hurt. Or worse. I love you. Morgan loves you. Let us help you."
Collapsing into a chair, Riley's eyes, red and swollen, meet ours.
"You don't get it. Michael... he's not just bad. He's monstrous. Yes, he loves me, and I love him, even though I know he's terrible for me. So many times, I've thought about leaving him, and it just didn't happen. Now... now, I can't." Her voice is a broken whisper, echoing around the room filled with wedding finery that now feels more like a cage than a celebration.
"You can't?"
Morgan's voice is frantic, terrified. She kneels beside her sister. "Sis, tell us everything."
Through her tears, Riley gasps. "When we first started dating, I got pregnant. That's why I disappeared. I was so scared and ashamed, and he took advantage of that. He isolated me. And now... he's taken our baby...my baby boy. He'll kill him if I don't go through with this."
Morgan gasps, her face turning pale, while tears flow down her cheeks, just as they flow down her sister's.
An icy dread settles in my stomach, and a pained wail breaks my lips.
How could anyone do that? Threaten to kill a baby? It's pure evil.
I pull Riley and Morgan into a hug. Squeeze them tight with all the desperate strength and love in my body.
In the charged silence, I find my voice. "Riley, we're here with you, no matter what."
