Page 21 of Papers Don't Lie

“Or that time you cut your hair only to piss Mom off,” she reminds me, laughing with tears in her eyes. “You looked so bad, Esme.“

I laugh, agreeing with her. While I cut it with scissors, I looked like I had used a lawn mower instead. “Well, she deserved it.”

Mom didn’t do anything then, but I was simply sick of her confidence that she was the one in charge and that I couldn’t do anything while I was under her roof. By cutting my hair, I thought I proved to her that no matter how hard she tried to keep us on a leash, at one point we still could do whatever we pleased without giving her a chance to react.

In one way or another, I’m doing the same thing now.

She bobs her head, whispering, “She did.”

We spend a few more minutes in silence, observing the people around us. Some have come for a night run or a light walk, while others just want a relaxing end of the day.

Raven puts her hand over mine. “You know I love you, right? More than anything,” she says, her voice shaking.

I smile. “Of course, Rave. I love you too.”

Her eyes turn into a puddle as she nods, biting her lip before letting her gaze wander all over the place, as if she’s expecting someone to pop out at any second.

The breath that I’m about to release gets caught in my throat, and I open my mouth to say something, but I can’t. The only thing I’m thinking about is that she was followed and someone who isn’t supposed to be here is, or a second option I try as much as possible to not take into consideration.

“Then I hope you remember that and you can forgive me." She breaks into tears, covering her mouth with her trembling palm.

My heart immediately starts beating erratically, ready to pump out of my chest. “Raven, what are you talking about?” I ask, even though deep down I know.

I just can’t accept it.

“I’m sorry,” she cries, standing up and getting lost in the darkness after she throws the rest of the ice cream in the trash.

There’s no time for me to process whatever just happened because Carter walks from behind me to where Raven wasstanding mere seconds ago, a disgusting satisfaction in his eyes. He traces his tongue over his lip, taking one of my curls between his fingers and wrapping it around them before sitting down next to me.

“My precious,” he murmurs while I fight to remove his touch from me. Carter doesn’t react. He never does, anyway. He never cares about the number of rejections he’s faced. The only thing he cares about is me, and it doesn’t matter if I’m willing to give him what he wants or not. “It’s time for you to come home.”

I get up to my feet. “I’m not coming anywhere with you.”

“Precious, don’t make me mad. You won’t like it," he says so casually, sitting on the bench like he owns it, dressed in his usual suit.

“Just stop with the threatening already. I’m sincerely sick of it. You can’t force me to do something I don’t want. Because no, Carter, I never wanted to marry you, and I never will. I’d rather live in a shithole for the rest of my life than spend it next to you.” I breathe in relief, finally speaking for myself after years in his presence.

He stands up, towering over me with his height. His fingers pinch my chin, forcing me to see the same obsession I saw in his eyes all the years he’s been in my life. Carter’s never going to let me go. I know that.

“You are mine, Esmeray. No one can take you away from me, not even you. I know you’ll love me one day just as much as I love you.”

“You’re sick.” I spit the words out with so much sourness, it’s a surprise it doesn’t burn his skin. “You’re sick if you believe that, Carter. Why do you want me if I don’t want you? Would you rather spend your life praying I’ll love you one day, knowing that I’ll suffer every step of the way instead of letting me go?” I ask, taking a step further. “Carter, if you love me and that’s true—”

“It is.” He stops me, growling. “I’m still willing to take you back, even if it seems like you’ve lost your manners and your…” He gestures with his hands towards my outfit. “Touch,” he continues.

I ignore him, not really caring about what he thinks. “Then know that people who love someone let them go when the time comes.” I don’t wait to see if he has anything else to say. I simply turn around to leave, hoping he’ll let me.

Too bad Carter will never let anything go if it means he’s losing. He grabs me by my arm, whirling me back to him. “Listen to me, Esmeray. You. Belong. To. Me. Let that settle in your empty little head,” he says, his grip tightening with each word while his other hand points at my temple. “Even your fucking worthless life is mine. You werebornfor me.” Carter grits his teeth and squeezes my arm so hard I think it’ll break or stop the blood from flooding there.

His words hurt me more than his grip. I’m used to his ruthlessness and his desperate need to use violence to get what he wants, but what he said…

He’s not wrong. My parents made me, like the rest of my sisters, for one purpose: to get married the moment we turn eighteen. To this day, how they got that idea is still a mystery to me. It’s not like we’re part of the mafia, who’s known for arranging marriages for alliances. We used to be a simple family.

Until Naveah was ready to get married, we grew up in an apartment with two rooms and a kitchen where the walls could collide over us at any given second. I was too young to understand what their plan was, but there was one thing I saw that forced me to understand everything too quickly for my age.

Mom told us to go outside to play, and I came back to grab my favorite purple toy when I heard her scream. I opened the door to their room, and Dad was holding her in his arms while Mom bled on the floor.

She had an abortion then.

---