“It’s not like that with us. Heath really likes me. You have to believe me.”
I know I’m making a mistake telling her about this but she needs to know. I can’t let her paint Heath in a bad light. He is a good person.
“Last night when Dad attacked me, Heath pulled him away from me and hit him for me. He protected me!” I tell her.
“It wasn’t because he cares about you but because he wants to isolate you from everyone you love.”
My eyes widen in shock. “He would never do that.”
Mom rubs her temple. “Look, I know you don’t believe me, but you have to know that I want the best for you, Hope.”
“No, you don’t. Because if you did, you wouldn’t have let Dad live here or ask me to stay away from Heath. You would have believed me and trusted me. But you don’t.”
“And I have good reasons not to because I’ve been where you’ve been,” Mom argues and sits straighter. “I can ask you to stay away from him, but I know you won't so be prepared for the consequences when they come your way.”
She stands up and looks down at me. “As for your Dad, I’ll talk to him. What happened last night won’t happen again.”
She walks, stepping on all the pages in her path knowing how much it hurts me. When she’s at the door, she looks back at me. “If you’re wise, you’ll listen to me. I know what’s best for you, Hope.”
The thud of the door closing echoes in my ears as I contemplate what to do next.
I’m falling in love with a guy who can’t be mine. Still I want him.
5
HEATH
“You knowthat she’s going to beat our asses,” Sebastian says from the pillar where he’s leaning against.
“I think you meanyourass.” I remind him from the opposite pillar where I’m leaning against.
He looks over at me and smirks. “I didn’t forget to mention that it wasyourbrilliant idea.”
“You fucking asshole.” I scowl.
“I told you to tell her from the beginning butyouwanted to keep such a big thing a secret.” He sighs heavily and I sense how much this situation is weighing down on him. “You know how she feels about Hope. If it wasn’t for her driver dropping her off here she’d be on her way to Hope right now.”
“Who says she can’t bribe Elias?” Elias is Marie’s driver.
“Because her dad ordered, and he would fire him otherwise.”
I switch on my phone and check my messages for the hundredth time. There’s no reply from Hope.
My worry is growing with every passing second. I want to spam her phone with messages and calls but I’m afraid that her dad might have her phone and he’ll hurt her if he sees them.
The only thing that’s keeping me from going over to Hope’s house is Sebastian. He came to my house as soon as I let him know that I was out of the cell. I’m pretty sure he broke a few signals to get to me. Perhaps he knew that Hope would be the first place I’d go to.
“You’re not leaving this place, James.” Sebastian warns me. “Otherwise, I will tie you down with the help of Marie.”
I scoff. “You’re insane.”
“I’m right.And you know it.” He stares at me, asserting his point. “I’m not letting you go to her, especially not after what happened. You need to be careful, Heath.”
I narrow my eyes. “Ineedto protect her.”
His gaze softens. “I know and you are bystayingawayfrom her at the moment.”
“You don’t know him, Sebastian. I’ve seen him. I’ve talked to him. He is a monster.” My fists shake by my side, not from fear, but from disgust. I’ve never seen a true monster in my life before. Someone who’ll hurt their own blood with no mercy.
