The Good Girls Secret

Chapter 21- The Story Comes Out

Before you start reading I want to shoutout a couple readers who I am so thankful for! patheticallly  and majesticmountain comment and voted for most of my chapter and mean so much! Thank you guys! Be sure to check out their books! ❤️ Enjoy the chapter!

"It was two days after my fifteenth birthday, the last time me and my mom had a careless day together. After a lot of convincing, my father agreed to let us leave leave the house and celebrate, so we had a mother daughter spa day. Manicure, pedicure, massage, all that jazz." I pause and smile at the memory that so vividly plays in my mind. "We got back and he was drunk as always, but didn't abuse me or her that night and the next day he was gone. The day after that and he still never came back, so we thought maybe, just maybe, the torture would end."

My breath catches in my throat when the dream I just had comes rushing back. Only it wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

Braiden hugs me tighter rubbing small circles on my back to comfort me, which usually helps.

"We planned on running away that night, but were pretty hesitant because we did it before and he found us. I thought my mom came in my room so late to tell me that we could leave, but it was to tell me that he came back." A tear slides down my face and drops into my mouth leaving a salty taste behind. "Just as I got out the window he broke down the door wanting to kill me."

Braiden's jaw tenses when I mention this, but he remains silent, allowing me to finish.

"My mom stepped in the way to save me, which caused him to focus on her instead. I've never seen someone with so much rage in their eyes before. It was almost like someone lit a fire inside him, that could only be put out by letting go of the anger. Within seconds he grabbed her by the neck and started choking her right in front of me. He threw her into the wall a couple times and squeezed her throat until-" sobs cut off my sentence and hot tears roll down my cheeks.

"Ryan, I'm so sorry." Braiden murmurs into my hair. "No one deserves to go through that."

"But what if I do?" I cry out to him, but mainly to myself. "I should have saved her, but I couldn't, it should have been me, not her! I should have died!" I scream, letting out everything that's been building inside me for years.

"Ryan Hunter, look at me." Braiden says sternly, lightly tilting my chin to look at him. "You did not deserve that, and should not have been the one to die. There's no way you could have saved her, your mom wanted you to live, Ryan. Don't ever think for a second that you shouldn't be here, because people need you. I need you."

He rests his chin on top of my head, lightly rocking me back and forth to calm down the sobs wracking my body.

Once the tears flowing down my face like a waterfall finely slow down, I'm able to choke out another sentence. "I'll never be able to forget her face. The look in her eyes that was begging for someone to save her, begging to continue to live her life."

"Sometimes we're not meant to forget, because that makes us who we are. Remember her for the strong-" he kisses a tear off my cheek with each word, "kind, loving person she was, Ryan, because that's what she would want."

I slowly nod my head which is buried into his chest. It feels so safe in his arms making me wish I could stay here forever and escape all the problems we have to face.

"Why don't you go change into some dry clothes, but be careful with your leg." Braiden suggests, brushing the hair from my face.

"Oh yeah, you had to wake my up with cold water. I mean at least warm it up first." I tease, trying to lighten the mood, even though we both know that's going to be hard.