Page 83 of Shattered Souls
“You’re obviously a great mom.”
I make a noise of self-deprecation. “I dunno about that. There’s a lot I’ve done wrong.”
“Yeah, but there’s also a lot you’ve done right, and the way your daughter looks at you in these photos, I’d say you’ve done a hell of a lot more right than you have wrong.”
“I feel like I’m always failing her,” I admit aloud. “Like, no matter what I do, I always make the wrong decision.”
“I don’t think that’s true. Every decision you make, you do it with her best interests in mind. Sure, they might not always work out the way you intended.” I snort derisively. “But, they were decisions made with love, which is all any kid really needs.” Royce is silent for a moment before he confesses. “I’d readily give up every dollar to the King name if it meant having parents who loved me. Whocared.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I’d give up anything to have that too.”
Noticing something, he leans closer, dipping his hand into the box. “What’s this?” he asks, beads dangling from his fingertips.
Smiling fondly, I take the bracelet from him.Rileyis spelled out on white beads, each letter brightly colored in a different vibrant hue. At either end are tiny, shiny gold beads that add a pretty sparkle to the bracelet, while the rest is filled with shades of pink from soft pastels to deep rose, creating a beautiful gradient. It’s playful and eye-catching, and I remember being so delighted when Grayson gave it to me.
“This is the only gift I’ve ever received from Grayson,” I share with Royce.
“No way, Gray got you this?”
I nod my head. “For my fifteenth birthday. We’d only been living in his house for a month or so. We hardly knew each other, but I was already crushing on him,” I chuckle, remembering. “My mom hated it. She said it was cheap. I mean, it was a kid’s bracelet; of course, it was cheap, but I loved it. She refused to letme wear it, so I kept it hidden in my jewelry box, scared that if she saw it, she’d throw it in the trash.
“This bracelet was my lifeline. When I was feeling so desperately alone and isolated, I’d hide in my closet, clutching this in my hand, and I’d think about Grayson and whatever stupid thing he’d done that day to make me smile.”
I stroke my finger reverently over the beads spelling out my name. “It gave me hope that there was someone out there who cared, who saw me. It made me feel like I wasn’t entirely alone in the world.”
My lips are bone dry as I continue. “When I left for Halston, I gave it to Aurora, hoping it would offer her the same comfort—that when she was missing me or felt alone, she could lift it out and know that I was always with her.”
“How about you keep it safe until you can give it back to her.” Royce carefully takes the bracelet from me, before sliding it over my hand. “Now, she can always be with you. And Grayson, too, which I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of.”
My responding laugh is wet as I swipe at my eyes. “He’s totally going to see this as a sign of possession.”
Smirking, Royce teases, “Hey, it could be worse. Itcouldbe a choker.”
“Oh my god!” I smack him in the chest with the back of my hand, even though I’m laughing, the moment of levity broken. “Wait, do you think that’s what he was doing with this? Claiming me?”
Royce snorts. “I have no doubt.”
“I don’t understand,” I say, barely feeling the heat from my scalding coffee as it sears into my palms. I can feel the coolnessof the bracelet against my wrist, hidden beneath Royce’s top, and thank goodness for its inherent powers because I am in need of its strength after that bomb drop—something Royce somehow knew.
Taking a steadying breath, I look into each of their faces. The four of us are seated around the kitchen table for this discussion.
I’m not sure if I’m in a state of shock or denial.
Both.
I’m definitely experiencing both.
Or perhaps that concussion was more severe than the doctor thought, and this is all some sort of twisted hallucination.
“My mother paid this guy, this… Vincent, to kill me?”
There’s no way I heard that right.
Except, the mixture of outright hostile and sympathetic expressions they are each sporting says that’s exactly what Grayson just said.
“Why?”
Okay, that’s probably a stupid question. There is no love lost between me and Lydia. Still, outright murdering me sounds… ridiculous.Yeah, so did finding out she sold your daughter…
