Estelle In Denver (In Denver Series Book 2) by R. Colora Read Free Book Online

New York, I don't cry when the car picks me up, I don't even cry when I make it to the hospital and get checked into my room. I don't cry until four days later when I see a commercial of a man teaching his daughter how to ride a bike. I cry because that could have been my life, it should have been my life a life with a brother and a father and a stepmother, who was loving and caring. I should have had a first day of school, a first crush, a clumsy grope in a closet at my first boy/girl party, my first school dance, years of report cards, or maybe even a few detentions. I had none of that. All I had was my prison and my abuse. And now that I was free, I didn't know how to deal with it.
    Three days later, I sat across from Dr. Franklin on a bright Saturday morning and poured my heart and soul out. I told him about the resentment of all the normal things I missed, how in some fucked up way I envied Kennedy for going to college and having friends. “Dr. Franklin where do I begin? I tearfully ask.
    “Well, Estelle,” he said as he twirled his glasses with his fingers.
    “You began when you took charge of your life over a year ago, when you took that file and gave it to Kennedy, you took charge when you went back to Denver your own person, not the woman Edwin created, but the real Estelle. You continued when you got a job, signed up for school, learned to defend yourself, and confronted your abuser. The real questions you want to ask me about have nothing to do with you living, Estelle, you've been doing that and very well.”
    “Your questions have to do with intimacy, love, relationships, and I'm sure sex. Those things are the hardest part to overcome with the history of your abuse, but they can be overcome. You have to look at things in a different way. What happened to you was horrendous, but you also have to think on things that have come to light. Edwin wasn't your father, he wasn't anything to you, and you have to look at him as just a man. You have a father who loves you and wants to have a relationship with you— he wants to connect to you. You have a brother that calls me twice a day to see if you can have visitors yet; he wants a relationship, he wants a connection. You have the entire Kerrigan clan, Tristan, and Kennedy who have become surrogate siblings to you, and most importantly, you have Rhydian, who knows every horrible detail and still sees you as this amazing woman. You are worth love and compassion. You have value, Edwin devalued sex, relationship, and love, but you have all these other people ready to guide you to show you what a family can be all about. You equate sex with violence, pain, and being forced. But sex is enjoyable and not something to be used as a weapon.”
    He thinks before continuing “Estelle, I would like to bring in someone that specializes in your specific issues. She was a child bride at fourteen, she escaped a cult, got a PHD in both Psychology and Psychiatry, and has specialized training to deal with victims of incest and rape. She has six doctorates. I feel it best if you have someone to talk to that can guide you in questions you may have about your body and sex who’s better qualified."
    “Ok, when do I meet this new doctor? I asked with reluctance.
    “She will be here in about thirty minutes. Why don't you go grab a coffee and by the time you get back we will all meet for an introduction.”
    Grabbing my coffee and a scone, I make my way back to Dr. Franklin's office. I knock and walk in. The doc is standing next to a very tiny woman with strawberry blonde hair with hot pink streaks through it and blue eyes. She seems in stark contrast to his big frame and dark features.
    “Hello Estelle, I would like you to meet Dr. Melody Franklin,” he sees the look of confusion on my face. “Melody is my wife and is one of the world's leading experts in psychological rehabilitation of sex trafficking victims. Is it ok if I leave you?”
    I nod.
    “Hey Estelle, please call me