Read Online Black Dahlia (The Dahlia Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 2) by Vivian Winslow - Free Book Online
Authors: Vivian Winslow
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life.”
“So how did you kill her? I’m having trouble believing that you would hurt someone so precious to you.”
“We only have the power to hurt those we love.”
Dahlia swallows at the reminder of how much she and Shane hurt each other. Rodrigo as well. She closes her eyes, wishing away the painful thoughts.
“I was so jealous and possessive of her. I wanted to be with her all the time.”
“You were young. I think first love is so overpowering we don’t know how to handle the emotions.”
“Maybe . . . It’s just . . .” Kai hesitates. “I introduced her to drugs in high school. Growing up on an island, sometimes you get bored, you start dabbling. I’m not trying to excuse it, I mean, she was really not into drugs anyway. My friends and I would sometimes smoke meth or whatever and surf. You know how it is.”
Dahlia nods. Drug use among surfers was not at all uncommon. Even Shane struggled for a while.
“But Melia was smart. Really smart. She got into Berkeley. It was her dream to go to California and get away from island life. She wanted to be a writer. Melia loved poetry. But I didn’t get in. I was lucky I even graduated high school with the grades I had.”
“And you couldn’t let her leave you, could you?”
Kai shakes his head. “I was afraid she’d outgrow me, us. She vowed it wouldn’t happen. Even asked me to move with her and get a job or go to community college. But I was afraid to leave my world, and I fully expected her to stay in it with me. So I did something terrible.” He turns his back on Dahlia and rests his hands on the balcony.
Tension fills the space between Kai and Dahlia. When he doesn’t turn around, she gets up and walks out to the balcony. “What did you do, Kai?”
“I convinced her father not to let her go. It was easy because her parents were hesitant about Melia living so far away since she was an only child. It became a big decision that involved both of our families, our fathers agreeing to our future and taking on the surf business, which she never wanted. But no one gave her a say.”
“And even though I loved her,” he continues, “I was blind to her needs. Not once did I put her dreams before mine. What I felt was love was something distorted by my own fears. It made me a monster in our relationship. After that, she began to change.”
“How?”
“It sounds cliché, but in taking away her dreams, she lost her way. Melia was so brilliant, her energy and smile could fill a room. I wanted to believe that I could be her reason for living like she was mine.”
“Did she break up with you?”
“Maybe she’d still be alive if she had, but she just lost her will to live. She dropped out of community college. Melia was dying before my eyes, and it was my fault.”
“It was too late to reverse the decision?”
Kai swallows. “At some point I got clean, although it wasn’t difficult because it was just recreational. But she got in so deep, and I couldn’t see it. I only saw what I wanted. Besides, Melia didn’t trust me anymore when she found out I supported her parents’ decision. She felt I had betrayed her so she had been pulling away from me for a while. What’s worse than living without someone you love is living with her indifference. Her drug use just kept getting worse.”
“Is that why you say you killed her?”
Kai nods, tears beginning to stream down his face. “One day, she just didn’t wake up. She was a strong woman in a little body. Her heart couldn’t handle all the drugs. I got her using, and I denied Melia her dreams. Her death taught me that a person not living her passion is already dead.”
Chapter 28
Dahlia glances over at Kai sleeping peacefully. It took a long time to get him to come to bed, the memory of Melia clearly still haunting him. She finally understood what he meant when he said you don’t get over someone’s death, but you become strong enough to endure and accept the sadness and pain their
“So how did you kill her? I’m having trouble believing that you would hurt someone so precious to you.”
“We only have the power to hurt those we love.”
Dahlia swallows at the reminder of how much she and Shane hurt each other. Rodrigo as well. She closes her eyes, wishing away the painful thoughts.
“I was so jealous and possessive of her. I wanted to be with her all the time.”
“You were young. I think first love is so overpowering we don’t know how to handle the emotions.”
“Maybe . . . It’s just . . .” Kai hesitates. “I introduced her to drugs in high school. Growing up on an island, sometimes you get bored, you start dabbling. I’m not trying to excuse it, I mean, she was really not into drugs anyway. My friends and I would sometimes smoke meth or whatever and surf. You know how it is.”
Dahlia nods. Drug use among surfers was not at all uncommon. Even Shane struggled for a while.
“But Melia was smart. Really smart. She got into Berkeley. It was her dream to go to California and get away from island life. She wanted to be a writer. Melia loved poetry. But I didn’t get in. I was lucky I even graduated high school with the grades I had.”
“And you couldn’t let her leave you, could you?”
Kai shakes his head. “I was afraid she’d outgrow me, us. She vowed it wouldn’t happen. Even asked me to move with her and get a job or go to community college. But I was afraid to leave my world, and I fully expected her to stay in it with me. So I did something terrible.” He turns his back on Dahlia and rests his hands on the balcony.
Tension fills the space between Kai and Dahlia. When he doesn’t turn around, she gets up and walks out to the balcony. “What did you do, Kai?”
“I convinced her father not to let her go. It was easy because her parents were hesitant about Melia living so far away since she was an only child. It became a big decision that involved both of our families, our fathers agreeing to our future and taking on the surf business, which she never wanted. But no one gave her a say.”
“And even though I loved her,” he continues, “I was blind to her needs. Not once did I put her dreams before mine. What I felt was love was something distorted by my own fears. It made me a monster in our relationship. After that, she began to change.”
“How?”
“It sounds cliché, but in taking away her dreams, she lost her way. Melia was so brilliant, her energy and smile could fill a room. I wanted to believe that I could be her reason for living like she was mine.”
“Did she break up with you?”
“Maybe she’d still be alive if she had, but she just lost her will to live. She dropped out of community college. Melia was dying before my eyes, and it was my fault.”
“It was too late to reverse the decision?”
Kai swallows. “At some point I got clean, although it wasn’t difficult because it was just recreational. But she got in so deep, and I couldn’t see it. I only saw what I wanted. Besides, Melia didn’t trust me anymore when she found out I supported her parents’ decision. She felt I had betrayed her so she had been pulling away from me for a while. What’s worse than living without someone you love is living with her indifference. Her drug use just kept getting worse.”
“Is that why you say you killed her?”
Kai nods, tears beginning to stream down his face. “One day, she just didn’t wake up. She was a strong woman in a little body. Her heart couldn’t handle all the drugs. I got her using, and I denied Melia her dreams. Her death taught me that a person not living her passion is already dead.”
Chapter 28
Dahlia glances over at Kai sleeping peacefully. It took a long time to get him to come to bed, the memory of Melia clearly still haunting him. She finally understood what he meant when he said you don’t get over someone’s death, but you become strong enough to endure and accept the sadness and pain their
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