Book 4
Jason Giordano, Billionaire like no other. He suffered great lost that changed his life and changed him from the man everyone knew him to be. He found his own way of coping with his pain, ways that his family wishes he would give up.
Rachel...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Jason asked on their ride back home.
"I've been singing since before I could talk I think" Rachel joked with a nervous laugh.
"You're really amazing, and I'm guessing from the choice of song you speak Spanish?" He asked
"Yea, just a little. A girl from the orphanage spoke Spanish and she use to teach me. After she got adopted that was the end of my lessons. It was enough though" she replied
"You never got adopted?"
"No. I was one of the older children there. Most families wants the younger babies with little or no memory of their parents"
"So you were there until you were old enough to leave?"
"Yea. I left when I turned eighteen. I got a job working at a hotel as a housekeeper and got a little apartment."
"What happened?"
He thought he was pushing too much for information when she didn't respond right away.
"I was on my own for a few years. Then one of the girls from work recorded me singing and sent in a tape to Julliard. They invited me to attend open auditions and I got in on a full scholarship."
"That's when you met him"
"Yea. That's when I met Antonio"
Now it was Jason's turned to go quiet while he thought about all he was learning about her.
"How long were you guys married for?"
"We got marries soon after we met. And stayed married for two years. It didn't take long after getting married for the abuse to start"
He heard the pain in her voice, as much as he wanted to learn all he could about her. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear all that her ex husband did.
"Did he hit you?"
"Yes, amongst other things"
"Rachel..."
"He beat me, isolated me from my friends, raped me, let his friends do whatever they wanted to do with me. He made fun of my singing, he said since I wanted to perform so much I had to perform for him and his friends. He turned me into their own personal stripper. One night I refused and he beat me so bad I thought I wouldn't survive. After that no one came over to visit him anymore. He started bringing home another woman. I would make me go under the bed so I would hear them having sex at night. He told me if I made a sound he would kill me. As messed up as it sounds I was happy he was cheating, at least I didn't have to give my body to him. Then one night he came home drunk and upset. Apparently he hit his new girlfriend and she called the police on him. A privilege I didn't have since he kept me locked away in a room. That night he raped me then beat me. After he left for the night I got desperate I managed to break the window and kick the bars off. I tried to climbed down but fell from the third floor. Must be a miracle because all I got were curs and bruises from the fall. I made it to the police station and they caught him."
Jason stop the car and immediately released her seatbelt and pulled her to him.
"I'm so sorry you went through all of that. You must have been so terrified. I understand now what you shut people out. You're afraid to get hurt again."
She nodded against his chest where her head rested.
"I can't ask you to trust me because at this point I know words doesn't mean anything to you. So I'll have to earn your trust."
"I hope I can trust you one day"
"I hope so too. You can stay in the oenthouse for as long as you like after the baby gets here. Get back on your feet then you can think about finding your own place and starting over"
Even saying the words it didn't feel right or sound right to his ears. The thought of her leaving just didn't sit right with him. He brushed it off as him being protective because of what he learnt about her past.
She slid off his lap and he wanted to pull her back but instead he allowed her to move away.
"This means a lot to me" she said. Her voice breaking in the last word.
"I'm happy to help" Jason replied
"I'm glad it was your car that I walked in front of that night. If it was someone else they probably wouldn't even have stopped. They would probably be so annoyed at some homeless woman coming near their car they'd drive around me a d keep going"
"That's true. To be honest if it was another time I would probably have kept on driving but for some reason I had to get out of my car and make sure you're alright"
"Well thank you for stopping"
Jason nodded and smiled at her.
"Are you hungry?" He asked
"I could eat" she replied
"Good. I know the perfect restaurant to take you to. Their food always has the perfect amount of spice giving you just the right flavor"
"Ah...actually. Can we go to Popeye's? We passed by one on our way to the clinic and I've been craving it ever since"
Jason erupted in a deep belly laugh as he pulled back onto the road.
"Leave it to you to turn down a five star meal for some mashed potatoes and fried chicken."
"You don't mind do you?"
"Of course I don't mind. Who can be upset about eating Popeye's! I love their fried chicken. I don't get to eat there as much as I'd like though"
"Why is that?"
"I guess because the people I'm usually around aren't really the type to go for fried chicken"
"Well I'm happy we will both enjoy this. Oh look its right over there!"
Her eagerness for the Popeye's meal had Jason bursting into laughter again.
