Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
ELLIE
R eading the diaries was not an easy task, and at first, I felt empathy for Marsha, but as I continued, I discovered her true deceitful nature. To protect my heart and form a wall around emotion, I say dully, “She told my grandmother she’d left it too late to terminate the pregnancy, but she had no time to care for a child. That she had come home to have her baby and my grandmother must make the necessary arrangements to put me up for adoption.”
I sniff as the pain squeezes my heart. “It appears that Marsha never wanted me at all, but my grandmother did.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” Arman says with a fierce determination that makes me smile.
“Yes. I am rather fantastic, after all.”
I tease to lighten the atmosphere, but the ache that has always been there in my heart is tearing the scars apart and I bite my lip to stop it from trembling.
“Marsha left for New York soon after I was born. My grandmother didn’t know where she got the money, or where she was going because Marsha wouldn’t answer her questions. She said she was staying with a woman called Adele Heatherington and not to worry. Just to deal with her mistake, as she put it, and make sure I was gone before she returned.”
I gulp back the tears. “I hate her.”
“ We hate her.”
Arman sounds so angry it causes me to chuckle despite the emotions the entries have stirred up. We. That one word holds so much meaning, and I savor the ripple of pleasure it creates. I has become we and I never appreciated how amazing that word could be.
“The rest of the entries were about me. My first smile, word, you know the kind of thing. It appears that my mother disappeared from both our lives until I was about five years old. Luckily, my grandmother had legally adopted me by then because of Marsha’s criminal activities.”
“What happened then?”
Arman carries on stroking my back and I snuggle deeper against his chest. Loving the intimacy of the moment.
“My mother had a change of heart, apparently. She wanted custody and was prepared to fight dirty to get it.”
“But she didn’t.”
Arman reminds me that he already knows a lot about this story and I nod. “Thankfully, no. She didn’t because my grandmother learned what she had been doing in her absence and it appears that Marsha wasn’t afraid to earn money using sex and the devious cunning I now expect of her.”
“She was a hooker.” Arman states fact and I have no defense against that.
“She was and had been arrested multiple times and even spent two years in jail for trafficking vulnerable girls. However, every time she was in trouble, she landed on her feet again and a few years later appeared to have hit the jackpot. The entries only documented things my grandmother had heard or read about, and my mother was considered an astute businesswoman with a growing empire.”
“Burning Roses.” Arman sounds thoughtful. “We must investigate the rise of it. Discover who helped her and why?”
“You should start at the school, perhaps.”
I shift and stare into his eyes as I prepare to reveal the most damning evidence I read.
“My grandmother wrote that when she questioned Marsha about the identity of my father, she broke down. She had never seen her so scared. She begged my grandmother to forget about it. To never speak of it again and berated her for not following her wishes at having me adopted. Despite my grandmother’s efforts, all she could get out of her was that Adele had assisted her and it wouldn’t cause any issues.”
“What do you think she meant by that?”
I note the gleam in his eye as he thinks hard and then says with a low husky growl, “I believe our investigations would be better spent researching your mother’s friend, who I happen to know isn’t far away in Washington.”
“Adele?” The expression in his eyes intrigues me, and he nods with a determination that makes my heart beat a little faster.
“Leave it with me, malysh. After we eat, I’ll make some enquiries while you carry on reading and if you find anything of interest, I won’t be far away. I’ll never be far away and will always have time for you.”
I lean down and kiss him softly on his lips and as he deepens the kiss, my heart is fuller than it has ever been. It’s as if home is where Arman is and I have no intention of moving.