My parents’ home was set on fire. Nobody survived, not even my pregnant mother, whose body was found burned to a crisp.
In the snap of a finger, everything changed.
They died and I was shuffled over to Julius’s house. Uncle Vance and Aunt Julia probably thought they were doing me a favour by allowing my dad’s brother to take me in and keep me away from their dark world. The same one responsible for my parents’ death. Little did they know that the months I lived with Julius were the worst imaginable nightmare.
Ella inched closer to me on the couch. Her body buzzed with an untamed energy, like an earthquake waiting to unleash. She braided her fingers with mine and skimmed my knuckles over her soft cheek before pressing a kiss to them. As if trying to ground herself. “What happened when you started living with him?”
It was difficult to discuss the next part of the story. Especially when I was in the presence of the girl who meant so much to me. I hoped she saw me as nothing but strong after this.
Not a weak, pathetic boy who’d succumbed to his demons.
“Julius was an angry fucker. Unhinged and with a bad drinking problem. From the minute I stepped into his house, I was his verbal punching bag. I never talked back because what was the point? I was stuck there with nowhere to go. The faster I got used to my new reality, the better.” I chuckledwithout humour, rage pouring through my bloodstream when I remembered Julius’s craggy face. “The social worker said I was ‘lucky’ to be alive—that I should count my blessings for not being in my home when it burned to smithereens.”
Was it really luck when you were breathing, yet everything you loved was dead?
“Oh, Cade.” Ella battled with the need to say more. But she gave me the floor to share my piece.
“I lived in that shithole for months, Ella. My only solace came in the form of Olivia. Her mother unfortunately died during childbirth. She was a one-night stand and Julius had no attachments to her or his baby girl,” I said hoarsely. “When I first met Olivia, she was a tiny little thing, sitting in her bed with a calm stillness. She stared up at me with big brown eyes filled with relief and reached out a chubby fist, wanting me to take her hand. My mom was pregnant with a girl before she died. In a way, fate cruelly ripped away my parents from my life but gave me the little sister I was meant to have. It was the only silver lining in my fucked-up situation.”
“I’m happy to know you had each other,” Ella whispered. “That means Olivia is technically your cousin, right?”
“Yes.” But now that the Remingtons had officially adopted us, she was legally considered my sister. “Aunt Julia and Uncle Vance have been quiet on the subject of our adoption because it’s nobody’s business. That’s why no one knows the truth.”
“My parents thought you were Vance’s bastard child.” Ella winced. “You two look so much alike.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Uncle Vance would never cheat. He was one hundred percent devoted and obsessed with his wife. “My aunt and uncle never bothered to deny any of the rumours, even though Montardor’s elites are gossip-hungry vultures. If they found out I was the late Vera Remington’s son, it would cause a huge upheaval and put me in the limelight…and not in agood way, Ella.”
My mom, when she was still part of Montardor’s high society, was beloved. I heard over the years that she broke a lot of hearts and caused a big stir when she eloped with my dad, Vegas style.
Not to mention…my grandfather had promised her hand in marriage to a rival family in the neighbouring city. Obviously, that business transaction went sour and caused a lot of bloodshed.
Uncle Vance and Aunt Julia said it was best to stay silent regarding my origins.
“Are you okay, Cade?” Ella gingerly pressed her palm to my jaw. “I mean, to continue talking about this. I want to know more, but I don’t want to jog up too many bad memories.”
I swallowed the tightness forming in my throat. “Yes, I want to tell you this.” Remembering hurt but relaying this story to Ella felt therapeutic. “If you’ll still listen.”
“I’m listening.” She rubbed my cheeks in a nurturing manner. “I’ll always listen to you. I’m here now. Let me shoulder some of your burdens. You’ll never have to fight your demons on your own.Ahora me tienes,querido.”
My pulse sped up. “What does that mean?”
“You have me now,” she murmured. “I’ll never leave you.”
“Promise?” I murmured back, my voice cracking.
She wove our pinkies together and tugged me closer with a mischievous expression, planting a peck where our fingers were joined in a vow. “Promise.”
A smile touched my lips. Ella kissed the grooves on either side of my cheeks. I chuckled. “You’re obsessed with my dimples.”
“I’m obsessed with all ofyou,” she corrected. “But I do have a soft spot for these.”Kiss. “Cute.”Kiss.“Little.”Kiss.“Dimples!”
I laughed harder and Ella grinned wide.
Once the small bout of happiness subsided, she mumbled,“Please, go on.”
While I collected old memories, Ella curled into my side, pressing her cheek against my mauled shoulder. She slung an arm around my waist and squeezed encouragingly.
“As I was saying, Julius had lots of issues, on top of being bitter about having two mouths to feed. Day and night, he would cuss at Olivia and me for simply existing. He forced me to work around the house like a dog, telling me I had to do chores to earn my keep. Julius would threaten to put me on the streets if I didn’t comply with his rules.” I cleared my throat and clutched the obsidian stone in my pocket. “A handful of times, he’d make me sleep in the shed outside during the coldest nights. I always got sick, and the sadistic bastard would laugh and assign me more tasks. Going to social services wouldn’t have worked. They’d split up Olivia and me and shuffle us to new homes. It wasn’t an option. Not when we formed a bond and grew extremely attached to one another.”
