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    Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas)
    Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas)
    Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas)
    Ebook134 pages3 hours

    Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas)

    By Lizzy Ford

    ()

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    About this ebook

    **TRIGGER WARNING. Contains the sensitive topic of rape and its aftermath.**

    She’s not her daddy’s little girl anymore.

    A confrontation is brewing ...
    Mia realizes the aftermath of her rape is not over when she is rocked by another challenge, one that will put her publicly at odds with her father, a U.S. Senator who has made her the poster child for his re-election. But the public face he wants her to wear can’t be farther from who she is inside.
    The latest rape victim is expected to die soon, and only Mia can identify the attackers. With pressure from the police to come forward, Mia is distraught when her father forbids her from speaking out.

    She is surprised to discover new allies in her siblings, who break ranks with her father to support her. But even they have their own agenda.

    Before Mia turns eighteen, she’ll face the ultimate choice: betraying her family or her conscience.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLizzy Ford
    Release dateFeb 3, 2017
    ISBN9781623783112
    Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas)
    Author

    Lizzy Ford

    I breathe stories. I dream them. If it were possible, I'd eat them, too. (I'm pretty sure they'd taste like cotton candy.) I can't escape them - they're everywhere! Which is why I write! I was born to bring the crazy worlds and people in my mind to life, and I love sharing them with as many people as I can.I'm also the bestselling, award winning, internationally acclaimed author of over sixty ... eighty ... ninety titles and counting. I write speculative fiction in multiple subgenres of romance and fantasy, contemporary fiction, books for both teens and adults, and just about anything else I feel like writing. If I can imagine it, I can write it!I live in the desert of southern Arizona with two dogs and two cats!My books can be found in every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords.

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      Book preview

      Broken World (#2, Broken Beauty Novellas) - Lizzy Ford

      One

      The news about my pregnancy hits the papers a day after my incident, as Daddy refers to it. I prefer to describe it like it was -- I almost passed out in the clinic bathroom after seeing the positive test results. Not even Shea, the head of my father’s public relations team, could hush it up before it was plastered all over the news. My best friend, Ari, finds it and sends me a link to an online article. Then two links. Then dozens. Most of them reference a source at the clinic. Bitterly, I realize it wouldn’t take much to pay off one of the people there working for minimum wage or one of the women down on her luck living in the barracks.

      I can’t blame the clinic staff for talking. Instead, I’m angry with myself for not being strong enough to walk out after the test. I’m a public figure, which means everyone is watching and news like this spreads like wildfire.

      I’m not leaving the safety and privacy of my closet today. No way in hell. I’m too overwhelmed to write in my journal, either. I feel lost and just want to stay hidden for the rest of my life.

      By noon, Daddy’s issues a statement. Ari sends me those links, too. I start to read the headlines.

      Joan of Arc: The conservative party’s new face

      Senator Abbott-Renou’s Daughter Pregnant after Rape; Keeping Baby

      I can’t read any more. I close the browser on my phone and stare at the wall across from me. Whoever called me Joan of Arc was probably patting himself on the back. Overnight, I’ve become a martyr to the conservative cause.

      I still can’t understand the idea of having a child growing inside me. Of having his child growing inside me. I don’t even know which man is the father, but one thing I know for sure...I don’t want to have his kid.

      Daddy won’t sign off on an abortion. After years of hearing him call it murder, I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do anyway. Then again, Daddy lies. He lies in his speeches. He lies to me.

      It’s his job.

      My cell rings. I don’t recognize the number. Every once in awhile, some reporter gets lucky and figures out our numbers, so I reject the call. Whoever it is leaves a message. I stare at my phone, not certain I should check the voice mail, then decide to listen to it.

      Heya, Mia, it’s Dom. Just wanted to check in. Gianna asked me to call. Her phone is broken. She has the worst luck with mechanical things. He chuckles. You got our numbers, if you wanna talk. Take care.

      I save the message. His voice always reminds me that not everyone in the world is like my father, and I like the reminder that there are good people out there capable of caring for someone else. The cynical side of me wonders if he would’ve called if Gianna hadn’t made him. After all, he wants me to out Robert Connor, so he can solve a case. Maybe he thinks I’m an emotional, vulnerable mess, and he wants to pounce while he can.

      That thought kinda hurts. Ari thinks the same thing that Dom does, and both of them are good people. Dr. Thompkins says I can’t let my anger toward my family and what happened to me make me think badly of everyone in my life. There are people who want to support me.

      My cell rings again, and I’m not surprised to see Mom’s number pop up on the screen. I accept the call.

      Hi, mom, I say. Let me guess. You’ll be home in two days.

      Bonjour, mon amour. I, ah, saw the news.

      I slump against the wall.

      I talked to Daddy’s team this morning. I will be home in two days.

      Mom… I sigh. Just stop with the two days stuff. I’m having a hard enough time as it is.

      This time, I’m coming. I’ve done my sixty days here. I’m coming home.

      Just like every other day she says she’ll be home in two days, part of me wonders if this time, she really will.

      Mia, her voice takes on a hesitant, grave note. I know your daddy. I know how…convincing he can be. You are my daughter, too. If…if you need me to do something for you that Daddy may not agree with, I will.

      Surprised, I listen. I know what she’s saying, even if she doesn’t say it. Mom’s European background was an issue for Daddy before he married her. Her more liberal views still come up during campaign season, which is probably another reason why she’s been exiled to rehab in the critical months before his reelection.

      My mom has been little better of a parent than Daddy, always absorbed in the social scene. She loves the treatment and status Daddy’s reputation and last name gives her. She’s the opposite of me. She loves the paparazzi, fancy clothes, and spotlight. She can charm women voters, something Daddy can’t do. When she’s on, she’s Daddy’s greatest asset. When she’s off or drinking, all they do is fight.

      You don’t have to. It’s just an offer, she says when I’m quiet.

      Mama, I think I need your help. But I don’t know yet.

      I’ll be home this weekend. I can find you someone to talk to who isn’t in your daddy’s pocket. I did the same for Molly.

      Molly? She got knocked up? I whisper, shocked. She’s like, goody-two-shoes-miss-perfect.

      Mon amour, every family has its secrets. Mom gives her husky chuckle, the one that makes men swoon. Your problem is that Daddy and the press already know. I hushed up Molly’s indiscretion. It’s too late to hush up yours.

      I can’t help but think of Mom in a different light. I’m accustomed to seeing her fold like a drunk flower to whatever Daddy wants her to do, in the name of the family and politics, like the rest of us have learned to do. That my mom keeps secrets from him or acts against his wishes in private is nothing short of a miracle. I know they fight, but Daddy always wins. At least, it looks like he always wins.

      You didn’t notice how civil we are to each other now? she jokes with another laugh.

      I haven’t paid much attention to Molly since she left the house for college several years ago. In fact, I rarely even talk to my half-sibling. She used to hate Mom and blamed her for breaking up their family long before I was born. She hated me, too, growing up. If there was a thaw, I didn’t notice it. No one in my family talks to one another about such private matters.

      Please, please, mama, please come home this time, I beg her. Please.

      I promise you, my baby.

      Okay. Then I’ll see you this weekend.

      I can’t wait to see you, Mia!

      Bye, mom.

      Au revoir, she murmurs.

      I hang up. Hopeful but scared she’ll betray me yet again, I release a deep breath. I want so much to believe her, but I can’t handle any more bad news.

      I open my journal and write the thoughts I’m afraid to say out loud.

      Am I stupid for believing Mama will come home and help me? I want so much to see her again. I believed Daddy when he said it wasn’t possible to get pregnant after rape. I believed everything he said in his speeches. Why can’t I trust my own parents?

      Molly got knocked up?! I feel like I don’t know ANYTHING about my own family.

      I set down my pen. I almost want to laugh, but I’m too surprised.

      I scroll through my contacts in my phone and gaze at Molly’s number. I wonder if she’ll talk to me, if she’ll tell me what Mom just did. I’m afraid to call her, so I text her.

      How’s the wedding planning?

      It’s lame, but I don’t know what else to say.

      She doesn’t answer right away or for the next few hours. I guess I didn’t really expect her to answer anyway, but I can’t help but be disappointed. If my family is good at one thing, it’s disappointing me.

      I spend the day in my closet, texting Ari. Molly never responds. When I go to bed, I can’t help but cling to the hope that Mom will come home this weekend.

      Two

      I arrive at the women’s center on time the next morning. There’s a police line blocking off the swarming press and paparazzi from the entrance and the line of women already waiting. I don’t look at anyone as I get out of the car and go inside, followed by Fabio.

      Wendy eyes me as I enter. She doesn’t say anything, but she’s not the only one uneasy with me being there. I pass Ricki in the hallway. She smiles. I go to my cube and avoid the long looks of the two women already in the office area. There’s a stack of forms on my desk already. I start working on those, hoping that nobody speaks to me and I can leave after my four hours. After a few minutes, I smell fresh coffee drifting down the hallway from the break room and get up.

      Another worker is in the break room. I wait for my turn to grab a flimsy paper cup. I purposely don’t think about the last time the coffee maker has been cleaned and instead doctor up a cup of terrible coffee.

      Hey, kid. Gianna’s voice almost makes me freak out. You got a minute?

      You’re the boss, I reply.

      She sits down at the table. I sit across from her, staring at my coffee.

      How you feeling? she asks.

      Okay. Sorry about the other day.

      Don’t worry, Mia. I understand. I can’t imagine having this splashed all over the news makes this easier, Gianna says. If you need time away from here, let me know.

      I’m okay, I say.

      No, I don’t think you are.

      I’m not sure what to say. Gianna squeezes my arm. She’s

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