Page 6 of Hero

Just hearing this breaks my heart, I fight the urge to walk over to her and wrap her in a hug, but the only problem with that is I won’t be able to let her go.

Because she needs to be protected, kept safe, and looked after so that the harshness of the world wouldn’t ever touch her. But seeing her chocolate-hued eyes dim makes me want to go and find them. Make them pay dearly.

“Did they…” I ask before trailing off, unable to finish the question as I fill with hot rage at the idea of anyone laying a finger on her?

“No. The abuse was never physical but rather psychological. They made me understand from the beginning that I was separate from the rest of the family, lesser.”

“Your adopted family sounds like a bunch of assholes that don’t deserve to kiss the ground you walk on. I’m glad you stuck it to them.”

“It took me nearly marrying a guy who never loved me to help me realize that what I wanted all along wasn’t something they were capable of giving me.”

I sit beside her at the edge of the bed. “And what was that?”

“A family.”

Her answer stuns me and it takes a few seconds before I speak. “What made you go for him? The guy’s…”

“Pompous and full of himself,” she finishes.

“Right.”

“You know, Harvey and I first met at my mother’s country club a year ago after my twenty-first birthday. And he wasted no time in asking me out,” she says quietly. “He was the first guy to really give me attention. I didn’t think about his sense of entitlement or that he might have been fetishizing my size. I was just happy to go on my first date. One date became two and two became three and soon enough my family began to praise me for finding such a decent man. His father is an old tycoon and Harvey is a successful businessman himself. My family saw me as a golden opportunity to secure a powerful connection with a wealthy suitor and his lucrative business empire.”

“You were in too deep.”

“Exactly. But that’s not the only thing that kept me with him. For the first time ever, my family treated me like I was one of them. So, I kept telling myself that I loved him even if I didn’tfeel it, because he was the bridge connecting me to my family.” She snorts at the thought and shakes her head.

“What made you call it off?”

“I learned he was cheating on me with my sister,” she says.

“Shit.”

“Yep.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload on you.”

“Don’t be. I’m here for you.” I slide my hand across the bed to caress her fingers and I feel it again, electricity surges through me. I withdraw. “You have to leave.”

I shoot to my feet and stare blankly at the wall.

“Now?”

“Yes, I’ll take you anywhere but you can’t stay.” I bolt for the door like a coward. I’ve faced war in Afghanistan and I’m running from a woman because she gets under my skin without even trying.

I’m halfway down the stairs when there’s a knock at my door.

3

DELILAH

Ipeep downstairs as Silas opens the front door.

“Mom. What are you doing here?” he asks, stepping back to let her enter.

“Is that how you greet your mother?” she asks, hands on hips.

“Sorry,” he says and embraces her in a warm hug that pulls a smile from me.

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