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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CAIA
I glance at myself in the mirror. The dress Drake bought for me is more than beautiful. It’s flawless. The silk hangs over my newly found curves, hugging each dip of my body.
“I know why I’m not allowed in there,” Harper says from behind me. She’s sitting on the bed, her legs crossed Buddha-style as she watches me. “But I wish I could be a fly on the wall when Dad sees you again.”
“I doubt he’ll recognize me,” I tell her. I hardly recognize me. The tattoos have become a part of me. I see them as my strength. I survived hell. I wish I’d had a normal life. Every day, I wonder what would have happened if my father wasn’t a monster. And each day, I realize I would never have Drake, nor River, in my life.
“You look so pretty,” Rayne — the girl who was locked in Thanos’s dungeon with me — offers. She’s perched on the window seat. Her eyes are the same shade as her brother’s. Dante brought her up here, told me to clean her up.
When she finally stepped out of the shower, I noticed all the bruises and scrapes on her porcelain skin. But it was when she was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top I noticed how pretty she is. Her hair, a golden blonde color, shimmers in the light, as if it’s spun silk. Her curious gaze follows me everywhere within the confines of the room.
“Thank you, Rayne,” I respond, offering her a kind smile. Her beauty is startling. When we found her, she was hidden behind layers of dirt, smudges of black on her face, her hair matted and knotted. She truly was a broken toy. I wonder why Thanos never gave her what he did me.
A knock on the door has me turning to face the entrance as Drake appears. He’s dressed in an expensive black suit, the shirt underneath a dark red, with a silver tie. His hair is tousled, styled as if I’d just been running my fingers through it. I can’t help admiring how handsome he is.
His tanned skin, the scruff on his jaw, and the dark suit are a stark contrast, making his bright blue eyes pop. They’re incredible. “We best go. River is here with his date.”
“Date?”
“These parties are couples only,” Drake explains. “If a man walks in without a woman on his arm, they’ll suspect something.”
Nodding, I pick up the necklace from the vanity and hand it to him. Lifting my long hair, I offer my neck to Drake. The cool metal causes me to shiver when he fastens it. A diamond lands between my breasts.
“Perfect,” he tells me, inspecting every inch of me with his gaze.
Harper gives me a hug before I follow Drake down the hallway and into the entrance hall. River is dressed similarly to his best friend in dark colors, and his tie — an olive green which makes his eyes seem even more luminous — is the only color on him tonight.
“This is it.” He offers me a smile, pressing a kiss to my forehead. And it’s then I notice the woman beside him. She’s pretty, but the glare she pins me with when River’s lips touch me is clear — she’s jealous.
We make our way to the car waiting outside, and my nerves get the better of me. I’m shaking when I slip into the passenger seat alongside Drake, who’s driving tonight.
His hand finds my knee. The heat of his touch calms me somewhat, but deep down, the fear that’s been rooted in me all these years is prominent.
I attempt to focus on the houses we pass by, but nothing allows my heart to cease the violent thrumming in my chest. My throat is tight with anxiety, and by the time we’re pulling into the long driveway of my childhood home, I’m blinking back tears.
It looks so different. It’s nothing like I remember. Expensive cars line the driveway, and I know all the men here tonight are wealthy. They’re some of the richest in the country, all here to celebrate with my father, a monster in angel’s clothing.
Once the car comes to a stop, Drake exits. Rounding the front, he opens my door. His hand in mine is the only grounding I have, because my feet no longer want to carry me inside. I thought I could be strong, seeing my father again, but I’m not a warrior right now.
No.
Right now, I’m the little girl whose father ensured she’d never have a normal life.
Drake leans in, his mouth close to my ear when he whispers, “I’m right beside you. You’re the strongest woman I know, and nothing will hurt you ever again.” His confident words do nothing to calm me. But I don’t allow him to see my fear. I meet his gaze and nod. I can’t find the words to respond, but my wordless answer is enough.
