“Me too,” I say, feeling the tears begin to stream down my face.
Daniella lets out a heavy sigh and takes me by the shoulders, pulling me back to get a good look at my face. “Oh, honey, you look so much like her.” I smile as she pulls me deeper into her living room. “So beautiful and all grown up. Can I get you something to drink? How about some breakfast? I can make you bacon and eggs. I know your mom loved that.”
“I’m fine, really. Shay is probably cooking breakfast as we speak.”
“Shaylee?” she asks with wide eyes. “Are you living with her now? How is she? It’s been far too long since I’ve seen her. We were years apart in age and unfortunately grew out of touch but I still see her from time to time in the grocery store or out for walks.”
“She’s doing really well,” I tell her. “Me and Blake moved in a few weeks ago.”
“Blake?” she questions, making the tears start all over again. “He’s alive? Oh, thank God. All these years we had no idea what had happened to you two. I’m so pleased to hear that you’re alright.”
“We’re doing our best,” I tell her.
Daniella pulls me in again, rubbing her hand up and down my back as though she can hardly believe that I’m standing here in front of her. “Where have you been all these years? I’ve hated thinking about where you two could have ended up.”
I pull back and give her a soft look. “Actually…do you mind if I talk to you about that?”
“Of course, darling. Anything you need.”
“You’re not going to like it,” I warn her. “It actually has something to do with Lucien Valentine.”
Recognition of his new identity hits instantly and her eyes go wide with fear. “How do you know that name?” she demands, trying to keep her tone soft but the fear wins out and has it sounding as more of a demand.
“Can we sit?” I question. “This probably isn’t going to be easy for either of us.”
Her brows furrow in confusion and I see her trying to mentally map it all together and work out how her monster could possibly have anything to do with me or my family. “Of course,” she says, her voice a little shaky.
Daniella takes my hand and we sit down on her couch. I take a deep breath, just as I’ve learned to do any time I need to explain something from my past and I give her a look, letting her know that she needs to prepare herself.
I don’t keep her waiting any longer than necessary. “Thirteen years ago, after my parents were…murdered, Blake and I were taken by Anton Mathers and sold to the highest bidder.” Daniella closes her eyes and nods, there’s no surprise and it’s clear she had already thought the worst. All I’m doing by explaining this is confirming what she already knew.
“Oh, honey,” she says, squeezing my hand, realizing that the rest of this story isn’t going to be good.
I go on. “Lucien and Maria Valentine were the ones who bought us.”
Daniella sucks in a sharp breath, unintentionally squeezing my hand. “Maria?” she questions.
I nod. “You knew her?”
“Yes, Maria went to school with us. She hated your mom. She was so jealous of her. Of her curves, of her beauty, of the attention she received. Your mom was the apple of everyone’s eye and Maria wanted it for herself. She was awful to your mom.”
Pain rips through me. She was that jealous that she took her children. There’s no way she didn’t know who our parents were when we were stolen. I swallow back the lump in my throat and try to continue on without breaking. “They raised us in their home and by the time I was seven it had become clear that Maria wanted us only for the sake of boasting to her friends about the good deed she’d done in ‘adopting’ us, whereas Lucien was only interested in keeping Maria off his back.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“It wasn’t so bad until I was around thirteen and he started paying attention to the way I looked.”
Daniella’s face drops as she reads into my story and sees where this is heading. She shakes her head. “No, please don’t tell me he hurt you.”
“It started with just a bit of touching here and there. He had a business partner who he had promised me to so it came from the both of them, but it wasn’t until two months ago when he came into my bedroom.”
Daniella crushes herself against me, holding me tight with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Skylah. I’m so, so sorry.”
I nod, unable to get words out for a few long, drawn-out moments and when I speak, my voice is barely a whisper. “I know Lucien Valentine is Lucas Valery,” I tell her. “And I know he changed his name after he did the same awful thing to you.”