Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

“I

t doesn’t matter what happened before. What matters is that I have pictures and documentation from the hospital about the condition you left him in.”

I didn’t think it was possibly to hate her more than ever before. It’s deep-rooted, like a cancerous growth after years of her abuse.

“So what?” I let out a shrill laugh. “You can’t connect it back to me and you know it. For all anyone knows, Ralph slipped.”

“He slipped after you round-house kicked him in the balls.”

“He deserved far worse.”

“Oh, really? You want to play with me over something as serious as this?”

“I’m not playing. Go ahead and release whatever you want to whoever you want. I’m not afraid of you anymore. Your evidence is circumstantial at best, seeing as I was a minor. And honestly, it’s his word against mine.” I’m done with her mind games and deception. I want to snip away my connection to her with a set of pruning shears.

“You can’t be serious. You’re willing to let the world see you as the gutter rat you are?”

“Sure. Maybe other little girls like me can also wish to escape monsters like you.”

“This is disappointing. I gave you the easy option, Chloe.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. The easy option is forgetting you ever existed. I’m blocking your number, and Brooke will never answer the door to you again. This is the last time I let you threaten me or abuse me into giving you what you want. I’m not afraid of whatever evidence you have of what I did. The cops dropped the charges, and Ralph is the one with the restraining order against him. So, do whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Chloe, you better listen to me—”

I cut her off. “No, Anne, you better listen to me. I’m moving on with my life. You’re nothing but a past memory that I have no interest in reliving ever again. I hope you live a happy life, and good luck with Ralph. You’re going to need it because I’m done supporting your addiction. Goodbye.” I press the red button with a shaky hand.

I’m done hiding from my past. It helped me become the person I am, gutter rat and all. Anne Carter underestimated her power over me. I’ll take her down with me, if it’s the last thing I do.

I only hope I made the right decision. I’m gambling with someone who is unhinged on her best day, and downright immoral on her worst. But I can’t let someone like her control me—my thoughts, my wishes, my happiness. My experiences with her tainted my idea of others, their intentions, and my own future. I’ve pushed boyfriends away. I’ve barely made friends, let alone settled down into anything but two jobs I’ve barely tolerated. After spending time with Santiago, I understand I’ve been letting my life pass me by as well. It took watching someone else slip into their dark thoughts over and over again to slap me out of my own.

I’ve been living scared, which isn’t really living at all. I’m done experiencing life on pause anymore. I want to challenge myself to be better. To be someone I’m proud of, whether it’s pursuing a degree or traveling around the world.

All I know is it’s about damn time I focused on the people who matter, rather than the ones who don’t.

I do my best to pretend I’m not rattled after the shocking call with my mom. Santiago looks at me a couple of times for a few seconds longer than I’d like, but he doesn’t ask me if anything is wrong.

For the rest of the day, I throw myself into playing Santiago’s dutiful girlfriend. I support him as he answers questions with reporters and visits Bandini employees. Similar to me, it was as if a switch was flipped inside of him over the weekend. It’s the best sight, with him checking in on old friends, asking about their kids and their families. I love every second of it. In fact, phone call aside, I love this weekend way more than I should. I’m sad to see it come to an end.

It isn’t until we both enter his mansion hours later that reality hits us. His hands linger on the handles of my luggage, with him not passing them over. They stand out like a sore thumb against his marble floors and luxurious wallpaper.

I move to grab one from him. “Listen, I’ve been thinking—”

He speaks at the same time. “You should move in with me—”

My eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. “What?!”

“What if you lived here instead of paying for a place to stay?” His golden cheeks flush with color.

Santiago Alatorre needs to stop surprising me because I’m pretty sure my heart has officially gone into cardiac arrest. Mayday. Someone needs to call the doctor because I’m not making it out of this weekend alive.

31

Santiago

Listen. I get it. Everyone thinks I’m going crazy after this weekend, with me deciding to test Noah’s new steering wheel. Even Chloe looks at me now like I told her I’m an alien. I can’t begin to explain my reasoning behind inviting her to live with me. It’s crazy and unexpected, but it’s for my own selfish reasons. Do I want to help her out when she clearly shouldn’t be spending her savings on some shitty bed-and-breakfast? Of course. But I also can’t bear the silence anymore. This massive house is lonely, with my thoughts occupying all the square footage.

After my bravery this weekend, I’m afraid to revert back to how life was before. Experiencing Chloe’s chaos is a hell of a lot more fun than stewing in my self-hatred. I’ve grown fond of her choice words and energetic presence. And most of all, I really like her. So, yeah, I’m a selfish fucker who benefits more from having her around than the other way around. Sue me. Life is unfair, and I’ll preach that lesson until the day I die.