She shakes her head, sobbing. “No… I…”
I feel different as I stand here staring at Daniel’s mum. Different from the girl who stepped into this house not that long ago. My monster is here with me. Not hiding. Not lingering in case it’s needed.It’s just here. A part of me. Mingling with the sweet version and creating something new.
I’m a mum now.
I have been for eight weeks, but the lioness in me has been dormant, lying in wait until this very moment.
She’s here now. And she’ll never leave again. Not while there is breath in my body will I ever let someone harm, hurt, or steal my child again.
“You will know that feeling, Elizabeth,” I deadpan, barely blinking. “You will know what it feels like to lose your child. To know they will never breathe again. Never laugh. Never hug you. Ever. Again.”
“Wait… no, please. I was just trying to keep her safe.”
“Were you even going to return her to me?”
She frowns, hesitating before she nods.
“Lie. That was a lie, Elizabeth.”
“No. No, I swear,” she pleads. “Once the bad people stopped chasing you, I was going to give her back.”
“No, you weren’t. STOP LYING!” I yell, and she flinches back, sobbing as she nods.
“Okay. Okay. I was going to raise her myself. Give her a good home and education. She’d be safe with me. I’d never let that cult get their hands on her. And Daniel—”
“Daniel, what?!” I yell. “You think he has a right to my child? He’s probably not even her father! And any father that would do what he did doesn’t deserve one second of that child’s life!”
“Daniel didn’t know what he was doing.”
I launch forward onto the bed, fisting the front of her nightgown and snarling in her face.
“HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING!”
“No, he didn’t! He just thought he was sharing you!”
I rear back and slap her face, the clap loud as my hand connects with her cheek, and she nearly tumbles off the bed.
“It’s called rape, Elizabeth! RAPE! SAY IT!”
“Noooo. He would never!”
Flying back off the bed, I ball my fists. “Bring him in!”
I don’t know who leaves to get Daniel, but he’s dragged in a few moments later by his hair, his whimpers muffled by the gag secured over his mouth.
“Please don’t hurt him.” Elizabeth sobs as mother and son lay eyes on each other.
“You know, Elizabeth, I sounded the same as you when I begged him not to hurt me.” I dart my gaze between the two. “And do you know what he did?”
She shakes her head frantically, not taking her eyes off her son, and I swear, she already knows, but just doesn’t want to admit that her precious child could do something so heinous.
“Take off his gag,” I demand to whoever will listen, and I watch as Mex roughly pulls the gag off Daniel, his sobs louder as they fill the room.
“Mum, I’m sorry,” he cries, and I snap my fingers between them to get his attention.
“Tell your mum what you said when I begged for you not to hurt me.”
Sobbing, Daniel shakes his head, and I roll my eyes.
