I cried, confessed my diagnosis to Zade, and then cried even harder when he
was nothing but supportive. It’s been treated, but that lingering repulsion lingers, sinking its claws deep into my membrane.
He’s probably used every word in the English language to assure me that I’m
not disgusting or that he doesn’t see me differently, but it didn’t change how I viewed myself.
Zade was right. Happiness is fleeting, however, over the past weeks, he’s done everything in his power to help me hold on to any semblance of peace.
Finishing with the brush, he sets it down on the bed and gathers my hair together. I nearly choke when he begins braiding it.
“Where the hell did you learn to do that?” I ask. I’m tempted to twist around
like a dog chasing its tail, just so I can witness this.
“Ruby taught me,” he answers quietly. “There was a young girl that I rescued
a few years ago, and she wouldn’t let anyone else touch her but me at first. She
loved braids in her hair, so I learned how to do them for her. Got pretty fucking
good at it, too.”
My lip trembles, and I’m forced to suck it between my teeth to keep the sob
in.
Bastard of a man.
Just when I think I can’t fall in love with him any more than I already have,
he goes and does this shit.
There’s no denying that he’s going to be a great father one day, and though the thought scares me, I don’t want anyone else but me to have the privilege of seeing it happen.
“Oh,” I whisper.
“Let me see your wrist band,” he says. I raise my arm, and he drags it off my
hand and ties off the braid.
“Thank you,” I murmur, standing and turning to face him. I’m in a weird internal war where I want to crawl onto his lap, but the thought of actually doing it makes me break out into hives. “Where did you want to take me?”
“I want to show you something—someone, too. But I thought maybe seeing
this would… help you.”
My brows pinch, but I nod, curious about what he thinks could possibly help
me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a lost cause. Hopeless. Helpless. And all the synonyms for those words, too.
During the forty-five-minute drive, Zade tells me all about how he got
suspended in high school and almost didn’t graduate. It was a senior prank—he
glitter-bombed the entire school, and they had to spend the rest of the year surrounded by pink sparkles.
One of these days, I'm going to have to make him show me pictures of his younger self. He says he's always had heterochromia, and I can only imagine how much the ladies loved that.
Eventually, we pull up to a massive gate with several armed guards standing
outside. As soon as they spot Zade’s car, they let him through without hesitation.
We drive down a long dirt driveway that leads to what appears to be a mini
village. There’s a massive, long building in the center with several smaller one’s
surrounding it.
There's also an enormous greenhouse, which is where most of the activity is.
People are milling about, carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables. A group of girls walk together, giggling and whispering to one another as they make their way towards one of the smaller buildings. All of them are kids or women that I can see.
“Where are we?”
“This is where the survivors go if they don’t have a safe home to return to.”
My gaze snaps to him, then quickly turns back to my surroundings, taking
everything in with a whole new perspective.
“Really? How many are here?”
“One hundred and thirty-two survivors,” he answers, and the fact that he
knows the exact number does weird shit to my heart. Shit I didn’t consent to.
“How many people do you have room for?”
He shrugs casually, parking outside the largest of the buildings. “However many I need it to. I own hundreds of acres, so if I need to build another dorm, I do.”
I blink. “You really are stupid rich, aren’t you?”
“Sure, but it goes back into my organization.”
Mouth open in awe, I scan the area, overcome with how… peaceful it
appears.
“Are these the only safe houses you have?”
“No, they’re all around the country. Eventually, Z is going to expand to other countries, and I’ll start building there, too, and offer a safe place for survivors.”
“How do you keep it hidden from Claire?”
“I’ve gone through great lengths to make it impossible to trace any of my assets. Everything is under an alias and doesn’t tie back to me in any way.
There’s also an incredible amount of security, and it’s a no-fly zone for aircraft.
This is the safest place anyone could be, I’ve made sure of that.”
I shake my head, at a loss for words. I remember him saying before that he offers a home to those who didn’t have one, but seeing it just cements how incredible Zade truly is. Aside from his psychotic tendencies, he’s doing something that no one has done before.
“Come on, baby. There are a couple of people I want you to meet.”
I frown, unsure of who that could be, but follow him out of the car anyway.
As we’re walking down a path, we see Ruby heading toward us, a group of children running behind her, giggling as they try to keep up. When she spots us, she screams in excitement, quickening her footsteps.
“Oh my goodness, Addie baby, you look so beautiful!” she coos loudly. She
immediately embraces me in a warm hug when she’s close enough, and for a moment, I’m too stunned to react. Eventually, I wrap my arms around her, and embarrassingly enough, I feel a little like crying.
She pulls away, crooning over me some more.
“Are you coming here to stay, sweetie?”
“Oh no, he was just showing me the place,” I answer.
“Well, you’ll have to come visit more often. These little kiddos are good for
the soul.”
I smile, peering down at the three little girls and one boy standing in a circle
and babbling to each other. I think I believe her. They’re adorable, and I can see
how a place like this would be comforting.
“I think I will,” I say softly.
Ruby lets us pass after that, and Zade directs me inside the greenhouse.
I pause, losing my breath as I take it all in.