Page 19 of Unfulfilled Promises
She exhaled deeply and nodded before reaching out and opening the door. Her back straightened as she walked into the room, causing all the noise to cease. Booker and Caldwell were back in their seats, sipping on bottles of water and watching themen argue, and they both turned and offered smiles as Regan and I entered the room.
Devlin began to speak. “Regan, I—”
She held up her hand, silencing him as James attempted to move closer. She shook her head, causing a look of pain to flash across his face. It was the first time I’d seen the preppy upset, and it was weird. Rhys looked on, and she offered him a smile before she took a seat in my chair at the end of the table.
I stood behind her with my hands on the back of the chair as she addressed the room. “I have some things to say, and I need everyone to give me the chance to speak without interruption. Can you do that for me? No matter what you hear, can you keep your tempers under control and allow me to tell my story?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and she looked over her shoulder at me, silently asking me to move from behind her. I took the seat directly next to her and angled my chair so I could watch the men around the table while still being able to see her as she spoke. If I saw it was becoming too much, I was going to put a pause to the conversation, though stopping her from telling her truth was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Let me start by saying, I don’t hate any of you for not knowing I was in that house. I never told anyone, and from what I understand, my state records are incomplete, so you couldn’t have known, James.” He looked down at the table, and when he looked back at her, not replying like she asked, she spoke directly to him. “You were the one who discovered our relation. And you gave me a brother—no, three brothers—who have done everything in their power to protect me. So, I need for you to stop thinking you should’ve somehow known.”
She looked at me, and I offered a smile as she said, “Seth explained to me that if you had known, you would’ve saved me too. I’m not angry, just shocked.”
Lifting her eyes from me, she looked down the table at a miserable-looking Devlin as she said, “And as for you, Devlin, I need you to forgive yourself. You might not have had the chance to take me from the horrible house and that awful man, but when I needed you most, you found me and were the first one through the door to take me to safety. And you’ve done everything you could to try and make everything better for those who’ve suffered.”
He nodded, and I saw his blue eyes grow glassy as he turned his gaze down to the table.
Seeing the madman beating himself up, blaming himself for something I now realized he couldn’t have changed, was uncomfortable. But Regan wasn’t done, and the more my beautiful woman said, the more I realized she was the strongest and most resilient person I’d ever met.
And I believe, by the time all her darkness was shown the light, Regan would be the one to bring everything full circle.
But that could be wishful thinking on my part.
Chapter 10
Regan
Icould have raged, cried, or screamed, and they would have accepted it all, but I decided to ease their burden. I would’ve wanted someone to do the same for me, but I knew that wouldn’t happen once they discovered the truth about me. Looking at how miserable they seemed to be, I kept explaining.
“There was no way for you to know after we connected as family. The state didn’t report it, and I never spoke about it. And for that, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more honest with you about what happened before I was in the foster system, but to be honest, it was a time of my life I want to forget.”
They seemed to understand, though I could tell they had questions, but I wasn’t finished yet. “I know you want to know what I experienced, and I’ll say this one time and then never again.” They nodded, so I continued. “The things I experienced in that house, for those years, isn’t something I’ll ever discuss with you or anyone else. I know some of the women in our lives have found peace and redemption when they’ve spoken their truth, but I’m not them. So, to answer the question you have, yes, he was cruel and horrible to me, and she allowed it to happen. The day the police raided the house, finding me in a filthy room after not having been enrolled in school for over a year, was the best day of my life. Until I came here to live with Rhys.” I smiled at my brother, who seemed to be struggling to keep it together.
Standing from my seat, I walked to where my brother was sitting and leaned over, offering him a hug. I rarely instigatedcontact with anyone, so he really hugged me back. Releasing him, I walked to James and repeated the action until I felt his arms wrap around my upper back. Finally, I stepped down the table to Devlin, who looked defeated and unsure of my presence.
“Please stand up,” I requested, and he swallowed deeply before doing as I asked. “I don’t blame you and I need you to stop blaming yourself. What you saved Elise from was something no one should ever experience, and I’m glad you were able to get her out of there.”
He looked like he was bursting to say something, so I asked, “Do you have anything you want to say?”
“I won’t begin to say how sorry I am because words are hollow. I will tell you from the depths of my soul, I wouldn’t have left you behind if I’d known you were there. Family or not, no one deserves what you lived through.” I gave him a small nod, and he added, “Steve died of an overdose in a shitty bar in the Flats over four years ago, so he will never be able to hurt anyone ever again.”
I gave him a smile and another nod, feeling the lump building in my throat. Reaching out, I took his meaty hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping it relayed the things I was becoming too emotional to say out loud. He looked into my eyes as he pushed a cheek up, trying to show some understanding.
Stepping back from him, I turned and caught Seth’s eyes as I moved away from Devlin. He gave me a wink with a smile, and I felt his affection from across the room. Just as I got back to Rhys, he looked up at me and said, “I killed our mother the week after I met you for the first time. I saw such sadness in your eyes and I wanted that bitch to pay, so I tracked her down and killed her.”
“Thank you for telling me,” I responded then added, “I’m glad she’s dead. I hope you made it painful.”
“I did.”
Pecking him on the cheek, I walked back to my seat. Seth slipped his hand into mine as I began to address the room. “I know there are questions about who took me from my apartment, where they kept me, and how I survived until you saved me, but I will not discuss that now or in the future. There are some things that need to stay buried, and I hope you can give me the respect of honoring my request.”
Seth squeezed my hand, and I exhaled as I added, “Seth and I are going out to dinner now, so unless you have any questions that I am willing to answer, we’re going to leave you to discuss whatever you need to discuss.”
“Can I ask one question?” James inquired, so I gave him a nod and tightened my grip on Seth’s hand, unsure where James was going.
“It touches on the time you won’t discuss, but it’s not about you. Not directly, anyway,” James stated, so I rolled my hand, needing him to finish. “Your friend that was taken with you, when . . . when was she killed?”
I stood from my chair, and Seth joined me before I answered. This wasn’t about me and I didn’t have to expound on anything but the truth of what happened to Elsa. “She was dead within a few hours of them taking us from our apartment. I’m not sure who did it, but they were using her as a receptacle for their pleasure when I was dragged out of the house and forced to leave her there.”
