Page 25 of Dark Side of the Cloth (The Righteous 1)
She had her comforter balled in her fists, her heart beating wildly. She stared around the room for any sign of a threat and jumped when she caught her reflection in the standing mirror. She pulled her legs up until she could hug her knees and held them tight as she tried to push the sounds of Raquel’s screams from her mind.
Yasmine rocked back and forth, trying to calm the rapid breathing that would bring on a panic attack.Two breaths in, two breaths out.
She hadn’t dreamt about that night in so long. She thought she had rid herself of the nightmare, thought at some point the images from that night would fade, but they only became more vivid with time. Like a constant taunt, it would come when she least expected it and brought with it the memories of not just her sister but her mother hanging before her eyes.
Her mother’s guilt and blame had transferred to her after her mother killed herself. Maybe she could have done something more to help Raquel. Maybe she could have found a way. The question was a torment to the core of her soul.
She stifled a sob, and hot tears freely ran down her cheeks. She’d left her sister to die a horrible death. She let her sister be taken by that masked man who raped her and beat her for weeks. Yasmine grabbed her pillow and buried her face as she screamed out the pain.
If she’d only fought harder… her mother was right. It was all her fault.
“I’m so sorry, Raquel. I’m so very sorry.”
