Emma’s skin turned ashen, her eyes wide as she stared at me. The word “go” silently leaving her lips.
It was enough for me.
She had told me to leave. She had it covered.
My stepfather had made it clear what he would expect if I didn’t.
What choice did I have?
Fleeing the room, I didn’t dare stop until I was in the sanctity of my bedroom, my head face down in my pillows, my mind trying to force out the rampaging thoughts of what was now happening downstairs. What would he be doing to her? What would she be letting him do?
I shuddered on a sob, tears streaming now that I didn’t have to put up a fight.
There was one thing I knew for sure:Dad can fuck right off!
The sooner I could get to the bottom of everything, the sooner I could get the hell out of his twisted life and find myself a better one. I didn’t need him, or his money, not any more.Whether I had an inheritance or not, it didn’t matter, there was no way I could be part of his sadistic world any longer.
Chapter Ten
Idon’t know how long I lay there for, tossing and turning, not wanting to but waiting all the same for the sound of Emma and Dad to leave the study. It felt like hours but in reality it was probably only one. Their hushed tones as they passed by my door reassuring me that at least they were once more okay together on some level. It didn’t stop me feeling sick at the thought of them carrying on as normal after everything that had gone on.
But then what was the alternative? Emma beaten black and blue and kicked to the curb, never to be seen or heard of again?
I didn’t want to even think about that.
My thoughts turned to the morning and how things would be. Would Dad treat me like nothing had happened?
I recalled his last words to me and cringed. I didn’t want to ever be in that position again. For whatever time I had left in this household, I needed to avoid a repeat at all costs. I needed things to be as normal as possible. And that meant being the good old Abi that ran to his beck-and-call. Not a foot out of line.
What that meant for the next social engagement with Daniel and his father, I didn’t know. Was it too much to hope that I could get out before then?
Probably.
When I finally slept, it was fitful, the entire night a blur of vivid dreams, awake imaginings, and worry over what was to come. None of which helped me wake in a state capable of tackling what I needed to.
The soft light creeping through the curtain indicated the earliness of the hour; Dad, and in all likelihood Emma, would still be asleep.
Keen to take advantage of the temporary solitude, I kicked off the bedsheets and threw on some riding gear. If anything was going to make me feel better and mentally prepared for the day ahead, it would be time in the stables.
Heading across the yard, I could already feel a sense of calm befall me. The crisp morning air carried with it the scent of dewy grass and as I neared, the comforting smell of the stables. The early morning sunshine cast a glow over everything it touched and the birds were out in force. It was easy to forget there was anything wrong when life looked, smelled, and sounded this great.
But as I entered the stable courtyard, I realized that great was downright boring when compared to absolute perfection.
That absolute perfection came in the surprising presence of Emma.
She was stood before Storm’s stable door, his muzzle affectionately tickling at her palm as she whispered affectionately to him. Her hair tied loosely at the base of her neck, she wore a white equestrian shirt, beige jodhpurs, and riding boots. I could have swallowed my tongue as I stood there, awestruck by her appeal, my brain lost to the beat of my heart and the fluttering of my belly.
She saw me before I’d had chance to recover and as her eyes met with mine, I saw the flash of appreciation I was starting to become accustomed to where she was concerned.
I wanted to be calm and collected. I wanted to be able to look at her and feel my brain was in control. There was so much I wanted to talk to her about, so much I needed to understand, that I would never get to the bottom of it if I didn’t keep a clear head. Yet the chemistry already buzzing between us had other ideas.
“Abi,” she breathed, striding toward me. “I am so glad you are here, I wasn’t sure when I’d get to see you again, I figured my best chance was to come here in the hope you would too.”
She reached out for me and I stepped back, my nerves and mental state wanting to keep her at arm’s length.
She spied my move and frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean ... I ... can we talk?”
I nodded, trying to find my voice and ignore the fact that my body pined for the touch she had offered. The temptation to reach out for her and pull her back was overwhelming, but where that touch would escalate to ... it wasn’t going to help things, that was for sure, and it certainly wouldn’t get the answers I craved.
