Free Out of Breath (Exposed Series Book 2) by Hazel Kelly Page B

were both lost to
you.” She leaned in and pointed at my palm again. “I can see the trauma here on
your heart line.”
    I stared at my hand like I’d never seen it before.
    “That must have been a difficult time for you.”
    “Yes.”
    “It is clear on your head line, too.” She pointed at a small
circular crease in the middle of my hand.
    Maybe it had been a bad idea coming to see Madame Ursula,
especially if she was just going to tell me things I already knew.
    “And there was someone else in your life that you were very
close to until this emotional crisis and then your path’s separated.” She
squinted at my hand. “It was someone you knew for most of your life. Maybe a
sibling?”
    “Yes,” I said. “I used to be close to my sister.”
    “It is not too late to fix this,” she said, looking at me from
under her fake eyelashes. “Not yet.”
    I shook my head. “Sorry, Madame, but I think maybe it is too
late.”
    “It is never too late to forgive.”
    I shrugged.
    “Regret is the result of reliving pain. If you relieve
the pain- if you forgive- the regret goes away.”
    “I’ll think about it,” I said. Forgiving my sister was one
thing; forgiving myself was another. “What about now?” I asked. “What about the
rest of my life?”
    “One of your true loves still needs you.”
    I pursed my lips.
    “You should write to them.”
    “A letter?”
    “Yes. So you can choose your words carefully.”
    “Are you sure?”
    She looked annoyed. “Yes. That way your true love can hear your
words many times.”
    “That makes sense.”
    “And you should write down your secrets,” she said. “Instead of
taking them with you.”
    “My secrets?”
    “If you take your heavy pain to the grave with you it will only
weigh down your soul.”
    “My soul?”
    She nodded like she’d just told me to go buy milk and eggs.
    “So that’s what I’m supposed to do before I die?” I asked,
trying to figure out how she saw all that in my palm.
    “Yes.”
    “But how could I possibly-”
    “One word at a time, Dawn.” She turned my hand over and held it
between hers. “One word at a time.”
    I swallowed. “And what about my cat?” I asked, since she seemed
to have all the answers.
    “Your cat is fine where it is,” she said. “It is the pain in
your heart that needs shifting.”
    I paid Madame Ursula her fee and a tip which included the rest
of my pack of cigarettes. I was halfway through the first set of beaded
curtains when she called my name for the last time.
    “Dawn?”
    “Yeah?” I asked, turning in time to see her slip my smokes in
her pocket.
    “By protecting your secrets, you aren’t helping anyone,” she
said, raising a black painted nail towards me. “Least of all yourself.”
    I forced a smile and walked out into the fresh air as quickly as
I could. By the time I climbed the stairwell to street level, I was completely
out of breath. I had to lean against the Subway window until I stopped
wheezing.
    I was exhausted. And how could I not be? I’d just had
confirmation that I was dying and heavy with regret. Maybe fortune tellers were
only fun if you had your whole life ahead of you and nothing to hide.
    But that didn’t change the fact that I knew she was right about
everything. And I should’ve realized it sooner. After all, for the last ten
years I made a living trying to help people deal with their secrets, their
pain, and their regrets.
    Now it was my turn.
     
     

Chapter 13: Kate
     
     
    After a little practice, I got the hang of it. All I had to do
was lie down, take a few deep breaths, and slide my hand between my thighs. I
found circular, counter clockwise motions worked best to get my blood flowing.
And as long as I could clear my mind enough, I could come in just a few
minutes.
    In fact, the more I practiced, the better I got at it and the
faster I could come. So I was practicing all the time. Especially before I went
out because it made me feel relaxed and gave me a