Hiding Hannah (Broken Girl Book 3)

Book summary

Hannah's quest for perfection in a life dictated by tradition is disrupted when a deceitful figure exposes her family's darkest secrets. Facing a crisis of identity and choice, she must decide if seeking forgiveness is worth the risk of being forever remembered. "Hiding Hannah" delves deep into the struggles of self-discovery against societal expectations, continuing the compelling narrative of the Broken Girl series.

Excerpt from Hiding Hannah (Broken Girl Book 3)

I stared out at the sanctuary that I had started to think of as my home away from home. When I wasn’t in San Diego, I loved to spend time in Montana with my daughter and her family. They gave me a purpose. My work still kept me busy, but I no longer allowed it to devour me. I had a family who loved and needed me.

Jack Winter was my daughter Caitlyn’s second husband by legal definition, but he was the first man to love her the way she deserved. Not only had I gained a son when she married him, but my life had become so much more. For over ten years, this little family was part of my daily life. Still, I should have realized that everything was too perfect.

The change I should have expected came when Caitlyn’s and Jack’s first child, Jackson, entered middle school. They decided to return to Montana and live with Jack’s mother. Viv jumped at the chance to have a full house. She claimed the young vibes invigorated her.

The high-spirited woman had also invited me to make the move. While her spacious estate would have been a peaceful sanctuary, I still had business in San Diego to deal with. Instead of moving, I made it a point to visit every chance I got.

As my life became fuller, time passed quickly. Suddenly, it seemed like so much had changed. Jackson was off to college with dreams of becoming a vet. Jack talked about retiring. We all laughed at this proclamation. He was a curious man, and being a private eye suited him. Caitlyn’s twin daughters, Olivia and Cordelia, were only months away from their sixteenth birthday.

Besides the girls’ beauty and intelligence, the twins were nothing alike. Each had been gifted in their own way. Olivia was a dancer who couldn’t be satisfied with learning one type. She was insistent on learning many and mastered them quickly. Her sister, Cordelia, had no interest in girly things. She loved science and nature. Each visit, I learned so much about the world around us that I felt like I was in college. I treasured the moments I had with them.

A muffled sob tore me from my reverie. I looked around my bedroom as if I would find the source of the noise. As expected, I was alone. I tried to decipher where the sound was coming from. Vivian was out of town. She was miles away with her husband, Ben, enjoying a hot springs resort.

Was it my daughter? My granddaughters? I wondered. Setting down my teacup, I threw on my robe and left my room to investigate. When I entered the hallway, the sobs became louder.

A door opened, and Caitlyn stepped out as she slipped an oversized sweatshirt over her satin nightgown. Although she was in her mid-50s, she still was a vibrant beauty. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I nodded. “I think it’s coming from Olivia’s room,” I said, pointing at her closed door. “But it stopped, so I am not sure.”

The chilly air made Caitlyn shiver. She went to the thermostat and bumped the temperature up a few degrees.

The crying began again.

Our eyes met before my daughter rushed past me and began to knock on the door. “Livia, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Go away,” the teen choked out.

Caitlyn knocked again softer. “Olivia, honey, open the door.”

“No! Go away!” my granddaughter shouted. “I just want to be left alone.”

Caitlyn sighed. “Well, we both know that isn’t going to happen. So, open the door, or I will be forced to wake your father to remove it.”

After a few seconds, the door flung open. As the wood banged against the wall, I could see my granddaughter. Olivia dived onto her bed and buried herself under her blankets.

Situations like this always made me uncomfortable. Raw emotions weren’t something I was easily prepared to handle. In recent years, I had learned to accept that unpleasant feelings and situations were part of life. I tried not to hide them as I had done in the past.

“You can go back to bed, Mom,” Caitlyn said with a soft smile. “I am sure it is just high school drama.”

As she said the words, a flicker of pain flashed in her eyes. A twinge of guilt filled me. Even after several decades, the horrific assault came back to her. I had hoped over time that the memories would fade, but it appeared those wishes were futile.

“I would like to stay,” I insisted.

“Okay, you know Olivia is not going to easily open up to our questions,” Caitlyn relented.

“I know,” I said, touching her arm. “Go to her.”

Caitlyn sat on the bed next to her daughter, whose cries were now muffled. “Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything. Grandma’s here, too. Talk to me. Talk to us.”

Confirming my presence, I sat on the other side and patted her back.

Olivia whipped the covers off and sat up.

“What happened? Where is Cordelia?” Caitlyn prompted.

“She’s already asleep,” Olivia said, wiping her runny nose with the sleeve of her flannel shirt.

“You both are back early from the party. Have you been drinking?” Caitlyn asked with no judgment in her voice.

“I did have some wine,” Olivia confessed. “That’s not why I’m crying.”

“Honey, Boone’s Farm is not something Grammy Viv would allow you to call wine,” Caitlyn joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I just had a little bit, Mom. I promise. I didn’t like it anyway and dumped it in one of the plants.”

“Okay, so alcohol is not why you are crying. Tell us what happened.” Caitlyn patted her daughter’s hand.

Olivia began to sob again. Wrapping her arms tightly around her legs, she buried her face and began to rock.

“Tell us what happened,” I said, gaining the courage to speak. “Did someone hurt you? You know you can tell us anything.” I stroked her hair, wishing I was better at comforting people in pain.

After a few minutes of silence, Olivia lifted her head. “I was stupid. I shouldn’t have… It’s my fault.”

“What’s your fault?” Caitlyn asked, wrapping her arm around her daughter.

Olivia shrugged her mother’s embrace off. “Please don’t.”

Caitlyn’s eyes burned. “Olivia, who hurt you? Do we need to call the police?”

“No, Mom. It’s nothing like what happened to you.”

“I’m glad for that.” My daughter flinched at Olivia’s words but quickly recovered. “But you are clearly upset. What’s going on?”

“The party was lame. So, someone suggested we play a drinking game,” Olivia started.

Caitlyn’s eyes widened in fear.

“It was a brand-new bottle.” My granddaughter held her hands up as though trying to calm her mother’s reaction. “I made sure of that like you taught us. I know the rules about never trusting food or drink that isn’t sealed and always having it in my control.”

Caitlyn nodded her approval, visibly relieved. “Where was Cordelia?”

Olivia snorted. “Of course, she wanted nothing to do with the game. She went to Stephanie’s room. They were eager to plan their hike in Glacier this summer.”

Nervously, Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. “After a while, people became bored and started to leave until it was just me and Zach. He poured me another drink, but I didn’t want it. I had liked him for so long, and I thought he finally liked me, too. So, when he kissed me, I was so happy.”

“So, what changed?” Caitlyn pressed.

Olivia shrugged before softly confessing, “I liked kissing him. I should have made him stop when his hands were all over me, but it happened so fast. Before I knew it, he had my shirt half off and my jeans unbuttoned. When he was yanking them off, I said no, but he told me not to be a tease. I got angry, kneed him really hard, and then I just left the house. I called the driver. He was still waiting at the end of the property. Once I was safe, I called Cordelia and told her that you wanted us home.”

“Did you tell her what happened?”

“No, she would’ve told me I was stupid. She warned me not to drink or be alone with anyone. I didn’t listen. I didn’t think ---”

“Nothing you did gave him permission to put his hands on you. We’ve talked about this.” Caitlyn cupped her daughter’s face and looked into her eyes. “I’m not happy you were drinking, but I’m glad you are talking to me. I didn’t tell you about my past to scare you. I wanted to empower you. I know you are growing up to be a strong, smart woman.”

“Delia’s right. I am stupid. I should’ve known better,” Olivia said softly.

“You can’t change what happened. We can only move forward,” Caitlyn hugged her daughter tightly. When she finally broke away, she said, “Liv, I’m going to speak to his parents.”

“No, Mom,” Olivia cried, grabbing Caitlyn’s hands. “He texted me and apologized. He was drunk and thought I was into him.”

“If you believed him, why are you crying?” My daughter didn’t wait for a response. “It’s because you know there is no excuse for his behavior. What if you didn’t fight back?”

“But I did.” Olivia clenched her fists. “My whole life will be ruined if you say anything. Can’t we just forget?”

“I told you that was my biggest mistake. Christopher brutalized other girls after me. Those girls were hurt because of my silence.” Anger blazed in Caitlyn’s eyes.

“That wasn’t your fault.”

“But I could’ve stopped him.”

“This is not the time to blame yourself,” I touched Caitlyn’s arm.

“I’m sorry you felt like you had to keep silent. That was my mistake. I taught you not to share your pain. I was wrong.”

The old guilt I felt bubbled up inside me. My own daughter never thought that she could confide in me, even at a time when she had desperately needed my support. Standing up, I said, “I’m going to leave you alone to talk.” I kissed Olivia on the top of her head. “Listen to your mother. She’s very smart. Goodnight, loves.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” Olivia said, squeezing my hand.

“Goodnight. I love you,” Caitlyn called after me.

Back in my room, my mind began to race. So many lies, secrets, deceit— seeds I had nurtured and grown my entire life. I envied my daughter’s relationship with her children. Olivia was able to talk to her in ways we never could. I had failed her. Tonight was another reminder of the damage I had caused.

When I returned to my room, I settled back in the chair and sighed. Taking a sip of my tea, I found it was ice cold. Abandoning the hope of warm comfort, I picked up a book and engrossed myself in another world— a world I could close if the pain became too unbearable.

I had barely finished a chapter when there was a small knock on my door, and Caitlyn peeked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to check on you.” She leaned on the door jam.

“How’s Olivia?” I set the book down.

“She’s shaken, but she’s okay. I am going to talk to Jack and see how he wants to handle this. I do think we need to talk to the boy and his parents,” Caitlyn said, looking conflicted.

“Jack will know how to handle it all,” I agreed.

“He always does,” Caitlyn smiled at the thought of her husband. “Are you hungry? Tonight’s dinner didn’t fill me up.”

“Chinese take-out is a mystery in that way,” I laughed. “I could eat three platefuls and think I’ll never be able to eat again. Then, just in time for bed, my stomach tells me that I need more food.”

Caitlyn chuckled. “Well, we shouldn’t go to bed hungry. Want to join me for a snack?”