“It’s okay, Ava,” he whispered. “You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I’m never going to feel normal again!” I sobbed.

“No, you probably won’t,” he agreed. “But you’re strong and you have a bright spirit that can withstand just about anything, so you’re going to be okay. I promise. It’s just going to take time.”

“How do you know?” I wept.

“I just do,” he replied as he looked out the window. Then he turned back and asked, “What did your parents think of him?”

“I told you, they never met him,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. You did tell me that, but why didn’t they meet him?”

“They’re always too busy to be bothered,” I replied. “They drop me off places and then they jet off to whatever meeting or vacation they have planned and forget that I exist until they need me for some publicity campaign or someone makes them feel guilty about igno

ring their only child. It’s pretty predictable, really.”

“You’re not serious,” he said.

“Dead serious. They just don’t care about what I do until it affects them,” I said. “The only reason that my father hired you is because he’s testing the waters to see if he should run for Congress and he didn’t want the psycho ex-boyfriend of his only daughter to mess up his polling numbers. If he decides not to run, I’m sure he’ll fire you quicker than you can say boo.”

“C’mon, your dad can’t be that bad,” he said.

“Oh, he’s worse,” I replied. “He doesn’t do anything for anyone unless he can see how it benefits him.”

“Well, as long as I’m on the payroll, I’ll do everything I can to ensure you’re safe,” he said.

“And when you’re not on it anymore?” I asked.

“I’ll stick around and make sure you are safe,” he replied as he put his arm around me.

I nodded and then looked away.

*****

We sat silent for a long time, and I could tell that my revelation about my family didn’t sit well with Brian, but I didn’t know how to make it seem better than it was. Part of me didn’t want to make it seem better because that was my problem to begin with, everything was always painted as a pretty picture rather than looking at the ugly reality.

“I’m doing a lot better than I was,” I said quietly.

“Oh? How so?” he asked.

“I see a therapist and I’ve been able to work towards asserting myself rather than just taking whatever is offered,” I said.

“That explains it,” Brian said with a small grin.

“Explains what?”

“Your stubbornness,” he grinned.

“I am not stubborn!” I shouted, and then burst into laughter as I heard myself. Brian’s laughter mingled with mine, and together we filled the air with the melody of happier sounds.

“What else have you learned?” he asked once we’d wiped our eyes and quieted down.

“I’ve stopped trying to please everyone else,” I said. “Instead, I’m working on doing the things that make me happy. I think that’s the biggest one, really.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that my entire life has been centered on doing whatever it takes to get my parents to love me and pay attention to me,” I said honestly. “I’ve always tried to be the good girl; the good student, the good citizen, the good daughter. I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone or upset the balance. I’ve tried to be invisible while also trying to get someone to notice that I exist. I was a people pleaser to the extreme, and it was exhausting. I can see how I was the perfect target for Dominic; the ultimate pet who was constantly seeking his approval.” I cringed as I recalled the ways in which I would grovel in order to get his approval. I wasn’t ready to share that part of things with Brian; he’d never look at me the same again once he knew. Plus, I didn’t want him telling my parents how dark my life had become and how humiliated I’d been.

Tags: Claire Adams Romance
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