Page 138 of When Hearts Awaken

Her eyes shine with wetness, and she wipes a stray tear away from her cheek. “It’s too late for that, Tay. And no one will believe me, anyway.” Her gaze flickers to me and she gives me a heartbreaking smile. “Maybe someday, I’ll be as brave as you, but I don’t think that day is today.” She rises on her tiptoes and pulls me in for a light hug. “Thanks, Tay. You’re the best mentor a girl could have.”

Maddy walks away, her shoulders slumped, and the unease I felt when I saw the photo on my phone flares back up.

“Back to your positions. Starting at Act III.” Sir Ian claps his hands. “Taylor, I need you to work on how you come down from the turns. I think you’re overcompensating.”

I startle, snapping my attention back to the familiar gaze of Sir Ian, my pulse quickening as I look at him for the thousandth time today, trying to identify new clues, or perhaps even new memory fragments—anything to tell me if this man in front of me is the monster from my nightmares.

Fly Harriet.

I shudder, and he cocks his head at me, his foot tapping on the ground. He points to his watch. “We don’t have all day, Taylor.”

“Yes, sir.” Quickly, I scramble to my spot and get into position as the music streams in from the speakers.

Sir Ian frowns as he stares at me, his gaze giving nothing away. His finger is twirling the ruby pen he always uses. I’m thrown back to the first day when I met him, when I had a full-blown panic attack and flashback in his presence, when every atom in my body wants to flee from this seemingly harmless man.

The furrow between his brows deepens and I force myself to look away, because I’m supposed to act normal and be the bait. I’m tempting the monster to seek me out this time so I can gut him and chop off his head. Shaking out my tense shoulders, I throw myself into the dance, once again immersing my mind and body into the role of Odile, the black swan.

The rest of practice goes by uneventfully, all of us hitting our positions adequately and by the end of the rehearsal, there’s a newfound excitement in the group as we look forward to finishing the encore performance and getting a break before preparing for the next show.

Chugging down a few sips of cold water from my bottle, I nod at Anthony just as his phone rings. I mouth to him I’m going to the restroom along with the rest of the girls and he eyes the group—safety in numbers—and nods before answering the call.

Lisa prattles on about her weekend plans as she hooks her arm with mine. As we make a turn after leaving the rehearsal studio, suddenly someone taps me on my shoulder.

Turning around, I see Ainsley chewing on her lip. A slither of dread coils around my chest as I take in her worried expression. I motion to Lisa and the others to continue without me.

“What’s going on, Ainsley? Something is up, so don’t bother bullshitting me anymore. Maddy is telling me cryptic things and you guys are behaving strangely.”

Ainsley sighs and looks around the crowded hallway. She pulls me to the side and whispers, “Maddy will kill me if she finds out I told you anything. But I can’t stand by and do nothing anymore. It isn’t right. I’m not being a good friend if I know something awful is happening and I’m not saying anything.”

Alarm rears through me and I lean in. “What the hell is going on?”

She bites her lip and looks behind me again before leaning in and whispering, “What you said at the press conference, I think the same happened to her.”

My heart stops as her words echo in my ears. “What?” Of all the scenarios, this one didn’t occur to me.

“The new clothes, the handbags, the money?” Ainsley shakes her head, her face flushed. “I think it’s hush money. I saw her one day with an older guy—the businessman type. Her clothes were a mess, and she was crying. Then next week, all these gifts started appearing.”

A growl slips from my mouth. Cracking my neck, I hear the joints snap. “That fucking bastard. Where’s Maddy?”

“I saw her heading toward the VIP lounge.” I take a step toward that direction and Ainsley grabs my arm, her voice in a panic. “Please! Don’t tell her I told you. She’d kill me, but I just can’t stand seeing this happen to her and doing nothing about it. I can’t leave her with the scumbag!”

Memories flood my mind. Alexis and the horror in her eyes when she found me naked in the hotel. The terse silence in the car when she dropped me off at my apartment when I was bleeding between my legs and every part of my body hurt. When she told me she was quitting ballet.

The crippling betrayal I felt. The shame. The devastating loss.

Looking at Ainsley, I murmur, “You’re doing the right thing. You’re a great friend, Ainsley. Don’t abandon her. She needs you.”

Don’t do what Alexis did to me.

Ainsley nods, her lips curving in a wobbly smile, and I quickly make my way to the second floor, my mind swirling with unwanted memories of how I felt all those years ago.

The loneliness, the guilt, the anger, the self-loathing. No one fought for me back then, not even the cops or the therapist, and I couldn’t open myself up to trust anyone else.

I can’t let this happen to Maddy. Maybe it’s foolish to take on her problems when I’m still dealing with mine.

But I can’t stand here and do nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I open the door to the VIP lounge and step inside, finding the space dark, the drapes drawn close.

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