But, my father’s right. This time, I come armed with hope. We all do.
Last time, he healed. Who’s to say he won’t heal again, and this time, for good?
Mom calls to us from the living room, and we head toward her.
“You’re right,” I say. “Let’s be positive and shoot for the best.”
Chapter Six
Skylar
My father lets out a pained groan and then slumps over my mother like he’s dead.
But he’s not dead.
I can see his back moving up and down as he breathes, and he’s crushing Mom.
My arms are shaking as I drop the bat to the carpet, and the reality of what I just did hits me.
But I still need to help my mother.
Together, with her pushing and me pulling, we roll him off of her. She stumbles to her feet, and I pull her into a hug. Her blond hair looks like it’s been yanked, and her throat area is red and swelling. She’s got a bruise forming under her eye, but she’s alive.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“No time,” she says as she hugs me quickly but then steps back. “We need to pack.”
“What? Where?”
Rather than answer me, she picks up the bat. “And we’re taking this with us. I don’t want to leave anything for him to try to use against us as some sort of sick and twisted evidence.”
“Mom.” I hustle after her as she heads for the bedrooms. “What are we doing?”
She turns back to face me. And I’ll always remember her eyes—they hold a spark I haven’t seen in years.
“We’re leaving, honey. It’s time.”
* * *
We fill a couple suitcases, grab our phones and laptops, and head for Mom’s car. My father’s still out cold when we leave, but he’ll wake up soon enough, and Mom wants to be long gone by then.
I’ve already texted Nick and Ben not to come home and to wait for us in the school parking lot.
Once we get into the car and are safely driving away from the house, Mom speaks. “Why didn’t you tell me he was hitting you?”
I snap my head toward her. Her eyes are on the road, but she brings a hand to her cheek. “I saw the bruise last night, Sky.”
“How?”
“When I got home, Nick told me you’d fallen asleep out in the cold. I went into your room to check on you, but you were already asleep. Your bedside lamp was on, and when I leaned over to turn it off, I got a close look at your face.”
I turn to look out the windshield. “Is that why he was choking you? Because you confronted him about me?”
“Sky, stop changing the subject.” Her voice is hoarse like she’s in pain. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why do you think, Mom? Because I knew he’d do this!” I point at her throat.
“Your father didn’t do this because of you. He attacked me because he’s an angry man who uses his temper as a weapon.”
