تسجيل الدخولI don't give him a response, but my heart's aching to scream. Say something, Cairo. Just say anything. Tell me why you just left me. Tell me I'm not crazy for feeling this way. Tell me I'm yours and I'll be fine."What are you doing here, Cairo?" I ask, my voice cold as death. "You should go back to your family. I'm sure they need you there. Or maybe your daughter's mom needs—"I'm still talking, without even realizing he's already in front of me. His arms circle me and he pulls me against his chest. He lifts me clean off the ground like I'm weightless, and he starts spinning me in circles, like we're a happy, newlywed couple having the most beautiful night of their lives.I'm literally still gasping from the shock. My arms are already grabbing his hair; I don't even know when I did that. His body feels so warm and solid against mine. I can feel the hard bulge of his erection against my stomach through our clothes. It's thick, relentless. His scent, that deep, intoxicating mix of
I'm dicing cabbages in the kitchen, chopping them into tiny pieces just to keep my hands busy. But it's not working. Cairo keeps invading my thoughts, my heart, my everything. I can't even hear the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board anymore because my head is too loud with thoughts where I'm screaming at him and crying.I chop the veggies faster. The cabbage is basically melted, but I can't just get my hands to stop.Pippa is sitting on the counter stool behind me, crunching potato chips and making these weird, annoying sounds with her mouth. She's been doing it for the past ten minutes and in one more minute, I'm gonna throw this knife at her."So," she says, chewing loudly, "what are we gonna tell Mrs. Gable tomorrow? We already missed Monday. She's gonna kill us."I keep chopping. "I don't know, Pippa. We'll think of something.""She's gonna ask questions, Diana. You know how she is. She's gonna want details.""Then we'll give her details.""Like what? 'Sorry Mrs. Gable
"Don't call her that in front of me, Mom."My voice is all roughed up against my mom, but I'm not gonna take my words back.Mom doesn't flinch. In fact, she stares closer. "Call her what? A slut?" she snaps. "That’s exactly what she is, Cairo. You picked her up from a club. You don’t know where she’s been, who she’s been with, or what kind of things she’s carrying. Those places are dirty. The girls who work there are dirty. And you brought one straight into our home? Into Skye’s home?"I step closer to her, just close enough that she has to look up at me."Mom, I know what happened to you, alright? I know what those men did. I know you spent days tied up in a warehouse, scared out of your mind. And I know that’s why you hate anyone who reminds you of that world. But Sienna isn’t one of Dominic’s people. She was just a girl trying to survive."Mom scoffs, throwing me a mocking gaze. "She took her clothes off for money, Cairo. She let men stare at her and touch her for cash. That’s not
The car stops in front of my mansion and Alec opens the door. I step out first, then reach back in and take Sienna’s hand. She’s still weak as hell, wobbly on her feet, but she manages to stand. I keep a firm grip on her until she’s steady.I guide her toward the front door and we walk inside. She keeps looking around at everything. The high ceilings, the big chandelier, the staircase. She only spent one night here five years ago. I can’t tell what the fuck is going through her head as she stares at it all again.I push the door wide open and we step into the sitting room. Skye is sitting at the dining table with her watercolor pens scattered everywhere. She’s painting something on a piece of paper, something I'm sure she's gonna force one of us to look at very soon. Her little legs are swinging in the air because they don’t even reach the floor.I watch Sienna before Skye even notices her. Her hand goes straight to her chest and she just stares at our daughter like she’s seein
"The fuck do you mean 'the real horror,' Sienna?"I say it out flat because my chest is already full. I don’t have room for more surprises today. She looks at me with those amber eyes without blinking. "I didn’t drop our baby on your doorstep, Cairo... they did."My heart thuds like a fucking gunshot. I straighten up in my chair. "What?"She nods slowly, like she’s been saving that nod for five years. "Her name is Skye, right?""You already know that.""I named my baby Jasmine. She looked so pretty.""She's no longer a baby... she's grown now," I cut her off."Okay." She exhales."When they took her from me, I begged them to at least tell you her real name. I hoped they did. But I guess they didn’t." “I guess they just left my baby outside your door. I’m sure it took hours for you to find her. They didn’t even let me take her to you myself.""Sienna." I cut her off because I can’t listen to any more without getting the main thing out. "I don’t want stories about how Skye got to my
~~~CAIRO~~~I’m sitting on a cheap plastic chair next to the hospital bed with my elbows on my knees and my hands hanging between my legs.The monitors keep beeping harshly in the quiet room. Sienna looks small lying on her bed, pale as hell, with an IV taped to her small arm. Her eyes are red-rimmed like she’s been crying in her dreams.The doctor already came and left. He said she’s stable now. At least she doesn't have any major sickness I have to worry about.Said she just needs rest and she’ll wake up when her body is ready. So I just sit here and wait.I'm looking at her face and I don’t even know what the fuck I’m supposed to feel. Five years of searching, wondering if she was dead or alive, and now she’s lying right here in front of me looking fragile as glass. I should be pissed. I am furious. But right now, watching her breathe so weakly, the anger just sits and waits in my chest like a heavy rock I can't just throw away.She looks a bit weaker. Softer. The Sienna I kne







