Page 191 of Where Broken Wings Fly

Killian’s arms are clenching me so tight, it aches. The tense silence adds to the pressure building up inside of me. Everyone looks fucking terrified. My dread instantly reignites.

“Who was it?” I ask shakily.

“A realtor,” Killian growls out. “Lola was offered three million pounds for Briar Valley.”

“Who, Kill?”

“Sanchez Real Estate,” Lola answers for him. “Someone called Mason contacted us to make the sale on behalf of his business partner.”

The buzz of voices around me fades into insignificance. Those three words change everything. Months of progress vanish. The same wordless terror that drove me to run halfway across the world with a frightened six year old sinks back into my bones.

“Willow?”

Sanchez Real Estate.

“Breathe, Willow.”

He’s coming.

My husband has found me.

“Come back, beautiful.”

My vision whites out as the terror of distant memories takes full control. Their voices vanish. The world fades. My breathing halts. I’m falling back into the past, and I can’t stop the vivid flashback from swallowing me whole.

* * *

“Mummy! You’re scaring me,” Arianna whimpers.

Bundling her tiny frame in my arms, I pin her against my aching chest. Blistering agony is wracking my broken body, but I stuff the pain down, compartmentalising it for survival’s sake. I don’t have time to hurt.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s time to go on that little adventure I told you about.”

“Now?” she says sleepily. “It’s dark outside.”

“I know, but we have a plane to catch. Are you excited?”

She smiles up at me. “Yes! Is Daddy coming too?”

Overcome by a wet coughing fit, I push her away from me so I can retch to one side. Hot blood rises up from my throat, spraying across the back of my hand. My chest and ribs are on fire.

I knew when Mr Sanchez appeared with a shining baseball bat that I was in serious trouble this time. I can feel it connecting with my ribs, his laughter drowning out the sound of my own screaming.

“Mummy? Mummy!”

I stare at Arianna’s terrified face. “I’m here, Ari. Daddy isn’t coming this time. It’s just me and you.”

“Yay! Let’s go!”

“Shhh. We have to be quiet.”

Bundling her into a light coat, she waits by the door as I slide beneath her bed, searching for the loose floorboard by touch alone. I had to change my hiding place after Mr Sanchez ripped apart my room in a drink-fuelled rage.

He was convinced I was hiding something and whipped me bloody when he couldn’t get the truth out of me. It took every last drop of strength I possess to bite my tongue until it bled and keep our precious secret hidden. This is our lifeline. Our last chance.

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