Page 40 of Die for You
I can hear the question she’s really asking.How did you end up with an abusive asshole?“His bio parents became my foster parents when I was sixteen. We fell for each other pretty fast and started sneaking around. When I was seventeen, they discovered what was going on, and they kicked me out.”
At the time, I thought it was exciting, exhilarating, to sneak around in our rooms at night right under his parents’ noses. I thought spending nights in his bed meant he loved me.
Up until that point, his parents paraded me around town so everyone would know what great people they were, taking in foster kids and treating them to lavish birthdays and vacations. Behind closed doors, I was a means to an end.
Until his parents found out we were sneaking around and lost it, blaming me for seducing their innocent son.
“He was eighteen when they kicked me out, so we got a place together. Since he was their baby who could do no wrong, they paid all of his bills. They had no idea I was living there too, and a few months later, I aged out of the system, so I had nowhere else to go. That’s when he became a lot worse—when he knew I was stuck with him.”
Until then, I chalked up Jeremiah’s behavior to mood swings. Raging, pent-up testosterone. Growing up a spoiled only-child. He never hit me, but he always had the capacity to be mean. To lie and gaslight and manipulate.
But I was an orphan with attachment issues. So even if I knew in my gut things weren’t right, I didn’t listen to my instincts. I couldn’t.
I force a weak smile. “You probably think I was an idiot.”
Sienna squeezes my hand. “Not at all. You were all alone. Of course you wanted to trust him. Of course you hoped someone in this world would love you and take care of you.”
I blink back tears. Crazy how Sienna, Juliet, and the Devils have only known me for a short time and they already understand me so well.
“Do you think Knox was an idiot for dating Monica?” Juliet asks, her flat expression giving nothing away.
“Of course not.” My blood pressure spikes at the mention of Knox’s ex. I didn’t even witness what she did to him, but I’ve witnessed the aftermath. That’s enough to hate her.
“So don’t blame yourself either.”
I suppress the building sob with a shaky sigh. No one has ever said that to me before. For years, his parents blamed me for Jeremiah’s behavior. So did the group of assholes we hung out with in high school, his teammates, his coaches, our teachers. If I wasn’t somehow responsible for his actions, I was an idiot for staying.
Victims are always villains in someone’s eyes. Often, in our own.
“So when did you break up with him?” Sienna asks, voice soft.
“About two weeks before the Sigma Chi party. Things got a little better when he went into the NHL. He was so busy, I didn’t have to spend much time with him. I could focus on my music again. But somehow, he got worse and worse the less time we spent together, so when we were together, it just kept escalating. Then when he got kicked out of the NHL, I knew I couldn’t stick around any longer. He’s a ticking time bomb. For a while, he was taking out his aggression on his opponents on the ice. But without hockey? I knew it wouldn’t be long before he took it out on me.” I let out a shaky sigh. This is the first time I’ve told anyone the whole story, from start to finish.
Except it seems like it’s not over yet. Jeremiah will make sure he gets the last word.
“I’msoglad you were able to leave.” Sienna squeezes my hand again, and I squeeze back.
Juliet glares out the window at Jeremiah’s car. Probably envisioning all the ways she could avenge me.
“Me too.” At last, he starts the engine, tired of waiting me out. Every tense muscle in my body finally relaxes. “But it’s not over.”
Chapter 13
Finn
Shekissedme.
Aurora kissedme.
For the past week, I haven’t been able to think about anything else. Replaying that moment in my car over and over. Her soft lips on mine. The taste of sugary sweet coffee on her tongue. The quiet moan that left her throat.
I need her lips back on mine. My mouth on every inch of her.
Quinn waves at me from my webcam. A deep line etched between her brows.
Hello! I said I found my prom dress.
Good. And you’re going stag.
