Secrets

Chapter 1

    The tap of Victoria Thornton's heels on the tiles was loud in the silence. She strolled around the museum, reveling in the quietness. Ah, yes silence. That was how she liked things: quiet. She was a simple girl and wanted a simple life, free of excitement and drama. She'd had more than plenty of that growing up. That was all behind her, however. Now, at twenty-six, she was exactly where she wanted to be. She was in a museum, working as an art curator.

Victoria was doing what she loved and she was content. No one who met her knew that she came from a background of money and extravagance. No, as soon as she had turned nineteen, she had hiked up her long, expensive designer dress and high-tailed it out of Los Angeles. She had run for dear life, run to hold on to her soul, run from the world she had never wanted to be a part of. Unfortunately, it was one she was born into.

Miles away in Seattle, on her own, she was safe. It was a beautiful day when she had decided to leave Los Angeles. She had been bold, which was not like her. Victoria was quiet and timid, not the traits needed to stay or survive in her former life. As she walked around the large room, admiring various pieces of art and sculptures, she was taken back in time to the day she recused herself.

It was a hot summer's day in July, seven years ago. Victoria had paced the outside of her father's home office for nearly twenty minutes. She was surprised she didn't wear a hole into the hardwood floor. Telling her Father what she wanted to tell him would be hard. Well, probably not that hard. David Thornton was a kind and gentle man. He was always supportive of her.

The problem was her mother. If she were in that office, there would be hell. Even if she wasn't present at the moment, she would hear about everything later, and then there would be hell. So, Victoria knew the drama was inevitable. Hell now or hell later. Marian Thornton was a spitfire, not one to be trifled with. She wanted everything her way and if she didn't get it, there would be consequences for everyone around her. When Marian discovered that her daughter wanted to leave for art school, she would be livid.

She had groomed Victoria with hopes of her daughter using her beauty to achieve something significant. Victoria snorted. Yeah, bagging a rich one is real important. Marian had drilled into her it was smart to set herself up well in life. And that could be achieved by using one's assets. She would lift up strands of Victoria's silky strawberry blond hair, run a finger over her pale, ivory skin, and peer into sea green eyes and smile.

"Such a beauty you are. Use it to your advantage girl." There was always a bite in Marian's tone when she spoke of Victoria's beauty, so she always wondered if Marian meant it. Was it her imagination or did resentment flash in Marian's eyes when she said the words as well? No, it had to be her imagination.

Victoria would always force out a smile when Marian gave her those small life lessons. But, none of it stuck because she wanted a whole different life. She dared not say a word to Marian, though. She had always feared her mother. When Victoria was a child, she often avoided her. With her jet-black hair, cold blue eyes, and severe facial features, she looked like the evil stepmother from Snow White. David, her father would reprimand her for saying such a thing, but Victoria always saw the laughter in his eyes. She was much closer to her father, her anchor in an ocean of insanity.

Therefore, when she received her acceptance letter from University of Washington School of Art, History, and Design, her father was the one she wanted to break the news to. It was ridiculous. She wanted to go to college, got accepted into a great one, for pete's sake. She should be excited to tell her parents, knowing they would be happy for her and proud. Instead, she was pacing, anxious as if she would be tried and convicted of some great crime. Sure, she had kept it a secret that she was applying for college in another state, but that was because she knew they wouldn't understand. Her father wouldn't let her. He would encourage her to stay at home.