Invisible || h.s.

33: Daddy Issues p.3

Hey guys! There is some graphic smut at the end of this chapter, so if you're not into this, just skip to the note. With that being said, leave a vote/comment if you enjoyed the read!

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Two years earlier

It had been exactly eleven days and fifteen hours since Des gave me his phone number, and I still didn't remove that damn note from the pocket of my jacket. Somehow, I just couldn't find the strength do it; it's like some invisible force was preventing me from throwing away my, possibly, only chance to finally be free.

Each day during my short walk to school I would clutch that tiny piece of paper in my fingers, as if that would help me make a decision on whether or not I should call the mysterious man. His words would replay in my head over and over again like a broken record, tempting me with a choice so forbidden that I shouldn't be even considering it.

I'm on your side, he had said.

But was he, truly? That man was a complete stranger to me, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise. He may have had Julia's complete trust, but it was hardly reassuring considering the fact that she was so easily fooled by Robb, the monster who abused me right under her nose. Who's to say that her judgment wasn't just as wrong when it came to her friend Des?

The bottom line was, would I be brave enough to plunge into deep waters—take a risk and find out whether this man was trustworthy all by myself—or would I choose the safer option of remaining where I was, in my own personal hell, but at least a place that was somehow familiar and predictable?

The answer should have been obvious, yet I still couldn't muster up the strength to make such a drastic move. Not only would I risk falling into another man's trap, but also worsening my already bad situation at home. If Robb had caught me during my little escape..... Well, let's just say even I couldn't predict what he would have done.

All these thoughts were clouding up my mind the entire week, to the point where I found it nearly impossible to focus on anything else. By the time Thursday rolled in, I had basically made up my mind, or rather, convinced myself that trying to escape wasn't worth the risk. If there was one thing that Robb had been right about, it was that you could hardly call me a self-sufficient person. Running away would have probably subjected me to the life on the streets, and the thought terrified me more than I would have liked to admit.

Loneliness—my worst fear, and greatest motivator. At the very least, Robb and Julia had provided me with an illusion of a family; I was no longer the lonely orphaned girl.

That day, even though my dilemma seemed to have been solved, I still entered our small house with a heavy heart and a guilty conscience. As soon as I passed the threshold, I was startled from my thoughts by the muffled laughter coming from somewhere further down the hallway.

"I'm home," I announced warily, not expecting anyone there at this hour.

"Hope!" Heidi's voice echoed around me, the sound of her cheerful giggles making me freeze in my step. What is she doing here? "Join us."

I nearly tripped over my own discarded shoes in a haste to get to the living room, trying to control my growing hysteria. She can't be here. Not with him.