They make sounds of agreement.
I inhale and wince, “I think I might go to jail.” My voice breaks as I start to sob.
“What?” Callum asks sharply.
Zephyr’s hand tightens around mine.
“Why would you go to jail, Tiger?” Jax’s voice is careful.
“Because...” I take a moment to breathe. I force the words out. “Because Damien framed my mom for murder. And he forced me to lie in court.”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
Nobody breathes. Nobody moves.
I look up expecting shock. Judgment. Disgust.
Instead I’m met with rage and anger.
Callum stands up abruptly and starts pacing across the room like he can’t contain the energy building inside him.
Zephyr holds onto my hand tighter. His jaw is clenched so hard I can see the muscle working.
Jax leans back and keeps rubbing my back like he’s anchoring me to this moment.
“I thought I could…” I cry. It makes my arm hurt so much more as I cry.
“You’re lucky he didn’t kill you the other day,” Jax says.
I look up at him.
Zephyr stares at nothing as he says, “Yeah. Why didn’t he kill you?”
I shrug, asking myself the same thing. “I don’t know.”
Callum stops pacing and looks at me directly. “Is this why he was abusive?”
I nod.
“Sick bastard,” Zephyr mutters.
“And I did it because I loved him.” My voice cracks. “Like he was more of a dad to me than my biological father ever was.”
“I call bullshit,” Callum says casually.
Zephyr nods in agreement.
Jax crouches down in front of me. “The only person that man loves is himself, Tiger. He shot you. He didn’t care if you died.”
And it’s those words that undo me completely.
That thought that’s been sitting in the back of my head for years finally surfaces. The realization that his love had a purpose. That his fatherly affection came at a cost. That maybe it was all a game to him from the beginning.
“Did he do anything else to hurt you?” Jax asks carefully.
I shake my head quickly. “No. Never.” I inhale and swallow the lump forming in my throat.
“So what are you going to do?” Callum asks.
