Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
She’d meant it to sound light and cheerful. Instead, she sounded wistful and sad.
Shoot.
“Indie, you’d tell me if anything was wrong, right? If Billy was . . .” Maggie trailed off.
“Everything is fine between me and Billy,” Indie said hastily. “He’s just really driven. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not Billy upsetting me.”
It wasn’t really a lie. Well, more like a half-lie.
And there was no way she could say anything bad about Billy over the phone. What if he listened to her calls?
God. Was she being paranoid?
“Who is it? Are the guys doing their crazy overprotective big brothers act at the club still?”
Big brothers.
Ouch.
She winced.
“You know I don’t go to the club anymore,” she said.
“Indie, you can’t deny who you are forever.”
“It’s Mum,” she said hastily, trying to change the subject. “She’s the one upsetting me.”
“Oh crap, what has Sylvia done now?” Maggie said with a groan.
“Ruined her marriage. I mean, not that there was much left to it. But what there was is . . . gone. She’s shacked up with one of Edward’s business associates in Ibiza.”
That lunch with Edward seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Not for the first time, I’m sure,” Maggie said dryly.
“No, but this time someone sent photos of her to Edward. Apparently, that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“Kind of hypocritical of him considering he’s been carrying on for years with a series of mistresses.”
“Right? But apparently that’s okay. It’s getting caught with your pants down at your ankles on camera isn’t.”
Maggie snorted. “Good to know.”
“He told me to grab anything that I have at the house before it got tossed.”
“What? He just . . . he just kicked you out?”
Indie shrugged even though Maggie couldn’t see it. “It’s not like it’s my home. I haven’t lived there in years. I won’t live there again. And he’s not actually related to me.”
Which was a relief considering her feelings for Slade.
But it also made her feel inexplicably sad for some reason. She guessed there was still a part of her that was that lost little girl.
Just wishing someone would love her.
“Drat. I’ve got to go. But . . . we’re going to talk about this when I see you next week. Okay?” Maggie asked.
“We really don’t need to,” Indie told her hastily.
“We do because I’m worried about you.”
Well, hell.
Maggie sure knew how to get her in the feels.
“Bye. I’ll see you soon,” Indie told her before ending the call.
She closed her eyes.
Misery filled her as she brought up the calendar on her phone to put Maggie’s arrival in it.
Wait. Was that the date? When was the last time she’d had her period?
Shoot.
Just over two months ago.
And not long after that, she’d had unprotected sex with Billy. That asshole never put a condom on.
She placed her hand over her stomach.
Oh God. No.
Could she be . . . oh my God!
Was she actually pregnant?
“No, no, no,” she muttered to herself.
She started to pace. She couldn’t be pregnant.
This was too much. What was she going to do? Before she even thought about it, she was back in the closet, her legs tucked up to her chest and her thumb in her mouth.
Panicking wasn’t going to help.
She knew what she had to do.
Get a test. You need to know for sure.
Right. The only problem was that she had no money.
Message Billy, tell him you’re not feeling well.
She’d rather stay in the closet and forget that she had any of these issues. She wished she had her backpack. But Billy had taken it.
God, she hoped he hadn’t thrown it away. A whimper left her.
Indie. You’re an adult. Act like it.
After a few more minutes of giving herself a stern pep talk, she got out of the closet and grabbed her phone.
Indie: I’m not feeling the best. Need to get some things from the pharmacy.
She waited a few moments before her phone beeped.
Billy: Hmm, I expected to get a message saying how much you loved the flowers. Were they not good enough for you? Were they not enough?
Her hands shook from stress and shock.
God, he knew how to manipulate her. It was frightening how well he could do it.
Well, fuck him.
She wanted to tell him to fucking stick his flowers where the sun didn’t shine.
But instead she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Indie: I’m so sorry. They just arrived and they are beautiful. I’ve just been feeling too sick to fully enjoy them.
Billy: I hope it’s not catching. I can’t afford to get sick.
Indie: I’m not sure. Maybe you should stay away for a few days to make sure.
That would give her some more time.
Time to do what?
Escape.
She didn’t know where she was going to go, though.
Don’t you? Aren’t you planning to go to them?
That had already ended in disaster once. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to try again.