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Please continue reading if you’ve read the story starter – a very long Chapter 1 – and you’re ready to dive into the story with me.

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About the story: (short description. Click here for longer)

“Let Me Love You” is a tale of love and sacrifice and a poignant story of self-discovery, celebrating the human capacity to find love in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Please enjoy the current WIP of Iris and El. This will be published freely up to a point, like in the old days, and then the entire book will be posted for full download. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the companion stories. (Wicked Chances, Dreams of Reality, The Convenient Wife, The Other Side of Love, She Works Hard for the Money & Ravenous)

Enjoy, Your Author, Sylvia Hubbard

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Read more: Let Me Love You – Chapter 32✍🏾📚❤️ #SylLit #WIP #livestory 📖💓 #marriedwife #demandedconsensual #darkromance

AUTHOR’S NOTE: First off, here is the companionship story note for the next chapter: Essence Folsom has her own book – Essence’s Divinity. I’m pushing the whole book out during the 7 Days After Christmas, so don’t forget to subject for that one. (And It won’t be free, though).

This was a difficult chapter to write, but you must thank my husband for whisking me off to our camp and giving my brain time to relax, see, and hear the story. I don’t know what it is about seeing the trees and being in nature, so I can easily put many words down on paper. However, I must fight to stay in the chair when I’m at home in Detroit. I will build my own she-shed at home and see if that will help me get centered there more.

To do that, y’all gonna have to tell a lot more friends about my books so I can have the money to do that. hint hint hint.

Of course, I’m asking for input. I’d love to hear what you have to say about this story. I love the direction of the story, and now that I’ve included enough suspense elements to mess up everyone later, I can concentrate on the romance. Whew. What time is it? Freaky time. Get ready!

As always, Happy Reading. Your Author, Sylvia Hubbard

The old woman looked around again as if others were trying to listen. “Do you remember the night you came to me, just like your momma?”

Iris frowned and shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

“The night I shot at your daddy?”

She remembered that moment but not the entire night, now that she thought about it. 

Aunt Rose recollected. “You knocked at my door in the middle of the night, Just like your momma had done. You had run from somewhere. Your shoes were mangled, and you were half-dressed. Although it was chilly that evening, you were sweating up a storm. You were rambling on just like your momma. You were saying the same thing, just like your momma.”

“What was I saying?” Iris demanded to know. 

“Rambling about a big white house and all these men inside.”

Iris wanted to scream because hadn’t she just been there. And her brain started to put things together. That night at the house… the blackouts… something happened. And somehow she had gotten out of there and ran to Aunt Rose’s house.

Her Aunt kept talking. “Asum came knocking at my door hours later, demanding to let him get his daughter. By then, I was flushing out your system on this couch. I threatened to call the police, but he didn’t believe me because he said they’d look all over my house and I’d get in worse trouble. Your father started bamming at the back door, so I grabbed my shotgun and told him to get away from my house. And then I let him have it. I only nicked him, but I warned him if he ever experimented on you again, I’d make sure the next bullet went through his heart. I flushed you out for three days until you came to your senses, but you didn’t remember a thing about what happened. I never pressed it because I kept secrets I’d promised from my sister, Iris.” 

Now, all Iris could think about was what she remembered and where she had been. “I was there,” she said quietly. “I was at the big white house last night with my boss. It was there.”

Aunt Rose looked alarmed. “That place is closed down. I made sure of that by making a deal with Lawrence Whittaker’s wife. He’s the bastard that owned that place, and I swore on my life I would make sure after you came to me that night, no other woman would end up there.”

“My boss bought it recently, but I remember going there when Daddy used to collect me from my drunken binges.”

“You wouldn’t have been drinking if he hadn’t been slowly introducing those drugs to your system. You drunk out of fear and depression, your mother wasn’t around, and you thought there was no one you could speak to. Your father made sure of that. You revealed all that to me while I was flushing you out. And since I couldn’t leave this damn house, you could hardly see me. I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there more for you.” 

Iris would never have blamed her Aunt for not being there when the woman had done so much for her. “Never, Aunt Rose, and that’s why I can’t figure out why you can’t be here for me now.”

“Because I can’t fight him anymore, I won’t jeopardize or drag Pete into this mess. This boss cares for you more than he knows, Iris. Trust me. Worst comes to worst; you can hide here but know what you’re setting your life up for because you’ll never want to leave once you’re here. I know. I’m a testament to that. And I don’t want that for you or Clem. But if Asum could experiment once on you, he could do it again. If you stay out in the world unprotected, you’ll end up like your momma.” 

A weird cramping hit her stomach as she remembered what happened that night. “Did you know about the baby I now believe happened that night?”

Her Aunt gasped, “I cleaned you up and gave you tests. It never came back positive. I always assumed you were drunk and miscarried. Asum came to me and asked me what to do for a miscarriage.”

“It wasn’t a miscarriage. The baby was still alive, and I… I was so damn ignorant and scared.”

Aunt Rose stifled another sob. “I hate not being there for you. I didn’t know the whole story, and Asum said I could traumatize you further if I tried to force it out of you. He’s manipulated us in so many horrible ways. I’m so sorry.”

Iris believed her Aunt. “I never told anyone. Daddy said you would go to the police. If I told anyone, he said they’d go to the police. So I kept my mouth shut.”

“And suffered.” Aunt Rose came to her and hugged her. “We’re not going to be quiet anymore. Let’s spend this weekend making sure.”

Clem could be heard jumping out of bed, and they knew they wouldn’t be able to talk anymore for now. Iris also needed to shower and get some sleep. 

Feeling Clem’s deep hug was comforting, and she gave her Aunt a reassuring look. After fixing Clem something to eat and catching up with her nephew, she checked her phone, wondering if El was thinking about her the same way she was subconsciously thinking about him. 

“Why don’t you go take a shower and get some rest while Clem finishes his breakfast and then gets busy in the greenhouse?” Aunt Rose suggested. “He promised he’d help me get the winter herbs going.”

Clem squealed excitedly. “Aunt Iris, we will make the most beautiful, delicious herbs this winter.”

Iris smiled appreciatively at her Aunt, kissed Clem on the cheek, and left the kitchen. Getting to her room, she removed each layer of clothes and pressed them to her nose. Smelling remnants of El brought comfort, although it shouldn’t. This man was using her until he was tired of her, but she couldn’t help herself and her attraction to him. 

And she wouldn’t be ashamed of it but enjoy this while it lasted. 

The warm shower at Aunt Rose’s house had provided her with security since she was young, and now she knew why. Being here meant that she wasn’t around her father, and deep down inside, she was scared of Asum. She knew she had every right to fear him now. 

‘Slowly drugging you,’ Aunt Rose said.

How? Iris wondered. 

The answer had to be somewhere. Asum couldn’t have been doing this, and no one knew. 

Violet would have known, but where could it be? In a diary? Living there since marrying Dwayne, Iris had never seen anything like that. The good thing was that everything of Violet’s was still in that house. Iris couldn’t take the chance to go there alone. Plus, she didn’t know where to start looking to find something her sister had left. 

Iris decided to enjoy the shower she was taking, remembering all the days when they weren’t enjoyable at Dwayne’s house. How she’d be so exhausted from working for him all night, plus her business, and then taking care of Clem, and she needed to get the day’s funk off of her. Dwayne would be upset if she made loud noises in the bathroom or the shower water was too noisy. Iris had always been terrified of Dwayne coming in there, snatching her out of the shower while she was covered in soap, turning the water off, and smacking her. 

How could she ever find security and peace in any other house except Aunt Rose’s? This was the only house that had given it to her. 

El wouldn’t understand that. And her soul could never feel that with him.

But she did feel other things with him. She remembered all the ways he touched all over her body and smelled her… damn, Iris didn’t think she’d get so aroused from allowing him to roam with his nose, but she had. Knowing she had every nook and cranny cleaned and the scents she used on different areas of her skin made Iris smile because she was sure El had enjoyed his nasal perusal. 

A warning knock came on the bathroom door before Aunt Rose peaked in. 

Iris continued her shower while her Aunt leaned against the shower door. “Clem’s busy sweeping out the weeds we picked,” she assured Iris. “I wanted to say before the rest of the day got away from us, I never knew the baby came from there. I don’t remember you speaking to me about everything in detail. I guess keeping secrets has destroyed us, and I’m so sorry for what I kept from you. I know it was your mother’s dying wish, but I should have known it would only hurt you more, and it did. It has. Will you forgive me, Iris? I promise from now on, I will do right by you.” 

Iris finished her shower and turned off the water. Aunt Rose passed a towel over the shower curtain, which Iris wrapped around her before opening the curtains to see Aunt Rose’s tear-filled eyes staring at her. 

“Yes, Aunt Rose. I love you too much to be mad at you.” She hugged her Aunt. “And we’ll figure everything out. Just give me a day or so to think about everything. I’ll work on the business and help plant the winter herb.” 

“That’s fine. Take your time,” her Aunt encouraged. She started to leave but paused in the doorway. “That boss of yours. Did he take you to that house on purpose? Did he know about the baby?”

Iris had been thinking about it in the back of her mind, especially when she left the property. El had his suspicions that something had happened in that house. Dwayne told him about the baby.”

“That boss is a smart man. He put things together. I sent a message to the Whittaker widow after we talked this morning. She said Mr. Olorun pressed her about what happened in that house and wanted to buy it immediately so he could access the records still in the house. After her husband’s death, she said she did what I asked her to do and boarded it up immediately.”

“Why did she finally sell it to him?” Iris inquired. 

Her Aunt shrugged. “She explained she was getting old and needed to get it off her hands before her children inherited it and found out what had been done there—or at least that’s what Mr. Olorun hinted at. As I said, he’s a brilliant man.”

“Aunt Rose, how did you help her?”

A wicked smile slowly spread across the older woman’s lips. “Just because I live in my world does not mean I do not know the ways of evil, Iris. I knew my talent for cleaning up the bad things long ago, and what your father said is true. There are things in this house that would get me in trouble. Let’s leave it at that.” 

Iris nodded and watched her Aunt exit the bathroom.

Aunt Rose wasn’t as sweet as everyone thought her to be.

End of This Chapter | Post your thoughts in the comment | Let the author know what’s going on in your head

Let Me Love You (c) 2024 Sylvia Hubbard All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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