Thankfully, she could finally rid herself of the influence from the Miller family.
Vivian felt as if a boulder had been lifted off her shoulder. She had no idea she had been bearing countless burdens by herself all this while.
Finnick sat by her side, holding her in his arms silently.
Once Vivian finished crying to her heart’s content, he lowered his gaze and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”
After Vivian nodded in return, he asked once more, “Are you willing to tell me about your past yet? I’m all ears for you. I believe this will help to take things off your mind as well.”
He kissed her on the cheek once he finished his sentence.
Vivian wiped her tears dry and started sharing her miserable past with Finnick.
“When I was young, the trio from the Miller family promised to bring me to the beach for a short getaway. I was thrilled because I had never been to a beach before. All I knew was that the ocean was blue with a horizon that would extend beyond the boundary.”
Finnick inched over and placed Vivian’s head on his lap, instructing her to lie and relax.
“I enjoy being by the beach because it gives me a sense of security. Back then, we dropped by the beach at Mauritius, which was a romantic place that I had been longing to go to for a long time. Mom wasn’t able to accompany me for the trip because of her work so she approved of the idea of me tagging along with the Millers. Initially, we had a great time as a family at the stunning beach, enjoying the gentle breeze. However, things took a drastic turn for the worse as soon as Ashley dropped her doll into the bottom of a pit. She threw a tantrum and insisted on retrieving the doll.”
Halfway through her orated statement, Vivian heaved a long sigh of despair because the upcoming part of the trip wasn’t as pleasing as the first part.
“Until now, I still have no idea if it was a mere accident or if she had deliberately dropped her doll as a way to get the better of me. I’m not accusing her but I could still vividly recall the vicious grin on her face when Emma instructed me to pick it up on her behalf. Emma said I was a skinny girl. Therefore, I was the best candidate available to retrieve the doll from the narrow pit.”
Vivian closed her eyes and recalled the entire incident she had gone through in Mauritius.
Tears started streaming down her cheek once again as she muttered, “I was afraid because I had never approached the ocean before. The boulders were covered with slippery seaweed and sharp seashells. I managed to make my way to the bottom of the pit and retrieved the doll, but as a result, I was wounded by the shells. You can still see the scars that I have gotten from back then…”
In fact, Finnick had noticed the scars that Vivian mentioned a long time ago.
Never would he expect there would be such a heartbreaking incident associated with the scars. All along, he thought she must have accidentally wounded herself when she was young, thinking that perhaps she was a playful girl.
Vivian added, “My wounds hurt because they were exposed to seawater, but Emma and Ashley ignored me and hailed a cab back to the hotel in advance. They said Dad was waiting for them to have their dinner together and left me alone. In the end, I had to make my way back to the hotel on my own.”
Vivian could still remember how she was starving and in pain due to the wounds, yet she had to pull herself together and walked a great distance to reach the hotel.
By the time she reached the hotel, they had finished their dinner. They didn’t even bother to keep their leftover meal for her. As such, Vivian spent the night starving.
She missed her mother after the series of misfortunate events she went through, but she put on a strong front and told Rachel she had fun when her mother asked if she enjoyed the trip. Vivian decided to lie because she was afraid that Rachel would be infuriated and feel upset should she figure out the truth.
Finnick’s eyes flickered. He lowered his gaze and was about to say something to comfort Vivian, but he had always been a man of few words.
In the end, he could only embrace her silently.
Once Vivian finished sharing her miserable past with Finnick, she asked, “Do you regret letting the Miller family off the hook?”
“Do you want to listen to the truth?” Finnick asked rhetorically before sharing his actual point of view with Vivian. It was evident he was displeased as he repeated himself in a callous tone. “I would’ve never promised you to let them off the hook if I was aware of the things you had to go through because of them. I would’ve taken them out without a second thought.”
Vivian was afraid Finnick would go against his words after he figured out the miseries the Millers had put her through. She warned him, “We have a deal! You can’t go back on your words now!”
He stared at her in the eyes before nodding to assure her. “Don’t worry. I’m a man of my words.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Vivian lowered her head and leaned on Finnick’s sturdy chest once more.
