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‘Olivia, baby’

I feel an electric shock fly through my body as her soft touch ain in Carl’s hold, except this tie to free myself

‘Gracie, leave her!’ Carl roars as I bolt fros instantly numb fro except escaping Get out of here Run away I make it to the bar door and take the corner quickly, just catching her co after me, but then William appears fro threat as he fights to hold her back ‘You stupid woo!’ she yells ‘Please, don’t let her go!’ I can hear the anguish in her voice, see the terror on her beautiful face as it disappears from my viehen I round the corner I can see it But I don’t feel it I can only feel er, confusion, and I can’t cope with any of it I return my focus forward and pelt for the doors that’ll takeany but the door not co any closer takes a while to sink in past the distress consu words are whispered quietly into my ear, but however hushed they are, I hear hi alarms and frantic activity aroundon for dear life ‘Help me,’ I sob into his shoulder ‘Take round, feel ainst his chest

‘Shhhh’ He cups the back ofmy face into the comfort of his neck as he starts to pace away His strides are purposeful I can feel the panic in‘We’re leaving, Olivia I’ you away from here’

My dead muscles co tones, and I squeeze uely aware of the blaring sirens cutting abruptly, but I’ behind us Two pairs of pounding feet And neither are Miller’s

‘Don’t take her away from me!’

I s hard and push nores my mother’s demand andof feet,into hiear ‘Gracie, damn it! Leave her!’

‘No!’

We’re suddenly jerked to a stop and Miller growls, swinging around to confrontwith the same level of threat that I’ve heard him use on others The fact that this woman is my mother is of no consequence to Miller ‘I won’t repeat o rather than yanking hi you take her’ Gracie’s resolute voice puts the fear of God in me I can’t face her I don’t want to face her ‘I need to talk to her Explain so ainst me, and it’s in thisatat the woman who abandoned me ‘She’ll talk to you when she’s ready,’ he says quietly, but there’s nolaced in his words ‘If she’s ready’

I feel his face turn into the side ofin deeply He’s reassuringthat I don’t want to do And I love him so much for it

‘But I need to talk to her now’ Determination is rife in her tone ‘She needs to know--’

Miller loses it in the blink of an eye ‘Does she look ready to talk to you?’ he roars,me jump in his arms ‘You abandoned her!’

‘I had no choice’ My mother’s words are shaky, her eht now if that makesino My heart has no room for Gracie Taylor It’s too consumed by Miller Hart

‘We all have choices,’ Miller says, ‘and I’ve irl, and I am You didn’t That’s what makes me worthy of her love That’s what makes me deserve her’

My sobs return full force as a result of his ad he loves ratitude Hearing him confirm that he thinks he’s worthy of hteous arsehole,’ Gracie seethes, that Taylor sass flying up to support her

‘Gracie, darling,’ Willia subjected to the depravity I faced I’ve skipped fro myself on a daily basis that I couldn’t be with her That I couldn’t be ato strut into her life and toss every painful moment I’ve endured all these years to shit!’

That stateony Her pain? Her fucking pain? My need to jump from Miller’s arer, but Miller pulls a long, steady breath of air and flexes his ar me from my intention He knows He knohat those words have done to n for hs around his waist in acknowledgement, and maybe for my mother’s benefit