“Why don’t you fucking stay there and think about what you did?” he said.
I didn’t hear anymore after that. Everything was blurred, save for the pain. That was razor sharp and took away most of my focus.
My eyes went to two sets of feet as they walked out the room, probably to have the dinner Rosie had painstakingly prepared for them. I wondered if Father ever felt any remorse after he was done.
Did he even love me?
I let out a small whimper when I felt someone over my body. Looking up, I found Roberto’s kind brown eyes. I couldn’t even offer a small smile.
He had draped a throw blanket over my body. Then carefully, he lifted me up in his arms. Roberto was surprisingly strong. I had him pegged to be in his late forties, and though that wasn’t old by any standard, there had always been something demure about him.
I let out a small groan in pain when he shuffled me the wrong way, my ribcage feeling like it was digging its way around inside of me.
“I’m sorry, Miss. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can,” he said quietly.
I could hear my father’s booming laugh in the next room over, and I closed my mouth, biting on my bottom to keep from making any noise.
The way to my room was quick. Roberto placed me down on the bed before he moved to my closet and grabbed out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
I looked at him questioningly, but he was no longer paying me any attention.
“Put this on and I’ll explain after,” he told me urgently.
I waited for him to leave to give me some privacy, but he was still in my room. He wasn’t paying any attention to me, though. It took a second before I realized he had pulled out a duffel bag underneath my bed. One I didn’t even know was there in the first place.
He set it on the bed before moving to my closet.
I quickly shoved away the blanket and put on the clothes he handed me, first taking off the dirty lingerie. It took longer than I’d have liked, considering how much pain I was in—particularly around my middle—but Roberto took his time in the closet, probably to give me some time.
When he came out, he was holding my sweatshirt in one hand and a small black bag in the other.
I put the sweatshirt on, and I looked over at the black bag. He knelt on the floor in front of me and handed the bag over, along with a white handkerchief I recognized from his suit jacket. He pointed toward my mouth, and I gently wiped it. The cloth came away red. I grimaced at the sight.
“It took me a while to do this. I’m sorry, Miss, that I hadn’t been able to do this any quicker, but I had to be careful.”
I opened the bag, and my eyes widened in surprise at all the cash in there. I met his eyes.
He smiled. “It’s not much. I was only able to get fifteen thousand, but it should be enough for you to go into hiding for a bit, okay? And here.” He shifted through the bag and pulled out a small book. He opened it to show me a passport. My picture was on there, but the date of birth and name weren’t mine.
“Your new identity. Memorize this, Miss. There are instructions on here that’ll tell you what you need to do and how you can live.”
I shook my head, finally figuring out his plan.
He nodded, his eyes set in determination. “I know you’re scared. I know you grew up sheltered and you know almost nothing of this world, but you can do this. You are smart and brave and resourceful. Remember all those books you’ve read? All the stories? Don’t you want to go out and have adventures of your own? You’re resilient and you didn’t let your father’s mistreatment of you tear you down. You are your mother’s daughter. You can do this.”
I shook my head and grabbed his forearm.
I couldn’t do this. I dreamed about running away so many times, but now that I had the chance, I didn’t think I could do this. I couldn’t.
He patted my hands. “You can. Everything you need is in here. Money, a new identity to start over, and, most of all, courage.”
He tapped my chest, where my heart beat harshly.
“There’s already an empty trail set up for your father to follow. If all goes according to plan, he won’t realize it for months. That’ll give you plenty of time to figure out your new life. I need you to go to California, understand? California or New York, both states your father would never step foot in, but I think … I think California will be the better option.”
He said the last part quietly.
I didn’t understand. Why would Roberto risk his life to help me? And how did he manage it? This looked well thought out.