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“He never touched you?” Irene laughed, a dry, brittle sound. “No. Because I made sure he couldn’t. The night he tried to come into your room, I locked him in the basement. Not this one. The other one. The real one.” She paused. “He was down there for three days before I let him out. He never looked at you again.”
“Am I?” Irene reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Chloe’s face. “You had nightmares for years. You wet the bed until you were fourteen. You flinched every time a man raised his voice. That wasn’t imagination, Chloe. That was memory. And I buried it for you — in this room. Every photo, every date, every notation. I took the pain and put it in these walls so you could live.” PureTaboo - Aaliyah Love- Kristen Scott -The In...
“Maybe,” Irene whispered. “But I am also the only person in this world who has ever loved you without wanting something back.” Irene stepped back and gestured to the brass bed. “You can stay here tonight, like you used to when you were little. Or you can go back to the guest house and pretend none of this happened. But know this — the key is yours now. You can come down here whenever you need to remember. Or you can throw it in the lake and forget I ever said a word.” “He never touched you
Irene’s smile did not waver. “Of course, darling. Whatever makes you comfortable.” Three weeks later, Chloe found the key. The night he tried to come into your
Chloe’s hands trembled. She heard footsteps above.
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