Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I'm nothing like Alessia, though. I simply want to get my son free of the danger that being a part of this family puts him in. I don't care what that looks like so long as he's safe.
I don't even make eye contact with Samuel when I get into the back seat of the car, and like every other week he takes me to my appointment, the man remains completely silent. I can't recall a single time when he's ever attempted to make small talk.
I'm truly alone in this world. If it weren't for Eli, I would've ended things a very long time ago.
The drive doesn't take long, and before I know it, he's pulling up in the alleyway. I climb out before he can open my door, because I know his attempt to make it around the car is just for show. He doesn't say a word when I lift my eyes to him before turning to enter the salon from the back door.
Roxanne meets me near the wash station.
"Mrs. Gaines," she says with a soft smile, and just like she has done every other time I've had to cover injuries with makeup, she sees right through me.
Her lips form a flat line like they always do before she swipes her arm in the direction of the hair washing sink.
"Your mother was a clumsy woman as well," she says, answering a response I gave her years ago when I went to the salon with marks on my skin. I lied and told her I fell down, a stupid excuse, but she caught me off guard. People don't ask women what happened in our circle. You dip your head and keep quiet. Questions come with consequences, and it's not our business what happens in anyone else's home. It was a lesson my father taught me many years ago.
"My mother left me years ago," I mutter. "She must not have been too clumsy."
Silence swirls around us, Roxanne not speaking nor getting to work on washing my hair. I look up at her.
"Your mother never would've left you by choice," she whispers before she turns on the water.
My nose burns from her declaration, but my mother's fate has no bearing on my life now. Knowing the truth, something I suspected since I was a young child, makes no difference. Ghosts from my past can't help me.
The appointment lasts only as long as it needs to. I'm not like other women who spend hours chatting and gossiping. Roxanne attends to me in the back, taking care of my hair and freshening up my manicure before wishing me well. I haven't spent an appointment up front since I married Damien, and I know it's his way of keeping me as isolated as possible.
Despite Roxanne's declaration earlier about my mother, I have no doubt her loyalties lie with my husband, not me. Asking her for help could be a death sentence for both of us, and I know better than to risk it, especially with ripe injuries on my face. They're not only a warning to me but also to others who might think interfering is a good idea.
Unlike all the other times I've come here, Roxanne stops me before I can make my way back out to Samuel who I know will be waiting for me in the alley behind the salon.
"I'm so sorry," she whispers as she lifts her hand to my swollen cheek. "Camilla should've taken you with her."
I pull away from her touch, aghast at what she's saying.
She implied earlier that my mother was killed, that she'd never leave me like I was told so many times by my father. If she wouldn't willingly leave me behind, then she was dead. Roxanne is telling me that death would be better than suffering the bruises on my face. It wishes my life and Eli's right out of existence.
"Mind your own fucking business," I manage in a soft voice. "Unless you want me to tell Damien how badly I'd like to go to a different salon next week."
She swallows, sadness filling her eyes as she takes a step back and dips her gaze to her feet. I feel like a complete asshole, but don't speak on a problem unless you're going to offer a solution. It only makes the situation worse when you bring something up but have nothing to offer to correct it.
Plus, how the fuck would she know anything about my mother? Camilla Reese was an intelligent woman, and she'd never confide in anyone who would gossip about her at a later time. I've borne witness to Roxanne trying to engage me in conversation by whispering about other customers. I have no doubt if I gave her any ammunition about my personal life, she'd do the very same thing behind my back. My mother would never trust someone like her. All her predictions are just guesses, and the warning that I'm going to end up just like my mother is fueled by suspicion and no real fact.