Page 52 of Handsome
She nodded and said, “Okay. We both know my sister used you.”
“I remember,” I said, but kept my voice low.
Her sister had been my initial prognosis, but for now I kept quiet and listened carefully.
She let out a long sigh and was trembling when she continued. “I was brought up to be just like her. Well, not to be a doctor, but the lying, the manipulating, the grifter, and my family's belief that I was worthless, a nothing.”
Leah was nothing like I had assumed. I dropped my hands to my side and pretended I was calm. But even my skin was alert as I said, “I’d like more details.”
She dabbed at her eyes again and said, “I didn’t even finish high school… Look, when I was seventeen my mother decided she’d trade my virginity at the dealership for a fucking car.”
This goes way deeper, then.My heart hammered as I asked, “What?”
She let out a sad laugh and stared at the ceiling. Though her muscles tightened as she said, “Three old guys got to touch me all they wanted and would have raped me in their office if a customer hadn’t walked in needing their attention. I ran, and my mother then blackmailed them for the car.”
“That’s awful.” I whispered.
Denial of free will often contributed to my heart patients’ condition, which was why I often prescribed therapists. But this wasn’t a clinical situation, and I wished I could have protected her from that kind of trauma.
She crossed her arms, and her voice was cold when she said, “It was just the beginning. I should have left then, but I went home, thinking it was all over… that I’d never be used like that again. She even promised.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. Sarah was clearly scared. I’d do whatever it took to protect her, but I needed to know what we were up against, so I asked, “What happened?”
“Darren Davis.” She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them.
Adrenaline stormed through me. I’d make damn sure she and Darren never saw each other again, and I hoped she pressed charges, but somehow, I managed to sound almost calm when I said, “I’ve seen the guy at some Manhattan social hours.”
Her head whipped up and her eyes were huge, like I just told her I knew the devil.
My stomach tightened and I had the urge to go find the guy and beat him up right now.
She kept her forehead on her knees while she muttered, “I never want to see him again, ever.”
I held my hand up like I was pledging my allegiance, “No problem. What did he do?”
Her face and neck and shoulders were blotched with red. “He… paid my mother for my virginity.”
Adrenaline rocketed through me while my hands clenched to my side. “What?”
She squeezed her eyes shut but continued talking. “One Friday afternoon she picked me up from school. I should have paid attention, known it was another sign. That time she took me to a condo in Manhattan, and for two nights I was tied up, raped, and videotaped. You can see online when he rammed into me the first time, and I have tears in my eyes.”
“I believe you, and knowing your mother set it up and made money from you is like a punch to my gut.” I said, though my mind was racing ahead to next steps. “I wish I could have saved you.”
I’d ask my brothers who were into computers about how to remove illegal content. And then ensure Darren Davis never invested with or went anywhere near our family’s holdings. Third, I’d let it be known that he was permanently uninvited to anything and everything concerning me or my family.
The bastard would ever be able to hurt Sarah again.
She took my hand and then cupped my face. “You didn’t do anything. I ran. It’s been years now, and I've learned if I just stay honest and keep my distance from people, then I’m better off.”
Our foreheads touched. She deserved better.
“That’s not living,” I said.
She laughed and replied, “You make me want to try to be someone else, but I’m terrified.”
Adrenaline rushed though me, but I tampered it back as I said, “You can do anything you want. I know it’s too early for a relationship with you, but you need to know something.”
She let out a small laugh and tilted her head. “What secrets could you possibly have?”
