Her Obsession (by Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 132

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12:32 wea, Uct 22

Her Obsession.

Pinky Promise and Hugs.

0:0

Diego’s little smile lingers, and then he looks between me and Naomi, hope lighting his eyes. “Are we going now?”

God, that question hits like a knife to the ribs.

I lean forward and ruffle his messy hair, forcing a small smile. “I’d love to take you away right now, buddy,” I say softly. “But because you’re little, I have to do some boring adult paperwork first. Gotta make sure I’m allowed to take you.”

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His smile fades, replaced by a frown that wrinkles his whole face. He shakes his head quickly, clutching the cheeseburger tighter like it’s the only thing keeping him safe. “Mother and Father won’t let you take me,” he says in a small, confident voice. “You have to break rules and be sneaky. When they’re not looking.”

Naomi’s jaw tightens beside me, but I keep my tone gentle. “Yeah, I know, kiddo. They’re not gonna make it easy, are they?”

He shakes his head again, whispering, “They don’t like it when people take me.”

My stomach twists, but I push past it. I cup his cheek with my gloved hand, brushing my thumb across his skin. “Well, I’m not ‘people,‘ Diego. I’m your sister. And I’m going to make sure they let me take you. Even if I have to be a little mean to them.”

That earns me a small, surprised laugh, the kind that sounds like he isn’t used to laughing at all.

“But,” I add, keeping my voice steady, “I need two pieces of paper first, okay? One that has all your important birthday information, and one that says your mum and dad are going to let me take you. Once I have those, I can come and get you for real.”

He thinks about it, brow furrowed like he’s solving something big. Then he nods slowly. “Okay,” he whispers. “I’ll wait. But don’t be too mean. They’ll get mad.”

I smile, though it hurts to do it. “Don’t worry, little man. I’ll only be as mean as I have to be.”

Naomi gives me a sidelong glance, one that says we both know what that means, but she doesn’t say a word.

Diego looks at the car again, turning it over in his small hands, and whispers, “You’ll come back?”

I press a kiss to the top of his head, my voice barely holding steady. “I swear it, Diego. I’ll come back for you.”

He nods once, solemn as an oath, and climbs back onto his mattress, still clutching the car and the half–eaten cheeseburger like they’re treasures.

I tug the blanket up over his shoulders, smoothing it down gently the way I’ve seen Conner do with the little ones back home. His eyes are already half–closed, but I keep my voice soft, steady, like a lullaby that won’t give away the tremor in my chest.

“Remember, okay?” I whisper. “You’ve got to keep our secret. No telling Mother or Father about me or Naomi. Not a word.”

He nods, his lashes brushing his cheeks. “So you can get me out,” he murmurs, voice small but certain.

“That’s right,” I say, brushing a stray curl off his forehead. “So I can get you out.”

He’s quiet for a heartbeat, and then his tiny hand appears from under the blanket, fingers curled, one pinky sticking out toward me.

1/3

12:32 Wed, Oct 22

Pinky Promise and Hugs.

1 blink at it, confused. “What’s this?”

He gives me a serious look, the kind of look only a four–year–old can manage. “It’s a promise,” he says.

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Naomi snorts softly beside me, crouching down so she’s level with us. “He’s right,” she whispers, grinning. “It’s called a pinky swear. You hook pinkies, and you can never, ever, ever break a pinky swear.”

I glance between them, my throat tight. Slowly, I hook my pinky around his, and then Naomi wraps hers around mine, the three of us tangled together in this small, strange knot of fingers and fate.

“Like this,” Naomi says quietly. “Now we’re all in it together.”

Diego’s face breaks into the smallest smile, real, sleepy, safe. “Okay,” he whispers. “Now you have to come back.”

“I will,” I promise, holding that tiny pinky tight for one more second before letting go. “You can count on it.”

He nods, satisfied, curling back under the blanket with his new car tucked against his chest. Naomi and I watch until his breathing evens out. Then we slip back toward the window, leaving him with his secrets, his car, and the promise of a sister who’s already planning how to keep her word.

We drop silently down the side of the house, boots landing soft against the dirt. The cool air hits my face like a shock after the warmth of Diego’s little room. Naomi lands beside me, cat–quiet, and for a second we crouch there in the dark, listening.

Lucia’s voice drifts from the front yard, sharp and nasal as she talks on the phone to someone. “I told you, I can’t deal with this right now! I need that money and soon!” Her tone cuts through the quiet, the kind that makes your stomach twist just hearing it.

We stay low, keeping to the shadows, moving between the trees until the van comes into view. Naomi’s ahead of me, grin already spreading as the adrenaline buzz sets in. “Holy shit,” she starts, whisper–shouting, “that was-”

But she stops cold when she finally gets a good look at me.

Her face falls, hands lifting helplessly. “Holy shit,” she says again, but this time it’s not a laugh. “Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this isn’t good.” She looks around like she’s lost something. “What do I do?!”

I can’t even answer her at first. The tears just come, hot and unrelenting, spilling down before I can stop them. The sound that comes out of me isn’t pretty, it’s half a laugh, half a sob, and it makes her freeze even harder.

“I think,” I manage, voice cracking, “you’re supposed to hug me.”

Naomi blinks, still flustered. “What?”

“In those movies,” I say, wiping at my cheeks with my sleeve and giving her a watery smile, “best friends always hug when one of them cries.”

She hesitates for exactly one heartbeat, then she’s wrapping her arms around me tight, awkward, fierce, all elbows and warmth.

“Goddamn it, Ghost,” she mutters into my shoulder, holding on tighter. “You’re really bad at this emotional shit.”

I laugh, shaky and small, leaning into her. “Yeah, well,” I whisper, “I’m learning.”

2/3

12:32 Wed, Oct 22

Pinky Promise and Hugs.

:

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And there in the dark, in the quiet street outside the house where my brother sleeps, Naomi just holds me while I finally let myself break for the first time in years. I cry for all the pain and heartache my little brother has gone through, and for how badly I wish he never had to experience even a little bit of that.

Chapter Comments

Heather Sweat

4 days ago

yes i hope she slices their throat s are a smile

16