“I love that woman. She reminds me of my mom.” Aria stared after Beth as the doors closed behind her. She turned to look at Reece. “Prisha is my stepmother’s daughter.”
Reece blinked in confusion. “How?”
She downed the remnants of her wine. “Somewhere in between my abuse, my stepmother and my husband entertained themselves.”
“What the fu...” Reece stopped short in shock. His eyes glowed with rage.
“Meena kept the news of her pregnancy hidden from her family. God alone knows how she pulled it off.” Aria toyed with her wine glass, lost in thought. “When Prisha was born, Meena told everyone who visited, she was my daughter. Naturally, people believed her. The fear of losing Prisha prevented me from mentioning my forced marriage. My stepmother neglected Prisha, and I took over caring for her baby. As the child grew, she accepted me as her mother. The first time she uttered the word mama, my heart sang. I no longer cared what harm came to me, but vowed I’d never let anything happen to Prisha.”
“I’m confused. Earlier, you said you fell pregnant.”
She nodded. “The first time Jay hit me happened before I had a chance to tell him about the pregnancy. The emotional strain proved too much. I lost the baby. The amount of blood scared my stepmother into calling a doctor. Funny enough, it was the only time I’d seen any compassion from the woman. Later, I realized it was because she wanted no conflict with her living status at the time.”
“Jesus, your stepmother’s a piece of work,” Reece muttered, his disgust evident.
“Oh, she is,” Aria smirked. “When Prisha turned three, Jay began showing more than a little interest in her. His behavior wasn’t fatherly. I became paranoid and wouldn’t let her out of my sight. One night he called her into the room and made her watch as he abused me.”
“Damn the man to hell.” Reece raked a hand through his hair, his face a mask of intense anger. The control took its toll.
“I’m just glad Prisha was too young to remember anything.” A sob tickled her throat. Aria swallowed hard. “For so many years, I accepted his abuse, but I couldn’t surrender Prisha into that life. It was the last straw. I asked our housekeeper for help. Sadly, she’d witnessed everything over the years but was powerless to help. Two nights later, putting herself at risk, Betsy drugged their drinks.”
“Why hadn’t she helped before?”
“She’s an old woman, Reece.” Aria sighed. “She’s worked for my family since the day I turned four and is the sole breadwinner for her family. Betsy lost her son and his wife in a terrible taxi accident and she had to raise his two children alone. Jay threatened her life. When I mentioned Jay’s intentions with Prisha, it nearly killed Betsy, and I never blamed her for not helping me sooner.”
“What happened?” He looked up as Beth returned with dessert. “Thank you.”
“This looks delicious,” Aria said.
“Well, make sure you eat up.” Beth laughed and disappeared into the kitchen once more.
Aria took a bite of the pie. She savored the taste for a moment. “I took Prisha, Jay’s gun, and left the house in Meena’s car with the cash from his wallet. Unfortunately, the drug had little effect on Jay. He woke quicker than we expected and was furious when he discovered I’d run away. I went to a cousin for help. Alisha gave me a room and her husband, who was traveling at the time, asked me to await his return. Somehow, Jay found out where I was and pitched up at my cousin’s home. He demanded I go back with him. When Alisha threatened to call the police, he became sarcastic about how domestic issues didn’t concern the cops much.”
“Jesus, Aria, I don’t know how you survived.”
Aria smiled. “Jay kicked in the door to the apartment. I asked Alisha to stay in the bedroom with Prisha while I tried to talk to him. He wasn’t in the mood to talk. The first slap burst my lip. The second dropped me to the floor. Then he kicked me in the stomach a few times,” Aria said. Reece winced. His jaw clenched rigidly in anger. “As I crawled away, Jay laughed and called me every filthy name under the sun. So when the gun came out, he was clueless until I knelt and pointed it at his stomach. Even then, he goaded me and called me a dumb shit who hadn’t the nerve to pull the trigger. He was right. I lacked the courage to use the gun. Abuse or not, I didn’t have it in me to harm someone. Then, he made the mistake of reaching for a knife. As he lunged, I fired.”
Reece straightened. “Did—”
Sensing his question, Aria nodded. “Unfortunately, I only injured a critical part of his body.” She recalled the look of horror on Jay’s face as he dropped to the floor and burst out laughing. “I shot the man in his balls.”
“Ouch.” Reece grinned. “Serves him right. Guess he messed with the wrong woman.”
“You guessed, right. I wasn’t taking any chances with Prisha’s safety.” Aria nibbled on her pie. “When the cops got there, I claimed self-defense. My cousin corroborated my story. She’s a trusted legal aid for a government office, and Jay couldn’t bullshit his way out. They put him away for the combination of intention to do grievous bodily harm, assault, and destruction of property. As a precautionary measure, I took out a restraining order.”
“God, Aria, I’m sorry for everythin’ you suffered.”
She looked up from her plate and smiled. “I’m a big girl, Reece. I accepted what happened to me and learned to live with it.”
“Why Wyoming then?”
“I’m still married,” she began. At Reece’s raised brow, she shook her head. “Technically, pending a divorce decree which Jay dragged out when he refused to sign. It’s practically a done deal. Then I’m a free woman. For safety reasons, I decided Prisha, and I needed a new start. Away from my stepmother, Jay, and the world that refused to acknowledge what I’d gone through.” She sighed, wishing her parents were still alive. “Apart from another cousin and her husband, who assisted me in relocating, no one knows where I am. They arranged everything from the passports, money, and the attorney to assist with the divorce to the contact with Buck.”
“Wow,” Reece leaned back in his seat.
“My attorney fought a good case, and after Jay’s arrest, I spent the next four weeks with a psychiatrist per the court's request. Despite the therapy, it took practically four months before my body finally succumbed to sleep without the constant interruption of nightmares. In them, I encountered Jay’s leering face over and over until I jerked awake, gasping for breath.” She winced in recollection. Reece squeezed her hand lightly. “My days became zombie-like, and I struggled to understand. Post-traumatic stress, my psychiatrist explained, prevailed for as long as a victim allowed it to.” Aria inhaled deeply and remembered the exact moment she broke. “I finally accepted I was the victim and let go. There are times, though, when I’m not sure I have.”
“I beg to differ,” Reece said. At her raised brow, he continued, “The person I met since I arrived here is a strong-willed, no-nonsense woman who knows, and believes who she is and what she wants.”
