He Called Me Her- Scars and Second Chances

CHAPTER TWOELOWEN VALEI opened my mouth to speak but I had no words to say. I was deeply confused and scared. This was supposed to be Dane's room. Did he have a brother? He did not look like Dane. I did not know a lot of people, but I knew he was not someone from East Halewood High School. He was older, but not by much. He gave off an air of regalness and wealth that even my adoptive parents could not compare to– and they were rich."Oh," he murmured. His voice sent tremors through me yet again and I started to grow intoxicated by his scent, his aura. He took off his suit jacket and casually tossed it to the floor.He pulled the covers back and my heart sank. I looked at him with panic but his eyes were fixed on my feet."Martin sent you here, yes? Have you been paid?" His words were said with a curtness that almost cut me. His warm hands enclosed around my ankles and I felt myself dissolve into the bed."I–I…" I stuttered, inhaling and exhaling sharply. Paid? What was going on? My

CHAPTER FOUR ELOWEN VALE WINSLOW I hated funerals and solemn ceremonies. I was melancholic enough on my own. I hated being in this place. I hated the fact that people were attending a ‘commendation dinner' when someone had died, and I was one of them. I walked faster towards the bathroom and made it just in time to allow my composure to crumble. I had been holding back, been holding tight. But this was the funeral of my adoptive mother, Sherry. I had not seen or heard of her in a little over three years. Then Damon, my adoptive father contacted me to let me know she had died and he would appreciate seeing me at the funeral. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, taking deep breaths and wishing I had not come here. Now that I was here, I remembered why I had left, why I did not want to ever come back here. My life in Portland was peaceful. I had my daughter and more than enough money to take care of her. My peace had been disrupted when I randomly got an email from Damon while I

Chapter SixELOWEN VALE WINSLOW It had not been hard to find my way to the diner that I had agreed to meet the collector at. Well, not the collector. The collector had reached out to me on behalf of a woman who was interested in both my art and a thing I did on the side; interior decoration. I had found that out the previous night after I had gotten back to the hotel suite and Seren was in bed. Curiosity had made me go ahead with it. I had had a semi long morning. I had woken up late, ordered a meal for Grace, Seren and I, and gone back to bed. I had completely forgotten about the meeting with the woman, Greta Virelis, until Grace woke me up again. I stepped out of the taxi, thanked the driver and hurried onto the sidewalk and into the diner. Greta's last text had said that she was sitting at a window booth two booths away from the entrance.As I took speedy steps towards the booth, constructing an apology for my almost late arrival, I bumped into someone. Bumped was an understa

Chapter EightELOWEN VALE WINSLOW The drive to the airport was quiet for the most part, except for Seren occasionally humming a song she had been taught in her daycare back at Portland. “We're here,” Grace announced, glancing back at me from the front passenger seat. The taxi driver muttered an affirmation and I climbed out of the car. I took Seren out of her car seat and placed her comfortably on my hip. She leaned her head against my chest. Grace joined the taxi driver to take her two suitcases out of the trunk and then walked back towards us with a smile. My eyes watered, but I swallowed the emotion. “Thank you so much for everything,” I said as I grasped one of her suitcases and walked into the airport. “It's my job,” Grace smiled. She reached forward and stroked Seren's hair. Seren smiled fondly at her. “When are you coming back?” Seren asked even though I had explained to her that we would not be here for Grace to come back to. We would be somewhere else. New York. She d

CHAPTER TENELOWEN VALE WINSLOW I walked into the lobby, struggling to balance my purse on my shoulder, along with the paper bags that were almost overflowing with groceries. It had been a long day at the Children's facility. From being directed around the campus to meeting some of the children, my favorite part, and then that meeting. I needed to start working on the interior decorations and the art designs.For now, I needed to get dinner ready for Seren and I. I could not help wondering what she and the babysitter had been up to. It had been fairly easy to find a qualified babysitter through an app I had found on my phone. I was going to ask the building manager if it would be okay to install cameras in the apartment. We had been here three days and it had been great so far. Seren liked her room, although I still felt the need to add personal effects of hers to make it more comfortable for her. I would do anything for her comfort. The elevator dinged, telling me I had arrived o