Forever Lost: Becoming Elena - Book Two Read Online Free

turned away and quickly walked toward her husband and son, not turning back again to look at Elena.
    Elena knew the woman had recognized her. There was no doubt about it. And still, she had walked away, hadn’t even attempted to reunite with the daughter who had been ripped from her life.
    “You’re telling me the truth aren’t you?” Elena asked, barely holding it together.
    “I have no reason to lie.”
    He let her go, showing her it was her decision whether she wanted to chase after the woman who should have protected her. Elena’s head spun as dizziness tried to take over. This was her last hope she’d been holding on to. It was the final plank in a sea of water and now it was sinking.
    What was the point to go on? Elena didn’t see a reason. She knew beyond anything else that her life was better off ended. She knew she had no reason to go on . . .
    It was over — it was all over.

Chapter Four
    T he wind rushing through her hair was the only thing that alerted Elena she was running. She had no idea she’d pulled away from Dalton, no idea, she’d begun walking, let alone had started a full-out sprint.
    But running she was. Her feet carried her farther and farther away, as she exited the park and found herself on a city street. Still, she didn’t stop. She wasn’t sure if she was running away from the image of her family leaving her or if she was running away from Dalton.
    But either way, she had to go. She needed to outrun the feelings that were trying to consume her alive.
    The truth was more than Elena could handle. Not that Elena was even her name. How had this happened? Memories flooded her as her mind unlocked with the torture she had suffered over the past five years.
    Too much. It was all too much to bear.
    She felt as if she were in a tunnel that kept tumbling as it pulled farther away from the atmosphere. She couldn’t stop the ride, didn’t know how to get off.
    Running for minutes or hours, she had no idea, but Elena found herself in front of a theatre, and the cold was catching up to her as the misty air clung to her bare arms.
    She slipped inside when someone came out, and she found a seat in the back, shivering while her mind continued rolling with the information she’d been given.
    What was she supposed to do now?
    Go home?
    Was it even her home now? She had a brother — the little boy in her dreams, who had haunted her for so long, was her brother. It was hard to comprehend. She had a mother and a stepfather.
    Looking up, she tried to focus on the big screen in front of her. There was a couple walking along on the beach, both of them looking sad as they turned and gazed at the water.
    The man in the movie put his arms around the heroine and held tight as the sun set above the water. Elena wanted to scoff at them. That wasn’t the real world. In the her present universe, the man would lift the girl, toss her into the shark-infested waters, and laugh as he walked away.
    That was life — that was reality.
    There were no happily-ever-afters in Elena’s world.
    Still, Elena couldn’t turn away from the show before her. She wanted to immerse herself into the screen and slip into the alternate universe where a happy ending was guaranteed.
    But she wasn’t allowed to do that.
    She was a fool. For so long Dalton had been her savior — had seemed to be her protector. But he’d kept her captive when he could have set her free. So why couldn’t she find it within herself to hate the man now?
    She didn’t have an answer to that.
    Elena had been locked in his arms, had cried out when he’d pleasured her, had woken up aching when he wasn’t there. She’d been submissive for him, leaned on him, and felt he was her protector.
    She could practically feel the comfort of his arms as she sat in the theatre chair, her heart racing, her mind spinning. She hurt — more than she could ever remember hurting before.
    Every single piece of her life was a lie. There wasn’t a savior coming to take the