LOVING THE DEVIL [02]

Chapter 52.

CHAPTER 52: your daughter

[tw: mentioning of assault/ rape]

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I was scared for her and the media has never been friendly to women like us. The struggle we endured everyday and being asked the weirdest questions at interviews as if those things are the most important things we could think about at that time.

It was undermining—overwhelming for others. We were hated for doing the simplest of things and people taking it out of context as they always do. They hated strong women so they sought a way out of raising their own egos by bringing us down; they were all the same and they didn't care because people paid good money for what they would class as 'entertainment'.

"Oh, Cassidy," I muttered, getting up from the couch and walking over to her. My arms instinctively reached out for her and pulled her in for a tight hug, "I'm so sorry."

She nuzzled into my neck as she tightened her arms around me, though she never said a word. I saw the tweets this morning about how excited everyone was—God, people seriously are so bored right now? I know the kids are back in school, but come on.

Leaving several text messages, I checked up on Cassidy that morning. I wanted to tell her she really didn't need to watch the show and that I'd personally watch it just to see what Summer would say.

Because no, she didn't have to watch it, but the amount of 'jazzy' things her mother's done in the past, I was hardly surprised she wanted to watch it. I understood how the woman wanted to see what she'd say about her or her family. She needed to know.

"I saw tweets and articles about me—about that night at the party—and they were saying it was my fault," she whispered against my neck as I rubbed her back soothingly. When I lifted my head up, I noticed Elaine's concerned look before I nodded to her and she left the room every so quietly.

Like a frightened little animal, she shook in my arms as I sat her down on the couch and got her a cup of tea, handing it to her as I bit into another macaron.

"It's not over, Cassidy. People will realise that she's lying out of pure entertainment and once they do, she'll be out of this industry in no time." I paused and looked over to her. She wasn't herself—that as much was obvious—but for the first time, I could tell how much it broke her apart, "your family have organised to meet with her because they're angry, but I promise you, she hasn't ruined anything. You can't let her get into your head and allow you to think like that—"

"But she did, didn't she?" her voice sliced through the air coldly, raising ever so slightly as she placed the cup and saucer down onto the coffee table, probably nearly breaking the glass in the process, "I can't do anything without thinking of her and everything she's done to me. Even when I talk to Elaine, I endlessly keep thinking that I'm being harsh and difficult because no matter what I'll always be that woman's daughter. I can't even look at myself and like what I'm looking at...I don't even want Liam to look at me and see me looking like her."