Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2)

by Krista Ritchie

Because I’ll have this scar forever. Because I’ll never be the pretty Daisy Calloway in magazine spreads or down runways. I am no longer a model. I am no longer the person my mom aspired me to be. But I am more me now than I was before. I shut my eyes and lean my head back. And my heart rate—it slows. I take a deep breath. What feels like my very first one ever, and silent tears fall. A pressure so heavy begins to rise off my chest. “It’s okay to be upset,” Janet tells me. I open my eyes and shake my head, a weak laugh escaping. “I’m not upset.” My chin quivers. I wipe the tears and I say, “I’m relieved.” My gaze meets Ryke’s. “How sick is that?” And then I burst into tears because I know I shouldn’t feel this way. He’s by my side in seconds, and I wrap my arms around his chest. I didn’t realize how trapped I was until this very moment. Until something so horrifying could actually feel good. And I know I’m partly to blame. If this doesn’t tell me that I need to stand up for myself, then I don’t think anything could.

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