Page 21 of Until Delilah

“Yeah, about that. I know I was vague in my text with Ava, but I had to be. I’m not going to get into specifics with you right now, but I left Bradley.”

From what I can hear, her parents don’t seem too broken up about it. I think I actually heard her dad whoop.

“Please don’t interrupt as I tell you this next part because I’m not sure if I stop if I’ll be able to continue.” Her parents agree, and then she looks to me and waits until I nod in agreement before she continues. “I overheard something I wasn’t supposed to and got caught. Bradley beat me up. Badly. And I had to be taken to the hospital. While I was there, I found out I was pregnant. I knew if I stayed any longer, he’d kill us, so I waited until he was asleep, and I left.”

My eyes bore into the side of her head. She can’t even look at me after her revelation. It’s either that or her parents who are yelling.

“I know I should have told you what was going on, but I didn’t have time.” She shakes her head and curls her fingers tighter around her phone. “I’m in Tennessee.” There’s a short pause before she shakes her head. “I couldn’t go home. It would be the first place they’d look for me.”

She listens for a few seconds and then answers.

“I was afraid he’d somehow have your phone bugged. He very well might. I wouldn’t be surprised if mine was, that’s why I left it behind.”

Another pause as she listens.

“I cut and dyed my hair in a bus station bathroom. I don’t even look like myself,” she chuckles humorlessly.

That’s news to me. I scan her hair, trying to figure what color it is naturally if it isn’t this dark brown. I don’t know how she did such a good job while at a bus station.

“We were at a shelter,” she answers, and then starts to nibble on her bottom lip. “Since we got here, we’ve met some really good people.”

“Where are you now?” I hear a man demand.

“Someplace safe. Beck’s teacher introduced me to her son, and he rescued us one night when we got locked out of the shelter. We’ve been staying with him.”

“Oh, honey,” I hear her mom say and a bark from her dad.

“No, I’m not coming home. Bradley will find me there, and I’m not going to put either of you in danger. I promise I’m safe here or as safe as I can be with Bradley and his family breathing.”

That sounds ominous as fuck. What does she mean by that? Who is this Bradley? If Delilah won’t give me answers, I’m going to need to find answers on my own.

“You don’t need to cut your trip short. I know how much Rio means to you,” she says quietly.

“You and your sister mean more to us than anything, sweetheart. You have to know we’d drop anything and everything for you,” I hear her dad say.

It’s good to hear how much they love her.

“Tell us where you are, and we’ll come to you. I want to see you with my own two eyes that you and Beck are safe,” I hear her dad say.

“Is Ava safe at school?” her mom asks.

“I think so. I did warn her to stay away from Bradley when I sent her a message. You don’t have to come right away. You can finish your trip.”

“How do you think we’re going to be able to do anything but worry until we see you? You send us the address to where you’re staying, and we’ll be there either tomorrow or the next day.”

“Delilah, what has that man done to you?” her mom asks, her voice sad.

“Too much, but not any longer. I’m free. I’ll tell you more when you get here.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” her mom answers back. I want to chuckle. There’s no way she’s getting out of telling her parents everything. I only hope I get to hear it as well.

“I love you, baby girl. Don’t ever doubt that.”

“I love you too, and I don’t doubt it. Never, not even for a second,” Delilah says softly as tears start to track down her cheeks.

“We’re just happy you’re okay, but if you need to hire security you let us know and we’ll find the best damn person on the planet to keep you and my grandchildren safe. I can’t believe I’m going to be a GiGi again.”

“I can’t either,” she says while picking at the fuzz on a blanket.

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