Page 169 of Ink Deep Devotion

Could I return?

Avery might kill me if I sabotage her efforts, but maybe I could convince her to let me help her.

The backpack on your shoulders is not a superhero’s cape, Mila.

I wish it was.

Dash would…cage me, or maybe he’d be so exasperated he’d let me live alone. Maybe he is with someone else? I know what it’s like to have lonely nights itch your skin raw. That’s what broke me, all that scratching, and I fell into Dom’s arms.

I never mourned Dom. Is that normal? I mean, I was happy he died after what he did.

Happy.

Maybe the problem is that I never acknowledged the life I was born into. I’ve been running since I could crawl. Maybe I should have bent my world to my needs and used its corrupt power to my will. Would I resemble Avery? Brave and determined.

My eyes clash with my backpack. I could use that phone and call Dash, making a deal with him. Would that work? Or could I call my dad and beg him to help me return, but…then what? Should I ask my father to make Dash respect me?

“God, I’m pathetic.” I wheeze.

I’m officially at a crossroad. I’m no longer scared to look in the mirror. I like that about myself; maybe I love it. I know what I want to do with my life, but being on the run makes that vision of the future impossible. I need power and resources. I need my family, but I need them to respect me.

How the fuck do I do that?

Speaking of boots, I wonder what Nova is doing. I never met a girl who loved boots as much as she did. Is she worried about me? No, she would be proud.

Nova would help me. She’d used her boot to kick open the door of anarchy, making it her bitch. Nova, Avery, and I could be a powerful team, freeing girls from our world.

My lips tug up.

That’s a nice dream.

“You’re always spinning that ring,” Nonnina grumbles as she plops into the empty chair.

Oh, I didn’t realize I was touching my wedding band; the metal is so warm to the touch that I must have been holding it for a while now.

“It calms me.”Let go of it. There, place your hands on your lap to hide it.

Nonnina grimaces as she tries to straighten her spine.“Why did you leave him?“

You would never believe me.“We just saw our future differently.” Wow, I can be honest if I twist my words.

Nonnina tips her head back, looking down her nose at me as the sun warms her face. I never knew my grandparents, but I imagine they would ponder me the same way she does. Like I’m an extension of one of them, but I’m flailing about wildly trying to learn how to walk. Instead of struggling, I just need to stay still and find my balance.

“But you love him,” she states as a fact.

Is it that obvious?“Yes.”

“Did he cheat on you?”

“No.”

“Hurt you?” She asks rapidly. I’m used to her questions, although she usually avoids my personal life and focuses on my bad fashion.

“We both hurt each other,” I mutter.

She rubs her eyes, tired from the morning rush of hungry bellies.“But there is still something to be salvaged. That’s why you rub that ring like a genie’s bottle.”

My eyes crinkle as I look down at my sketchbook.“I don’t know,” I whisper.“Broken things are never the same again.”

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