Deep excerpt from “Long Shot”
By Kennedy Ryan
“‘Breath out the lies.’ she says, ‘that it was your fault. That you failed. That you are what he says you are.’
When her words sink in, the drill down to my core, a sob explodes, detonating through my belly and chest and blasting open a wall of deceit I didn’t know was there. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. I’m so damned tired of tasting my tears. The image of Caleb pressing his thumb into my mouth that first night, soaked with my tears flashes through my mind. The night his wicked trap caught me.
‘Breath in truth.’ Her hands are busy in the air over me, slicing through lies. ‘You are pure. You are enough, You are strong.’ She leans closer. Her whisper as sharp and fIerce as the knife in her drawer. ‘He can’t hurt you.’ Mimi’s affirmation infuses the air with power. ‘Strength. Diginty. Courage. All these things belong to you. Take them back. Your soul is yours. Your heart is yours. Your body is yours. Yours to keep and to share.’”