Page 57 of Easy Steal

I looked down, at my hands gripping the steering wheel.

“It wasn’t the first time he did it, but it was different, you know? He was hitting me, pushing me against the door and actually unbuckled his seatbelt so he could get a better swing in,” she scoffed. “So, I opened the door, and jumped out.”

I frowned.

“The road had these, um, deep gutters, and he was driving really fast. So I landed on the bitumen, and scraped across it before I rolled and fell into the concrete gutter. I remember this like, shooting pain, going down my legs. And he stopped the car, and I just ran. By the time I got to my friends house, I was bleeding, and it didn’t stop.”

“I’m sorry, Liv.”

She shrugged and shook the thoughts from her mind but the memories were plain on her face and I instantly regretted bringing it up.

“He didn’t deserve to be a father,” she shrugged again, picking up the packet of chips and signaling that she wanted to change the conversation topic.

“So your brother is where now?”

“Back in the Philippines, he lives with our aunt.”

“Why didn’t you go back?”

She shrugged, “I had a life here, but trust me, I thought about it. Especially when things were bad between Evan and I. For some reason I just kept going back to him, even after that. It took me years to finally break away from his hold. But I pulled myself together, went to Uni and eventually started working at Lilith’s. They became my family, you know?”

“So you didn’t stay just to look for your mum?”

She raised an eyebrow at me, “for someone who’s supposed to be the ‘quiet guy’, you ask a lot of questions.”

I shrugged.

“But yes, that’s a part of it.”

“Do you really think you’ll find her?”

She sighed and shrugged, “she’s a smart woman. If she doesn’t want to be found, then I don’t know.”

I nodded.

“So is it my turn to interrogate you yet?” she smirked, picking another donut from the box.

I shrugged, “you get one.”

“I know I’ve asked it before, but I want a proper answer this time,” she pointed at me.

“Shoot.”

“Why Larissa?”

I rolled my eyes and groaned.

‘I’m sorry,” she put up her hands, “it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

I shook my head and sighed, “I told you, I can’t explain it.”

“Try,” she snapped.

I shook my head as I thought for a little while.

Trying to put it into words.

“She makes me feel… nice.”

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