Chapter 82 Lead Us

• "I swear, I thought he was going to beat us like he did with Khaled. I wished I was bigger, stronger, I even wished my parents would materialize in front of us." Affected by the memories, Simon unconsciously tightened his fingers on Paulina's hips. "Finally, Abdul stopped at a brothel and called a woman for each of us," Simon chuckled without enthusiasm. "We were thirteen years old and just wanted to spend a few hours playing Nintendo. I was so nervous and scared that I didn't last a minute. On the way back, Nathaniel seemed as disgusted as I was, but it was Gabriel who fared worse. His look changed after that.
• "How could someone...?" she fell silent, horrified at what she had heard and not knowing how to express her disgust with the patriarch Saadi. She had seen him once, at Tamara's wedding, not enough to remember his face or determine what kind of person he was. Apparently, a despicable one.
• "My mother must have made that face when she found out," he said, stroking Perez's cheek, thinking that the disgust on her face was directed at him. "When she confronted me, her expression was one of disappointment at first and then fear when she found out that I didn't use a condom. I heard so much about diseases and went through a battery of tests for months that ever since, I never go without one. I even get tested every six months just to ease my conscience and hers, when she starts asking questions."