Broken In Pieces: Billionaire Stepbrother Romance (Wounded Hearts Book 1) Read Free Page B

tears, “Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
    I shallow hard, trying to find my voice, “Jarrod…he, he raped me last night.” I begin to sob again.
    “He did what??” she says as tears well in her eyes.
    “He raped me,” I moan through my sobs.
    She grabs me and hugs me tight, “Oh God,” she cries. We hold each other and cry for what seems like forever. Mother sits back, dries her eyes and then begins wiping the tears from my face, “Honey, are you sure of what you’re saying?”
    Am I sure?? I’m so hurt by her question that I can feel my heart rip like it’s being cut with a dull knife. I pull the t-shirt up, unlatch my blood stained bra to expose my breast, “Yes Mother, I’m sure.”
    She gasps, putting her hand over her mouth. She grabs my hand, “Was he wearing protection?”
    I explain the whole gut wrenchingly nasty scene to her. The fact that I only had one glass of wine. The fact that I think I was drugged. The fact that I couldn’t raise my arms or get my body to react in any way. The fact that I have no idea if he was wearing protection or not because I couldn’t move. By this time, my voice and sobs have gotten so loud that they must have gotten Carter’s attention. He comes running into my room, “What’s wrong?!?!”
    I just sit on the bed and continue crying. Mother strokes my head again, “I’ll be back in a little while, Sheridan. Stay right here and rest.” Then she ushers Carter out of the room. I lie back down on the bed, still crying from the hurt of Mother’s question. Of course I am sure. Does she think I am stupid? Does she think I would make something like that up? I’m not sure which is worse, the wound she just inflicted on me or the wounds from last night.
    Mother returns a couple of hours later with a glass of water and some pills in her hand, “Here, take these.”
    I pop the pills in my mouth, take a drink and swallow. “What are they?”
    “A couple of Tylenol and something to make sure you don’t get pregnant.” Pregnant? Oh God, please no! Mother must have seen the instant fear and shock on my face. “Don’t worry about that. These will completely take care of it. I called our family doctor and had him call it in at the pharmacy. I didn’t tell him what had happened just that I needed them,” she answers without me having to say a word.
    “Now, let’s get you in the shower. You’ll feel better after you’re cleaned up a bit.” I keep insisting that I can do it myself so she concedes as long as I let her know when I’m finished. I get the shower as hot as I can and it does feel good. I stay until I am a prune. I keep trying to wash his smell off of me. I scrub until my skin is raw but I can still feel him touching me. Nothing helps.
    It’s late evening. I let Mother know that I’ve finished and that I’m just going to lie down. She insists that I eat and brings a sandwich to my room. The last thing I feel like doing is eating but I do, so that Mother will be satisfied. She tells me that Donna called earlier and she told her that I wasn’t feeling well. I love Donna but I’m thankful that Mother pacified her. I don’t wanna talk to nor see anyone. I just want to lock myself in my room and sleep until this isn’t even a memory anymore.
    I lie looking up at my ceiling, wondering again, why all of this happened. Why did he rape me? Did I do something that made him? Was it the clothes I was wearing, earlier in the night? Was it something I said? Why did Mother turn so cold with her questions? Did she think I did something to cause it? I end up crying myself to sleep somewhere between all the questions running through my head.
    It’s morning again and as much as I had wished to wake up with no memories, it didn’t happen. I’m still sore and I have a headache from hell. I go to the medicine cabinet, in my bathroom, to get some Tylenol and end up caught in my reflection in the mirror. Who is this girl staring back at me? She looks weathered and