Sutton stares at me in surprise, and I don’t miss the glazed look in her eyes telling me she’s close to tears. “What was her name?”
“Ronaele,” I rasp, clearing my throat. “We were best friends growing up.”
“What happened to her?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “Maybe at a later time—after you’ve had a chance to work things out in your head about the shit you’ve been through, I’ll tell you that part of the story. Just know here and now that I’m letting the past go, the fear of losing someone, and claiming you as mine. You mean too much to me, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you get all the help you need and overcome the pain of everything you went through and anything else that might arise.”
Sutton parts her lips and simply stares at me with shimmering eyes, but doesn’t say anything. I only hope she realizes the significance of what I’ve shared with her.
Chapter Seven
Sutton
It’s been a week since I’d been released from the hospital and moved into Tombstone’s house. The first day we came home, I had stepped inside to find all the doors had been removed from their hinges. When I asked Tombstone about it, he shrugged, “Having doors is a privilege. You want them, then earn the right to have them up.”
I’ve been a wreck since coming to Tombstone’s. I’ve barely spoken a word and stay couped up in his room. He’s even left me alone after the initial telling me of my privileges of having privacy. Every day a woman named Stella comes by and checks my bandages and asks me how I’m feeling. Simple as that, I don’t know.
Ivy had sent clothes to the hospital, but until I’m in a better state of mind, Stella and Tombstone both agree I shouldn’t see anyone. They seem to think I’ll break down again if I see her or my other friends. They’re probably right.
Every time I close my eyes, all I see is the nightmares I’ve endured throughout my life. From being the disappointment of my mother being stuck with me, to Chad tormenting me and no one stopping him, all the way up to my short stay with the Triple Spirits MC. Each night, I wake up in the dead of night in a cold sweat, needing a shower. Because of my bandages, I’ve come to a routine of taping them off with the medical stuff Stella gave me. She'd told me not to get my wounds wet as they heal. It’s not my first rodeo, so I get it. In the shower, I have to have it scalding hot while I scrub my skin raw trying to erase the filth from my skin.
I don’t know if Tombstone is aware of my nightly showers, but if he does . . . he’s not letting on to the fact. In fact, he’s kept his distance besides making sure I eat and drink something. I find myself continuously going over what he had told me at the hospital. He was married to a woman named Ronaele, who he thinks he’s the reason for her death. I want to ask more, but I’m not sure how to approach the subject of his dead wife. Who would?
It’s not something you just bring up in conversation.
Sitting on the bed, my lower back touching the headboard, I stare down at my bandaged wrists, wondering if I should be thankful to Tombstone for saving me or hate him for not letting me finally find my peace.
A knocking sound draws me out of my head. Lifting my head, I find a beautiful woman around my age tapping against the wall just inside the room.
“Hi, I’m Bethany. Do you mind if I come in?” she asks sweetly, and I wonder if this is the shrink Tombstone had promised the doctors I’d start seeing. At the hospital, he'd got me out of there quicker than they were willing to release me. This being, he told them I’d still be getting the help I needed.
“I guess.” I shrug, eying her cautiously. I’m sure I sound like a juvenile throwing a temper tantrum.
Bethany smiles and comes to sit on the end of the bed. She moves to sit with her legs crossed as she spins to face me. “I’m sure you’re thinking it’s weird for me to just show up, but that’s okay. You’ll understand soon enough.”
“Understand what?” I ask, confused.
“Tombstone’s my dad, and he called me . . .”
“He’s your dad,” I interrupt, not seeing that one coming.
Grinning, she nods. “Yeah, I know it’s a shock. He told me he hasn’t told you everything yet, but when he does, you’ll understand that part. But I’m here to talk to you about what happened and see where your head’s at.”
Now I get it, Tombstone had brought his daughter to talk to me since I won’t talk to anyone else. “I’m fine. I don’t need to talk about what happened. In fact, I need everyone to leave me alone about it so I can forget about it.”
“Sutton, I know firsthand there’s no forgetting about it,” she says, cocking her head to the side, taking in my features. “I’ve been in your shoes, but my story’s a whole other scenario. I was married to a man who abused and raped me. I lived in hell with his beatings until I found the courage to leave him, only for him to show up after I was finally getting comfortable in my own skin again and not only beat me, but that’s when he forced himself on my body.”
As I listen to Bethany go further into detail about what she had lived through, I stay quiet. She’s been through a lot. From her parents being strict, to her ex-husband being a complete and utter monster, to meeting her husband and the drama they went through, and to top it all off was the accident she was in and ended up nearly losing her child. By the time she’s finished, the tears are spilling down my face, and there’s no stopping them.
This woman does understand. She’s lived a similar life—the only difference is she’s found her forever.
“Now, do you think you wanna talk about what happened, having heard my own experiences?” she asks, not seeming to push.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. “Growing up, my mom thought of me as a mistake and constantly made sure I knew just that.” I talk about the fact she would tell me I was going to end up being a whore if I didn’t listen to her. Or like my biological father, dead, or I don’t at least he might be dead, who knows. My mom, she never told me his name. “When she married my stepfather, life got even worse, because of my stepbrother Chad. It’s like his sole purpose in life was to make mine Hell. The only time I felt an ounce of peace was when Ivy and the others were with me.” I finish by telling her what happened at the Triple Spirits MC clubhouse and how they had treated me. How it left me feeling degraded and humiliated.
Releasing that to Bethany feels somewhat freeing, but I’m no closer to feeling back to myself.
“I understand the feeling, and I’m gonna let you in on a secret.”
“What’s that?” I ask, finally meeting her gaze head-on.
“One step at a time. One day at a time.” She smiles, looking behind her toward the open door where I notice Tombstone leaning against the doorway. When she turns back to me, I’m still focused on the man standing there watching me.
Did he hear what I said?
My chest tightens, and I’m scared he’ll want me out of here now he’s heard how dirty I am.
Bethany
“Remember what I said, Sutton, and everything will be okay. Let those who love you help,” I whisper, gaining the attention of the woman in front of me.