Free Betrayal: Brianna's Secret (The Betrayal Series) by Sofia Velardi Page B

me being there? They all hated me, and my mother only wanted me there because she felt guilty for what she allowed my father and Miller to do to me.”
    While Abby continued to stroke her hair and cheek, Brianna realized it was getting pretty late. She sat up and wiped her damp cheeks with the back of her hands.
    “Well, now you know everything. I’m not an evil person, Abby. I’m not lying. My story may sound too sordid to believe, but it’s all true. I hope you believe me.”
    “I do,” Abby replied. She believed every single word. No one could make up a story like that and cry the way Brianna did no matter how good an actor they were.
    “You should go home, Abby. It’s getting late, and this city is very dangerous.”
    Abby shook her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re not well. I’m not leaving you like this.”
    “I’m fine, really. You should go,” Brianna sniffled, her eyes red and puffy.
    Abby reached out, cradled the side of Brianna’s face and stared into her eyes. “I’m not leaving. If you want me gone, you’re going to have to grab me by the arm and throw me out.”
    “I told you, I don’t want your pity.”
    Abby sighed. “I don’t pity you, Brianna. I could never pity you. I admire you. I admire your courage, your determination to not let what happened to you make you bitter. I wish that when I was eighteen I possessed a smidge of the bravery, strength and maturity you displayed seven years ago. And those tears, that vulnerability that you’ve shown me today, they don’t make you weak or pitiful. They make you human.”
     “The things that happened to you are so awful, so horrific, they would’ve robbed anyone else of their sanity, but you’re still standing and fighting. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be angry. I’m not leaving. You’re not alone. I’m here for you. If you want to cry, I’ll cry with you. If you want to scream, I’ll scream with you. If you want to talk, I’ll listen. I will hold you until you fall asleep. Whatever you need me to do, I’m here for you.”
    Brianna exhaled. A nervous chuckle escaped her lips, and her eyes began to well again. She lunged at Abby, wrapping her arms around her neck and holding her tightly.
    “Thank you so much for being here. You’re such a wonderful soul, Abigail Slone. You’re the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever met.” Brianna bit her lower lip while resting her chin on Abby’s shoulder.
    There were other things she wanted to say to Abby. She wanted to tell Abby how madly in love she was with her. She wanted to tell Abby she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her. She wanted to tell Abby she was never going to find someone as perfect as her no matter how hard she looked.
    She also wanted to tell Abby she felt it was unfair that they had to swallow their feelings and stay away from each other just because it would be weird for Kyle. Yes, it was selfish for her to think like that, but she didn’t care.
    Brianna wanted to break that hug and just crush Abby’s lips with hers. But Abby had already told her the type of relationship Brianna wanted with her was not possible. She knew how stubborn Abby was about everything so she decided to keep all of those thoughts to herself.
    Brianna had no choice but to swallow her feelings. All Abby could offer her were her sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. Brianna had to accept the fact that she and Abby were destined to be friends and nothing more.
    “You need to rest. Let’s get you into bed,” Abby suggested after breaking their hug. Brianna nodded, thankful she wasn’t going to spend that night all alone. Abby got off the couch, took Brianna’s hand and led her to the bedroom.
    A week earlier they had held hands and walked into a bedroom together. Things that were both wonderful and regretful happened between them that time. Things were very different this time around. That night there was no kissing, no touching, no exploration of sexual curiosity, no