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“Yeah, she couldn’t bring herself to lie about it when I directly challenged her, apparently She just kept going on about how she had a good reason to do what she’d done, but she wouldn’t spit it out”

“Well there you go,” said Brad “Anyway, she can’t keep you fro to school! You’re an adult now”

Being outraged was a totally rational reaction on his part, but so about the way he said it rubbed me up “Well, she didn’t I made sure of it Why isn’t Jess in school today?”

Brad shifted in his seat a little “Jess has been homeschooled for a few years now”

“Oh, I didn’t know that” Callie hadhoued me because I didn’t think I knew anyone else who’d had that experience Well, you wouldn’t know them, would you They’d have even less social connections than soine Who would notice that I wasn’t in school today? Aileen ether in the afternoon I’d been so distracted lately and Callie had been so distracted that Aileen was fending for herself h Maybe she wouldn’t care any more And if Callie didn’t have time for Aileen she definitely didn’t have time for…

Steven would notice But Steven was every bit of the abuser I’d always thought ical father would turn out to be When he noticed, it would be because I’d ed to escape whatever attack he had in store for me

The thought of how he’d played ht have otherwise retreated into uess she really did have her reasons for what she did… but I just want to get out of there Get away fro”

Brad began to dru wheel “You know, obviously, I can’t invite you to stay at my home My wife… she’s aware of your existence, of course, but she would be very aard having to play host to you It wouldn’t be fair to her”

“I wouldn’t want to do anything to her,” I said I hadn’t thought about it, actually, but it was true She’d done soet close to her, but I did want to get close to Jess, and thatwith her “But I understand”

He abruptly reached over to his phone in the storage alcove below the dash, checked the time on the screen, then put it back “There are other options I can help you get a place of your own to rent”

I stiffened at the suggestion, shocked beyond words that he would go there before I did—and so I didn’t have any , his thick fingers sliding under the edge of rip

So there was no way for hi was, if I’d been the sao, before Steven pushed his way into… well, a lot of places, then maybe I wouldn’t have seen it that way Maybe I would have even been excited to finally be able to resuhter relationship that was snatched froo

But because I’d been with Steven, I knew there was very little that was fatherly about the way he was touching me

Suddenly, the taste of that coffee he’d bought ht up my throat

“I have a lot ofsport, invested a bit, did well on those investments I still don’t even understand my finances, honestly, but I’m rich That’s what matters I wouldn’t miss the cost of a small rental around here”