Page 48 of Mind Maze

He was supposed to keep me safe and protect me, but it’s he who’s breaking me apart from the inside. We haven’t had sex in so long. It’s probably because he’s sleeping with women his own age behind my back. Why does he hate me now?

It’s hard to tell if she’s being delusional about Dad or if this is truly what happened. What I know of her, she’s mentallyunwell. But Dad can also be the cold bastard she describes in her journal.

I couldn’t get out of bed today. Gideon’s out of town. Took Bastian with him. He never takes us. I’m so depressed. Romy’s crying, begging to be fed, is the only reason I dragged myself out of bed. If she wouldn’t be left alone, I’d end my life. He’d feel so horrible for how he’s treated me.

I slam the journal closed, my heart beating erratically. The thought of being left alone with that woman stresses me out. In my mind, I don’t see myself but Kaitlyn, and that makes it all the worse. Knowing she dealt with this woman as I did is devastating.

With tears in my eyes, I frantically start shoving all the pictures and journal back into the bag. Then I cram it into my purse. A pained howl bursts from me. Between the fight with Caius that brought back the horror of the rape and now all this stuff with Vivienne, I feel hollowed out and brittle.

And there’s no one to hold me—to promise everything will be okay.

The bathroom door opens swiftly. I tense, ready for another battle with Caius. It’s not him, though. Theo bends over the tub, places his arms beneath me, and scoops me out. I cling to him as a flood of tears comes pouring out.

It’s a reminder I still do have someone who cares about me.

Not the one I want, but I’m not in the position to be choosy right now.

Caius

Romy is a distraction.

I left her in the hotel room this morning, needing to escape and dig into the text Calista sent me. It was necessary to clear my head. I’d tried to reply back to Calista, but she went dark.

Worse yet, I couldn’t track down the location of the phone. I’d tried for hours while downstairs in the hotel lobby where I’d set up camp. The staff let me be while I sucked down coffee and scoured all my usual channels on my laptop.

Nothing.

I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing for over a decade. Searching for something that doesn’t exist. At least that’s what it feels like.

But she’s out there.

The texts she sent were proof.

There’s no way anyone else could’ve given me those details.

Dad could have…

As much as he’s the easy out, my gut tells me that’s not who’s sending me the texts. If Dad wanted to get at me, he’d be a lot more clever about it. Plus, he has no reason.

Unless he thinks you’re getting too wrapped up in Romy…

That still doesn’t make sense.

“Another one, babe?” the pretty bartender asks.

It’s been hours since I moved from the lobby to the bar. My laptop sits closed on the bar top and my glass is empty. I’m bleary-eyed and getting close to drunk. That certainly won’t help in my search efforts for Calista.

I glance at my watch, surprised to see it’s after eleven at night. I’ve been gone all day.

Is Romy still upset or did she get over it?

I need to get back. It’s not like I’m finding anything useful anyway.

“Nah,” I say regretfully. “Just charge my tab to my room.”

I pluck a hundred-dollar bill from my wallet and slide it over to her for a tip. She grins at me, a flirtatious one, but I’m not interested. Sure, she’s cute, but I have a girl already waiting in my bed. I sure as hell don’t need to add another one to the equation.

“You have a nice evening.”

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