It dawns on me this is way more than I thought. The realization hits me right away.
This is the woman she was talking about. Vulnerable, delicate, and frankly, so lonely. She’s always been wild and stubborn and tough, but something must’ve happened to her.
It may be me or the universe switching things for her, but she’s morphing into this beautiful woman under my very eyes.
She’s even more powerful than before.
All I want is to be there with her the day she sheds her skin for good. When she becomes that beautiful person who is struggling right now, caught between two worlds, pushing away from her past while longing for a different future.
Maybe it was all meant to be.
“Let me love you, Senna,” I murmur in her hair as she starts sobbing at my chest. “The way you always wanted it. The way nobody loved you before. Okay?”
She gives me a soft nod while shuddering in my arms.
“I’m not gonna rush, baby. All right? And I’m gonna be there for you, but you have to come to me, too.”
“I will...” she murmurs, brushing her tears away.
I tilt her face up and slide my thumb across her lips. A soft quiver ripples beneath my touch.
“I missed you, baby,” I say.
“I missed you, too,” she murmurs before our lips connect into a soft, unhurried kiss.
* * *
SENNA
I wavehim goodbye while he steers his car away.
My tears still stain my cheeks as I spin around and walk inside the house.
The place is quiet and empty, but I no longer feel lonely. I quickly shower, slip into my pajamas and go to bed.
A box of books is on the nightstand for me.
First, I pick up my phone and slide my finger across the screen, pulling up a bunch of photographs. Taking my time, I examine the pictures we’ve captured in the restaurant.
I zoom in on their faces.
Harper has never looked more beautiful. Dressed in a dark green dress, she’s smiling from ear to ear, her eyes sparkling with love for Abel, who looks at her, entranced.
I study myself in a few frames. My frown is gone, and the pursing of my lips has vanished too. Relaxed, I grin and glance at them, a sparkle gleaming in my eyes as well, while Jaden’s eyes are almost always on me.
I study him slowly, running my fingers over his picture.
It feels strange.
Surreal.
It’s hard to comprehend that this is the same man I once spotted sitting on a sidewalk in front of Jill’s.
The man I found one night, his body slashed and bloodied, lying on the ground.
The man who played with me and tied me to the bed.
The man who fucked me any way I wanted, fulfilling all my secret fantasies.