Chapter 1
Clara
Scar was alive… Those words filled the pain, which was cut deep into my heart. The phone Jamie brought me was a lifeline to him. “Keep it hidden.” She whispered again. “I gave him the number on the phone.”
“Did you see him?” My body froze, and I held my breath as I waited for her answer.
“Yes, but only for a short time. He was ordering some people about and he didn’t allow me to stay.” She chewed her bottom lip and sat down on the bed next to me. “He is desperate to see you.”
“I need to make an excuse to leave this place.” Daddy had been so strict, but I wasn’t in the mood to leave either, as my heart had died along with Scar.
Jamie’s face lit up. “I can drag you out. Like literally. You play along with your moaning, and not wanting to come. I will say you have to, and we will leave in my car. I’ll have my driver pick us up and take us to a place where you can meet him.” She became giddy at her plan and I had to shut her up.
With fumbling fingers, I finally sent Scar a message after deleting it a few times, and rewriting it. “I thought you were dead. I’m so sorry about what happened; my daddy deserves everything he gets. Scar, I love you, and I want to be with you, but I understand if you don’t. You risked your life for me, and all I have done is cause you pain.” More tears trickled down my cheeks as I re-read it, then pressed send before I chickened out.
Jamie gave me an enormous hug, one that I needed for strength. She decided she would bring a bag of her clothes and things in the car with her, so that I could leave if things worked out between us. With a sort of plan in place, all I had to do was wait for a message back from Scar.
An hour passed by and I couldn’t stand waiting around. I tucked the phone under my pillow and went for a shower. The water flowed over my head and body. I hadn’t been taking care of myself because I was so low. Now I understand what people went through when depressed. I dehaired my body and a new me stood facing me back in the mirror.
My cheeks had color back in them for the first time in weeks, and I looked human again. I traced my finger over the tattoo on my hip, then the one he did himself. For the first time, butterflies danced inside of me. I touched myself, imagining it was his fingers, and brought myself up to an orgasm.
Now I need him more than ever. After I dried my hair and dressed in some gray loose bottoms and a BVB t-shirt, I smiled at myself in the mirror. My long blonde hair looked healthy again and the red puffy eyes had disappeared.
I checked my phone and disappointment filled me as I hadn’t received a message back. “Please tell me you want me?” Tears lingered at the brims as I hid the phone again for safety.
How many times can you pace your room, flick the channels to wear off the boredom? What seemed like ages went by and I had a visit from Masie, bringing me more food.
“Thanks.” I tucked in straight away as I was starving. Masie smiled and stayed to chat whilst I ate. Things were about as normal as you could get them in this house. Only the extra security told you that my daddy was still apprehensive about what could bring him down. That being was me; I will be the one to bring him down. He had made mom suffer; I just didn’t know how much until now.
Masie left me alone, and she shut my door as she left. Straight away, I pulled out the phone to check it. My hands shook as I pressed the button to open up the message he had sent.
“My sweet cherry pie, you were all I could think about. My body has healed, but my heart has a gaping hole where you are missing from it.”
I hugged the phone tightly and cried. Fuck, I’ve got to stop this. At least this time, these were tears of happiness. With my heart pounding, I replied to him. “Jamie and I have come up with a plan so I can get out of here.” I grinned like the Joker on crack.
“I’ve missed you. I need my cherry in my arms. Tell me when and where.” He came straight back at me, and my idiot smile grew wider.
“I’ll tell you as soon as I have confirmed everything with Jamie.” My bed was going to be subjected to me jumping up and down on it in a minute. The excitement which coursed through my body right now; I was about to wet myself.
“I’ll be waiting for you Cherry.”
My heart beat louder and faster as I typed as quickly as I could to Jamie. With everything set up, I only had to wait till tomorrow morning. We figured daddy would have me followed, so we planned to meet in the coffee shop we always met at. Jamie was going to drag my ass out of here and once I got to the coffee shop, Scar and I would slip out of the back. I couldn’t have Jamie being interrogated. So she could play the innocent and run out to look for me, crying.
Scar and I text back and forth for the rest of the night. I couldn’t wait to be in his arms again. When morning came around, I acted miserable again. I didn’t tell Masie anything, just that I wasn’t feeling well again. When Jamie returned, she made a dramatic entrance.
“Right!” She flung my door open. “Get clothes on, we are going out.”
“Get stuffed Jamie, I don’t want to go anywhere.” I hugged the surrounding covers.
“Nope, I’m not having my girl sitting and moping about. You need the sunshine on your body, and a friendly face feeding you coffee.”
We argued back and forth loudly as I dressed. I tucked the phone inside my bra and it set us up for our exit. Jamie pulled at my arm and dragged me down the stairs. “I’m not having you sit in bed for the rest of your life. We are going to go get a coffee and face life again.”
“But people will talk; I don’t want to face anyone.” I sulked at her.
“What, so you are going to hide away in your room for the rest of your life?” She pouted and shook her head at me.
“What is going on here?” Daddy had appeared, just as we suspected him to.
“I’m taking my best friend out to cheer her up. She has been sitting in that bedroom on her own and it is no good. Her skin needs sunshine.” Jamie faced my dad and gave him a straight face. “Clara has been holed up there for over four weeks. It is not healthy.”
Daddy ground his teeth, eyeing us up. “You’re not going.” He stared hard at us.
I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn’t care, and turned to head back upstairs. “Mr. Clayton, we are ready for you to sign the contract.” A deep, husky voice came from the room he was in. Daddy turned to head back in.
Jamie rushed over to me. “I don’t care what you think. We are going out.” She hauled me as quickly as she could out of the front door. “People won’t care, they won’t recognize you, anyway.” She replied to my mutter of not wanting to be seen.
“Clara!” Daddy shouted at us, but Jamie shoved me into the car.
My heart was going crazy, and I thought he was going to come and pull me out of the car. Jamie jumped in and told her driver to go. He hesitated as Daddy shouted at him not to move the car.
“Drive now.” Jamie barked at him.
Now my entire plan of being with Scar was being foiled by Jamie’s driver, and my daddy.
