About the Author
Sahara Roberts caught the writing bug early in life. She enjoys writing Dark Romance, Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance. Her days are filled with international trade issues (the legal kind) and her evenings writing steamy romance.
Sahara lives in South Texas with her beloved husband and their three furry overlords. She enjoys cooking, baking, and cake decorating, but she would certainly prefer to have someone else do the dishes.
Read More from Sahara Roberts
Love at First Sight
By Aria Rae Blossom
Aria Rae Blossom
Love at First Sight
An Introvert Girl. A Popular Boy. The Same Attraction.
Talia Marlowe grew up in a poor family without any love from her parents. Due to being mistreated, she yearns to escape her current situation to become independent and gain freedom.
Her chance comes at last during a trip to a school excursion in December. Talia meets a man, Jayden Walker, who might become the one who will help her escape from her dark world. The only problem is he lives too far away from her home.
To reach her goals, she needs to become strong to fight against her mother, who always stood in her path, or else Talia will succumb to the darkness within her heart.
Will Jayden’s kindness and support help her escape all the suffering she endured over the years? Or will she surrender her happiness before Christmas arrives?
Love at First Sight © 2021 Aria Rae Blossom
Example Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Created with Vellum
1
From the first moment Talia knew how to cry, she had been shedding tears for being an unwanted daughter. Throughout her eighteen years of life, she had learned the saying to be more than true – she couldn’t choose the circumstances she was born into, in her case, a poor family. With all the past conditions wrecking her life, she desired to change her future even though the route was difficult.
Leaning over the table, Talia scribbled the last answer on her Calculus assignment. "Finally, that’s done." She set aside the math homework and flipped open her science textbook and notepad. "Now to get this one done, before I start on m English essay.”
Flipping her auburn hair to the back, Talia wiped the sweat on her forehead as she read several pages of her book. She soon glanced around the surroundings to rest her brain. In their household, her bedroom was the smallest and the most tattered compared to the other chambers. The brown carpet was loose from the floor in some areas, and two broken baskets with clothes stood in the closet. A ripped mattress combined with a second-hand blanket and pillows leaned near the windows. Even the hue on her blue pants was faded out and her red shirt had threads ripped on the ends.
The only thing new was the many drawings of a happy family hung against the yellow, cracked walls. Talia stared at the sketches, pulled a tight smile in her heart, and focused on her assignment again.
"You lazy girl! Where in the world are you?" A shrill voice screamed like a banshee, shaking the house like a volcanic eruption. "Why haven't you started on your chores yet?"
Talia startled, hurried to throw a blanket over her assignments, and strode toward the kitchen. Glancing at the approaching dark figure of Edith Jones, she cowered at the snarling tone of her mother as her body shook in fear.
The fierce expression of her mother resembled a tiger eager to tear the flesh off her body. She had blond hair reaching her shoulder blades and had pale skin. Her eyes crooked like a devil, and she wore a teal dress. Glaring at the shivering form of her daughter, she narrowed her blue eyes in a rage of disappointment.
"I… I'm still doing... my homework," Talia stuttered, refusing to look at her mom in the face. "I'll… I'll start preparing... dinner after I... complete them."
Edith slapped her. "No wonder the dinner hasn't been set on the table." Grabbing Talia on the arm, her mother dragged and shoved her against the sink. "Don't you have any idea that I'm hungry? Get on with the cooking."
"But… Mom… I really need to finish my… homework before I set out on my… school excursion." Talia pled as tears dripped down from her green eyes. "Can you please ask… ask... Abigail to cook tonight since I… already finished... her homework?"
All the years she grew up since childhood, Talia finally differentiated the treatment between her sister and herself like night and day. Her sibling looked as gorgeous as a princess and was treated like a queen, while she resembled a beggar and was regarded as a slave. They both came out of the same womb and shared the same blood.
How come I receive only ten percent from my parents while my younger sister obtains ninety percent?
Edith snarled as she grabbed Talia's hair and pulled. "How dare you talk back to me? Do you think I wouldn't dare punish you?" Her mother smacked her back and shoulders as she scolded Talia in a cold-blood tone. "I'll teach you a lesson not to speak ill of my Abigail again. You should remember your place! You’re not worthy to lick the dirt off her boots."
"Mother… I'm sorry!" Talia begged as her voice quivered and tears fell down her eyes. "I won't argue… with you again... Please... spare me."
Charlotte Langston dashed into the kitchen, wrenched Edith from her precious granddaughter, and shoved her away. “What do you think you’re doing? You should mind your manners in front of children.” Looking at Talia, she placed her hand to touch all the bruises. “Are you alright, my dear?”
Talia snuggled closer to Charlotte as she wiped off her tears. Even though her grandma already had gray-haired, wrapping in a bun due to old age, she protected Talia at a young age until now. Charlotte had the same green eyes as her, and she wore a brown, loose dress like a maid. Pushing her granddaughter behind her back like a wall, her granny stared at Edith.
“I’m fine, Grandma,” Talia whimpered as she glanced at the ground. “What about my mother?”
Due to the push from Charlotte, the evil woman had fallen with a thump to the floor. Edith crawled onto her feet and shrieked, spit flying from her mouth. “How dare you two fight against me? I already prohibited you from going on the school excursion. Didn’t I tell you that your father and I would never spend a penny on your tuition since we saved that money for Abigail?”