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“Grace would have been just like you,” he smiled. “I could see it in her eyes.”
I smiled through the pain. We never saw her eyes. She never opened them. I never heard her cries or felt her squeeze my finger. She never breathed a single breath of air.
As if he knew how hard this was for me, he stood from his chair and strode over to me, pressing his hands onto my shoulders. “She was never meant to be, darling.”
He always told me that, but it never made things easier. “I just wish I could have?—”
“Don’t go there,” he said sternly. “It won’t make things better for you. Remember how hard it was for you after we lost her.”
I did. He had to force me out of bed. I didn’t want to leave my room. It was only because he made me leave that I ever had the energy to get out of bed and walk down those stairs. If it weren’t for him, I would have died of heartache.
“Sometimes, when things are hard, the only thing we can do is remind ourselves that we have strength deep inside.”
I looked up, soaking up his image in the mirror. “Do you think I have the strength to move on without you?”
“I know you do. You remember what you need to do—what I taught you.”
I nodded swiftly.
“You’re never to leave the house on your own. Always have a guard with you.”
“Always.”
“Don’t trust anyone. I’ve taught you what to watch for. You know the signs.”
“I remember everything,” I smiled.
He sighed heavily. “I wish now I had taught you self-defense. I always told you I would be there to take care of you.”
I slid my hand up to his hand, closing my eyes to feel his fingers on my shoulder, but as usual, I felt nothing but air. Because he wasn’t really there. When I opened my eyes, he was gone. Tears filled my eyes and I quickly swiped them away.
It always felt so real. How could I carry on a conversation with him and know how he would respond, but not really be talking to him? It wasn’t fair. Everyone else around me had someone they loved. Why did my husband have to be taken?
A knock on the door startled me. “Yes?” I said, swiping the tears from my face.
Vira opened the door, peeking her head in. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I thought I heard you talking to someone.”
“Oh.” I smiled, ducking my head. “Just singing to myself.”
“Gotcha. Jason and Carli are here.”
I nodded, taking a long breath. “I’ll be right down.”
As soon as the door closed, I checked my reflection one last time, but gasped when I saw Ebarardo’s angry face behind me.
“Jason? You said a little girl was coming here.”
“Ebarardo—”
“You have another man coming into your home?”
“It’s not like that?—”
“You’re mine. There is never to be another man in this house. Is that understood?”