I suck in a sharp, icy breath. That frantic, borrowed heart of mine stops, because that’s not Exton standing in front of me like a shield, like a brick wall against a storm.
It’s Severin.
I should’ve known it was him because the air around me shifted. Just like it had on the lake earlier.
His broad back expanding furiously with each labored breath he takes. At his sides, his fists are clenched so tight, there’s no blood left in the tissue. And his eyes?
I don’t want to see his eyes. I don’t want to know what he’s thinking right now. I didn’t need him seeing me like this. I didn’t need him here. What is he doing here?
“Did you just break my nose, dumbass?”
“Not yet, but I’m one second away from fixing that,” Severin says. His words calm and controlled, but I can feel the volatile energy projecting from him with each syllable and breath.
“Who’s this knight in shining armor? A new boyfriend?” Aaron laughs like a hyena on crack, showing his yellow teeth stained red and wipes the blood from his nose on his sleeve.
“He’s not my boyfriend. And you need to leave.”
He ignores me. “Did you manage to trick another poor bastard? I hope this one doesn’t run away when he finds out you’re pregnant like the last one did.” He laughs some more as I clench my fists in a similar manner to Severin’s.
“Shut your mouth, Aaron,” I hiss, looking over my shoulder to make sure Emett is still by the car.
This is the one truth I’m keeping for a later time, and I have exactly zero plans to give him all the horrid details when he’s four years old.
“Ooo, my little sissy can say such words. And what if I don’t want to shut my mouth, hmm?” Aaron asks like a petulant child, and then quickly backs up as something close to an animalistic growl leaves Severin’s mouth. My brother’s eyes shoot to the man at my side, and whatever he sees must make him think twice about continuing.
“Fine, I can see you’re busy scoring another moneybag, sister dearest. I’ll come back some other time. Let’s get out of here, guys, it stinks with lies and betrayal.” Aaron pushes past me, checking my shoulder. “Bye, Rat,” he shouts to Emett, and my clenched fists start to shake.
I despise the way Aaron talks to my son, but now’s not the time to get into it. Not when his little feet are barreling through the snow as fast as they can carry him.
“Mommy!” I whip around as he shouts just before his arms circle around my legs, and I drop to the cold ground, wrapping my arms around his terrified body in a tight hug, my jeans getting wet from the snow.
I close my eyes, willing my frantic heart to calm down as I breath in his scent. “It’s okay, it’s all okay, honey.” I squeeze him harder.
“They were so scary!” he wheezes into my neck. “They were trying to hurt you!”
“It’s all that evil we talked about. Please, don’t ever come out of the car when Uncle Aaron is here. We talked about it,” I whisper, half paralyzed with fear of what-ifs.
Aaron hates my son just as much as he hates me, so I try to keep him away as much as possible. Usually, the money I give him t week would last at least a few next ones, but clearly, it’s not enough anymore.
Or he was bored and wanted to terrorize his favorite toys. Me and Dad.
Oh God…Dad! Betsy!
With Emett in my arms, I get up from the ground and rush into the house, barely suppressing the tears and anger as I take it in. Everything is trashed. Apart from that one broken window most of our plates and cups are shattered. A few of Emett’s stuffed toys are ripped apart.
Like the sick bastards he and his friends are, they threw my underwear all over the house. It’s everywhere. On the lamps and the TV. There are emptied out containers scattered on the counter. The containers that carried Dad’s medications I picked up just the other day.
That bastard knew it. He knew and decided to serve us what he calls his “justice.”
Ignoring the mess, I step over it. As bad as it is, I’ve dealt with far worse, and if I survived that, I’ll survive anything. Thatthudsound I heard from the outside is much louder in here and steeling my nerves I rush into my father’s room to make sure Aaron wasn’t that far gone to do something truly horrendous.
But of course, he was.
Dad is strained against the bed, his arms and legs tied. There’s a small towel in his mouth as a gag. I should’ve left Emett to wait in the car. He shouldn’t see this. But it’s too late now.
Quickly, I set him down and rush toward my father, taking out the towel.
“Aurora,” he rasps.
