Shattered Dreams

Jamie Armbrister

Description

Struggling to find herself, as the past haunts her everyday. Amiras father manipulates her into doing unspoken acts to support his drug habits.
Finding your Soul Mate in the mist of the storm is amazing, but when things start to crumble, will he stay or will he disappear? Amira lost her mother at a young age and battles with her father’s physical, mental and emotional abuse everyday. Her father, who manipulates her every chance he gets, as well as making her do unspoken actions to fulfill his drug habit. She fights and prays for a way out and for support. Wishing she had a Knight and shining to come save her but realizing she has to do things on her own to get out. Becoming a detective of her own life she finds out so much of the past that she had no clue about. For her father to say he loves her but has caused so much heart ache, Blows her mind. Will she make it out or will she stay and continue to go along with his manipulation.

Sujets

• Thrillers
• Human trafficking
• Deception
• Hurt
• Family
• Abuse
• Love
• Suspense
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 28 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663241214
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

SHATTERED DREAMS
 
 
 
 
 
JAMIE ARMBRISTER
 
 
 
 

 
 
SHATTERED DREAMS
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Jamie Armbrister.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
 
 
iUniverse
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www.iuniverse.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4120-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4121-4 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917872
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 09/27/2022
CONTENTS
Dedication
Preface
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1 Night Watch
Chapter 2 Fallen Stars
Chapter 3 Birthday Wishes
Chapter 4 Taken
Chapter 5 The Truth
Chapter 6 Search for Forgiveness
Chapter 7 Skippers
Chapter 8 The Run In
Chapter 9 Sacred Bond
Chapter 10 Truth Will Set You Free
Chapter 11 Mission Impossible
Chapter 12 Clueless
Chapter 13 Wedding Week
Epilogue
Acknowledgment
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my daughters Jamiah and Skyllar. May you find Peace, Love, and Joy in all that you do. Find your passion and never give up. Hope and Love are all around you, even when you do not see them It’s always t here.
PREFACE
Our world struggles with sex trafficking and child abuse daily. Our voices of women and children who have dealt with things like this have been silenced for far too long. This book is not based on a true story, but to give insight and hope for our women and children. Do not be silent for the power is within and you can change your destiny. There is always sunshine after the rain.
INTRODUCTION
A young woman struggling with a past tries to find a way out of her father’s so-called “love”. Trapped in a life her father has drawn out for her, of sex trafficking and child abuse. She longs for a way out, for her mother’s death haunts her every waking moment. She dreams that she is still alive and one day will find each other again. For her mother was ripped from her life at a young age. She is not taking her mother’s so-called “death” for an answer. She takes her whole life into question. Will she have everything she dreamed of, or will her life just stay the same?
PROLOGUE
Somedays, I look up at the night sky and ask myself, “Why Me”? Is this all that my life is going to be? I am so much more than my father’s sex slave and punching bag. I must find my way out of this life that he has created for me. My life ended before it has even begun. At least that’s how I see it. The Special Party Nights are taking away my innocence and purity every second it goes on. The hurt I have endured for years, I know will affect me in my adulthood. I just want and dream that I will have a happy future, I just do not know if I am going to find a man that is willing to accept me for my past and present, which is not so good.

CHAPTER ONE
NIGHT WATCH
I never thought that a mother is supposed to protect her daughter through everything. It just doesn’t sound right to me; my mother was supposed to protect me. I’m Amira Alice Goodwin. My mother died when I was seven years old. My father, on the other hand, let’s just say, he is one out of a dozen of craziness. My mother, Alice Marlon Goodwin, and my father Shane Goodwin had me at a young age; she was sixteen and he was seventeen. It’s what I call a young, dumb, high school situation. The daughter of a one-of-a-kind relationship
My father says that I look like my mother. Long black hair, with a hint of red in the sunlight. She was as beautiful as a queen. I miss my mother so much; I pray every night that she is still alive. I dream about them a lot of times when they are arguing and fighting. I rarely have seen my parents show love for one, or even laugh with each other. There was constant fighting between them. I guess that’s what I get for having young parents like I was meant to be with this family.
We live in Atlanta, Georgia. Our neighborhood is very quiet, nothing too dangerous, except for loud noises. I hear gunshots sometimes, but nothing near my home. No deaths, so far, which is very amazing for this kind of neighborhood.
In my childhood, I don’t remember anything but my parents fighting. Some days, my father would put his hands on my mother, and cause bruises on her arms and face. I only have one picture of my mother and me together. My father burned the rest of her pictures after she died; says it helped him to move on, but I think he was trying to cover up something. The look in my father’s eyes when he talks about her, I don’t understand, he should have tears in his eyes instead. I can’t imagine what he would keep from me; I plan to find out what he is hiding. One day I will find out the truth, until then, I am stuck here.
I dream about her almost every night. My nightly routine consists of me taking two showers, brushing my teeth, doing my hair, and then watching the stars. I take two showers because I don’t fully feel clean after the first one. I have two windows in my room, one above my bed and then one pointing to the front of the house. My father put bars on the window so I would not run away. For some reason, he would rather have me here instead of with someone else. He is very controlling and rude to everyone.
My favorite part of the day is at nighttime, for most days, when I can watch the moon and stars by myself. It is soothing to me; feels like I was meant to watch the stars and believe that there is another world or even state out there to see. Some nights can be a little creepy at times though. I remember one thing from my childhood that my mother told me; all the stars in the universe are people who have died and gone to heaven.
We have a neighbor across the street, who sits outside all night and watches the street, but I believe she is watching our house. Every time I come out, she watches me very closely, like she knows me or something; it’s very creepy at times. She has two boys, I go to school with the oldest one, his name is Johnathan and we are in all the honor classes together. I don’t know much about him. He mostly stays to himself just like I do when I am at school.
“Amira, get your ass out here now.” My father yells down the hall, as I jump up out of bed from me writing a poem. I hate the fact that he is so rude to me at times. I came as quickly as I could, I didn’t want him to get upset with me; not today, because I am not feeling it. Here is the thing with me calling him father, he won’t let me call him by any other name, only father. One time, I called him dad and he slapped me to the floor. Said father is more proper.
“Yes father,” I said as I turned the corner and saw a tall lovely looking 6ft 2" man; dressed in all black, with red stripes on the shoulders. He was extremely happy to see me, and he was buff, so buff that he could barely fit into his shirt. He had the neckpiece and two of the buttons on the shirt open; to see his chest hair sparkling from the sweat coming down his neck.
“Wow, you light up the whole room, Amira. Hello, I am Andrew.” As he reaches his hand out to shake mine. Man, his hand is so soft like a baby’s bottom, which is quite good if you ask me.
“He will be staying with us for a while, so you need to be on your best behavior at all times. Do you understand me, Amira?” My father started looking directly at me with a little smirk on his face. I could tell at that very moment that he was high off something; his eyes were glossy, and he kept rocking back and forth while he was standing. I know my father well enough to know when he is high off something.
“Yes father, I will be on my best behavior, can I go back to my room now and finish the poem I am writing?”
“You write poetry? That’s amazing so do I, well not all the time. Some days I can write all day.” Andrew stated as he looked me up and down like I was a piece of meat.
“No you cannot finish, you have to cook dinner for our new family member.” My father said with a rude look on his face like I was a maid in the house,
“Are you allergic to anything?” I asked Andrew, with stars in my eyes, I hope he doesn’t notice.
“No ma’am I am not allergic to anything, nothing that I know of.” He responded with a smile.
“Please call me Amira, not ma’am. Would you like Shrimp Scampi or Fried Chicken?” I asked
“I would like the Shrimp Scampi, it is one of my favorite dishes to eat. “He said while he put his hands on his cheeks like he was amazed that I knew how to cook it.
“Father,” I said, glancing over to him as he sat in his recliner. That is his spot and no one is allowed to sit in it at all. He will get angry even if I sit there while I do my homework. “Would you like shrimp scampi or do you want me to make you fried chicken tonight?”
“Shrimp scampi would b