Her Obsession (by Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 131

Diego sits cross–legged on his mattress, a thin scrap of foam with a blanket that looks older than he is. He’s nibbling at a crust of dry bread, crumbs clinging to his chin. When he hears the faint tap of my knuckles against the glass, his head snaps up. Big brown eyes. Wide, afraid. For a moment, he just stares, chest rising fast. I don’t move, don’t even breathe, I just let him see me there, calm and still. Then, slowly, I raise my hands where he can see them. In one, the cheeseburger. Warm. Fresh. Wrapped in soft paper that’s now spotted with

grease.

In the other, a small red matchbox car. Shiny. The same model as the broken one he clutched earlier. His eyes flicker between them burger, car, me – then down to the stale piece of bread in his hand. His nose wrinkles, disgust flashing across his face. And then, with this tiny, fierce motion that makes my throat tighten, he throws the bread on the floor. He stands, slow and cautious, and pads over to the window. His bare feet make no sound on the wood. He’s small, too small and has to reach up to touch the latch. He looks at the lock, then at the cheeseburger again, then back at me.

I can see it, the decision building in his chest, the spark of courage trying to fight through fear. His little hand trembles as he flips the latch. The click is barely audible, but it might as well be thunder. Then he takes one step back, eyes never leaving mine. Good boy. Naomi and I ease the window open, slow and careful not to let it squeal. The air inside smells of dust and loneliness. We climb through together, landing quietly on the floor. I drop to my knees so I’m level with him. He’s shaking, but he doesn’t move away.

“Hey, buddy,” I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper. I hold both things out in front of me, the burger in one hand, the car in the other. “These are for you.”

He blinks, eyes darting between the two items. Then, slowly, his small fingers reach out. He takes the cheeseburger first, pressing it close to his chest like it might vanish. He sniffs it once, eyes wide, before taking a bite so big he almost topples forward. When he finally reaches for the car, his touch is delicate. Like he’s afraid he’ll break it. He turns it over once, inspecting every detail, then looks up at me.

“Why?” he whispers.

I smile, even though my chest aches. “Because you deserve better than this,” I tell him.

His little voice is shaky, barely more than a whisper.

“You were in Mother’s bookshop.”

Naomi and I exchange a quick glance. I nod slowly, then ease down onto the floor across from him, folding my legs so I’m sitting just like he is. “Yeah,” I say softly. “That was us.”

He watches me, chewing another bite of his cheeseburger, eyes darting between my face and Naomi’s like he’s trying to fit puzzle pieces together.

“Can I tell you a secret?” I ask after a moment.

He hesitates, mouth still full, then nods once, crumbs sticking to his chin.

“Are you good at secrets?”

That earns a quick, enthusiastic nod. “Yes. I can keep secrets.”

I smile at that, leaning closer until we’re almost nose to nose. I cup a hand around my mouth, lowering my voice to a whisper meant just

for him.

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12:32 Wed, Oct 22

We’re Your People.

“I’m your big sister,” I say. “My name’s Sage. And this“-I tilt my head toward Naomi-“is my best friend, Naomi. But you can’t tell your mum and dad about us yet, okay? Not until we can work out how to get you out of here properly.”

For a second, he just stares at me, burger halfway to his mouth. His eyes go wide, impossibly wide, and the next words tumble out between bites.

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“Sister? You… I… We… Leave?”

The hope in his voice nearly breaks me. I swallow the lump in my throat and manage a nod. “Would you like that?”

He thinks about it, really thinks about it, cheeks puffed out as he chews, eyes dropping to the toy car now resting in his lap. After a long pause, he looks back up at me and asks the one question I wasn’t prepared for.

“Are you nice?”

It punches the air right out of my lungs. Behind me, I hear Naomi’s quiet laugh.

I blink a few times, force the tremor out of my voice, and smile. “I’m learning to be,” I tell him honestly. “But for you, yeah, I’ll always be

nice.”

He nods slowly, studying me for another heartbeat before reaching forward and placing his tiny hand over mine. “Okay,” he says simply. “Then I wanna go with you.”

Naomi lets out a soft, watery laugh. I squeeze his hand, leaning forward to press my forehead gently to his. “Good,” I whisper. “We’ll make sure you never have to keep another secret again once this is over with.”

Naomi shifts closer, crouching beside me until she’s eye–level with him too. Her tone softens, playful but serious underneath.

“Alright, little man,” she whispers, tilting her head toward him. “If I’m gonna be your new best friend, we need to set some ground rules, yeah?”

Diego pauses mid–chew, brows furrowing like she’s just handed him homework. “Ground rules?” he repeats, his small voice muffled by the mouthful of burger.

Naomi nods solemnly. “Yup. Rule number one: no taking things from strangers. No candy, no toys, not even a smile. Got it?”

He frowns, chewing more slowly, and thinking hard.

“Rule number two,” she continues, “you never let strangers into your room. Doesn’t matter who they say they are. You keep that door

locked tight, okay?”

He swallows, still looking at her like he’s trying to puzzle it out. Then, with the brutal honesty only a kid can have, he says, “But… you’re

a stranger.”

Naomi blinks, then snorts out a laugh before reaching forward to gently tap the tip of his nose. “No, I’m your new best friend. That’s different.”

Diego’s lips twitch into a small, uncertain smile. “And she’s your sister,” Naomi adds, nodding at me. “So we’re not strangers. We’re your people now.”

He looks between the two of us again, his expression softening, the worry lines fading from his little face. “My people,” he repeats quietly,

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12:32 Wed, Oct 22

We’re Your People.

almost testing the words.

1 reach over and ruffle his hair gently. “Yeah, kiddo. Your people.”

:

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Naomi grins and leans closer, stage whispering like it’s another secret. “And between you and me… your new best friend is way cooler than those other strangers.”

That finally earns a giggle from him, small but real. It’s the first sound of happiness I’ve ever heard from him, and it damn near undoes

1. me.

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