Page 70 of Shattered Love
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The first messagecomes through the next day around noon.
Juliet: My name is Juliet Stone. I need you to find out if my dad is alive. Please! His name is Dominic Stone.
I write a million different texts but I delete them all. I can’t lie to her, but I need to keep her safe.
Dominic: He was found. He had lost a lot of blood.
I hit send, my grip nearly breaking the phone.
Her message is almost instant.
Juliet: Thank you for telling me. Are you sending help?
My heart clenches. I quickly type out a message.
Dominic: Yes, but you need to hang tight for a while. Are you ok?
I pace back and forth, checking the phone to make sure I haven’t turned the damn thing to silent. I move the volume up and down and am checking the bars for a signal when the thing finally beeps.
Juliet: Yes, I’m ok.
I take a deep breath, typing out the next message.
Dominic: I need you to listen carefully, ok? You need to go against everything you feel. Don’t fight back. Play obedient. No smarting off. You listening, kid?
I press send, knowing how smart my baby girl is. The three dots appear, then disappear again, only to return once more. I can almost hear my beautiful laughing, knowing how crazy our daughter is driving me.
Juliet: Yes! I will be waiting!
I smile because she fucking got it. She knows it’s me. She knows it. I can feel it.
Dominic: Hold tight. We’re coming soon!
