Found (Lost and Found #2, New Adult Romance) (Lost & Found) by Nadia Simonenko Read Free Book Online Page A

the fridge,” she tells me. “I’m making sauce tomorrow and need them thawed anyway.”
    We dig through the rest of the bags in peaceful silence, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief and head for the stairs as Mom puts away the final can of tuna.
    “Oh, Maria?” she calls after me as I turn the corner to the stairs. “You didn’t get anything else while you were out today, did you?”
    Shit.
    I thought I’d escaped, but she saw it after all. She knew about my secret bag the entire time we were unpacking groceries.
    A horrible feeling of dread rises inside me. I don’t want to tell her, but she knows I’m hiding something. If she sees what’s in that bag, she’s going to learn everything. She’ll hate me if she learns what Darren did to me!
    I don’t need a mirror to know how guilty I look. I can’t keep secrets because my face always flushes under pressure. All I can do is take a deep breath and nod slowly.
    She smiles knowingly as my silent nod confirms her suspicions.
    “Maria, you’re old enough to know better than that,” she scolds me. “You’re going to ruin your teeth and spoil dinner if you keep eating all that chocolate.”
    Chocolate? I’m not hiding chocolate. A wave of relief washes over me as I realize that somehow, against all odds, I made it out of this alive. She completely misread my guilty expression and thinks I’m hiding candy.
    “...and with all that junk food you eat, you’re going to end up getting fat like your father if you aren’t careful.”
    She finishes her lecture and stares expectantly at me, waiting for a response.
    “Yes, Mom. I’ll try to control myself better,” I answer, hanging my head guiltily. I do feel a little guilty, but it’s because I’m lying to her, in a way. I’ve never told such a backward lie before, confessing guilt for something I didn’t do, but it’s still a lie.
    She casts me a motherly smile and then starts flipping through her recipe book and trying to decide on dinner. I take the opportunity to race upstairs before she decides to confiscate my non-existent chocolate bars, run straight into the bathroom and lock the door behind me.
    I pull the pregnancy test out of my pharmacy bag. My period should have started over a week ago and I’m terrified. I’m scared that Darren might have gotten me pregnant.
    The instructions for the test are printed on a long, narrow sheet of paper in such a tiny font that it’s nearly illegible, and my shaking hands aren’t helping any as I try to read. I know that plenty of women miss periods for all sorts of reasons, but those women aren’t rape victims.
    It must be stress. I missed my period because I’m really stressed out, right? What’s more stressful than being raped and having to keep it secret? Please let it be just stress! An enormous lump forms in my throat as I run through the instructions one last time and then it’s time to find out the truth.
    Three minutes...
    The longest three minutes of my life.
    My legs are shaking so much that I can’t even stand up as I wait for the results. I can’t tell if I’m more likely to throw up or pass out from tension.
    “Please,” I whisper. “Please don’t let this happen to me.”
    The second line never appears. I’m not pregnant.
    I cover my mouth with both hands to muffle my crying as tears of relief stream down my face. I have nothing to be happy about, but somehow this tiny silver lining makes all the difference.
    I wake up in the dark and it takes me a minute to figure out where I am. I’m still on the couch, holding Owen close. He’s still sleeping peacefully, and for the first time, I notice that he snores. I don’t know why, but it somehow feels as if being with him makes my nightmares fade quicker. The memory of the pregnancy test—of holding my breath for three of the scariest minutes of my life—is already dissipating and vanishing into the night.
    I hope his dreams tonight are happier than mine were.
    “I love you, Owen,” I