Page 52 of Exile
Arianna’s words are a gut punch. Logically I know she’s right. I’ve experienced how flawed the justice system is. I’ve seen how many police officers walk away from murder charges with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I have thousands of photographs on my computer from protests highlighting this very real issue. But knowing Serena will probably be another statistic in a broken system makes me want to vomit.
“I…I don’t know what to do. He took everything from me. He’s paying for Mom’s care while the house sale is in escrow. I have no money, nowhere to go, he has my ID and my bank card and my car. He’s not going to let me go. Not without a fight.”
“That’s not entirely true.” I speak up, and Serena looks at me like I have two heads.
“What do you mean? You can’t seriously think Dom is just going to say ‘Oh, you’re right; we’re better off as friends, have a nice life’!”
Arianna nods, interjecting, “She’s right. A man doesn’t go through that level of manipulation just to gracefully step to the side. He’s very likely to escalate, and Serena is in danger.”
“No, what I mean is you have somewhere to go.”
“Kai, I can’t stay with you and your parents. I don’t want Dom setting his sights on your family.” Serena shakes her head in objection, but I cup her face in my hands, halting her protest.
“You can go back to your house.”
“Kai—”
“I bought it.” Serena’s eyes widen in surprise. I push on, seeing how she’s struggling to process the bomb I dropped on her. “I used my inheritance from Grams for the down payment, and my parents helped me buy it. You didn’t lose your house, Serena.”
Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she squeaks, “But why?”
“Because I know how important that house is to you, and I just…didn’t want you to lose it.” Serena’s brows furrow like she’s trying to work through a logic puzzle, so I confess what I’ve been holding back, hoping she will forgive me for not speaking up sooner.
“I knew Dom was bad news. He threatened me to stay away from you, but I thought he was just jealous of our relationship. Then I heard him talking to your mom one day about moving into a retirement home. I thought there would be time before he put his plans into motion, but after the shooting everything moved so fast. And after you turned me away at the hospital, I was worried you wouldn’t believe me about Dom, thinking I was being a bitch about losing to him. I’m sorry, Serena. I should’ve said something. I should’ve warned you.
“I just thought, maybe, if I bought the house and you realized Dom wasn’t the man for you, it would be one less loss you would have to experience.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
SERENA
“Ibought it.”
Kai’s words are ringing in my ears as my vision goes gray around the edges. Between acknowledging Dominick had been raping me—a brutal truth I had been denying fiercely in my own mind—and Kai confessing that he bought my house, I feel like my entire universe is collapsing and expanding all at once. I can’t process. I can’t breathe. I can’t…
My vision goes black, and suddenly Kai’s strong hands are cupping my face, his forehead pressed to mine. He’s saying something, but his words are muffled by the panic that is trying to pull me under.
I’m vaguely aware of the sensation of something cold and wet on the back of my neck, dripping down my back. It’s just shocking enough to force a gasp of air into my lungs. Slowly, the world comes back into focus. I see Kai’s body kneeling between my legs. His warm breath tickles my lips, and I part them, breathing him in, trying to inhale his strength. His deep, honeyed voice filters through the fog, anchoring me back in reality.
“Breathe, baby. Deep breath. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Come back to me, ReRe.”
I quiet Kai by pressing my lips to his, swallowing his apologies. Apologies he shouldn’t be making. None of this is his fault.
When we part, a new resolve pours into the cracks of my fractured self-worth. The cracks Dom put there. Hardening, strengthening, reinforcing it into something more resilient. Better. Unbreakable. I take a long moment, sitting with this new version of myself, letting it settle into my bones, before saying, “I want to take my life back.”
Arianna, Kai and I are sitting around her kitchen table, coming up with a plan for taking back control of my life—while making sure we can get Dominick locked up without fear of retaliation—when Kai’s phone starts buzzing from its spot on the table.
Kai peeks at the caller ID and a frown tugs down at his full, pouty lips. “It’s Mrs. G.” He flicks a concerned glance at me before hitting the speaker button to answer the call.
“Hey, Mrs. G, what’s up?”
“Oh, Kai! Good, you answered! Honey, have you seen Serena? Her man, Dominick, came by looking for her, and he was all in a tizzy! He was saying crazy nonsense like you kidnapped her, and he kept asking to come into my house to make sure she wasn’t here. I told him I haven’t seen either one of you, but he kept threatening to come back with a warrant, so I just let him in to take a look so he'd go away. There’s a police cruiser parked down the street in front of your parents’ house like they’re waiting to bust up a meth lab. What in the hell is going on?”
My mouth falls open at Mrs. G’s words. Fuck. This is bad. I can’t let Dominick drag Kai’s parents or Mrs. G into this mess. He’s going to harass everyone I love until I go back to him.
Kai looks at me wide-eyed, unsure of what to tell Mrs. G. We don’t want her to know too much; the less she knows, the better. But we can’t let Dom poison her against Kai. Quickly, I write down a response for Kai, careful not to give away that I’m with him.
“She’s fine, Mrs. G. She and Dom had a fight, and she wanted to go visit her mom’s friend so I gave her a ride. There’s nothing to worry about. Serena is safe. I swear it.” There is a long moment of silence before Mrs. G responds.