Page 57 of Sick Little Devotion

I’m so sorry, Momma. I want to cry out for her—to tell her that I forgive her for getting us in this situation. She did it out of what she thought was necessary. She didn’t know the monster she was marrying. She was grieving, relying on the bottle to get her through the day.

I don’t hate you.

“Look at these tits.” Will slaps one, and I cry out in pain. “You see these?” He turns to my mother. “Yours aren’t nearly as perky and full. The things I’m going to do to this little bitch. I bet her ass is so tight. I don’t want to dirty my dick anywhere that piece of shit has been, but I know where he won’t have been.”

I shudder against him, recoiling at the scent of his acidic breath. He reeks of alcohol and sweat, and I retch as his hot breath tickles my neck.

“Disgusting whore,” he grunts, dropping his hand for a split second. It goes to my jeans, ripping them open so violently it sends the button flying across the room. I make it a point not to cry, but I meet my mother’s eyes.

“It’s okay,” I mouth to her. I’m strong. That’s what I’ll keep telling myself. I try to fight Will off as he shoves my pants and underwear down, putting my body on display.

“Look at that,” he groans in sick satisfaction. He sticks his thumb in his mouth, and I hear a loud sucking noise. My mother screams through the gag. I fight to hold back the tears, still trying to wriggle out of his grip, but his finger pushes into my ass, sending a wave of sickness through my body. “Oh, this is gonna feel so good. Your little boyfriend already knows.” His voice grows more and more vicious with every word.

I scream as he digs it in deeper, and my vision grows blurry as I try to cope with the feeling. It’s not painful, but it’s so fucking wrong. Will erupts in laughter, and the sensation dissipates as he removes his finger.

“Ready or not, I’m taking you,” Will sneers, and he backs me up against him as he frees himself from his jeans.

And then it stops.

The weight of Will falls to the floor, nearly taking me with him. Knees rattling, I stumble forward, but I am caught by a set of strong arms.

“You’re okay,” Aiden whispers into my ear. “You’re okay.”

I swallow hard, turning back to see the man behind me. I can’t take my eyes off him. I can’t blink. He looks like a dark angel with such tortured emotions swirling on his face that it gives me chills. It’s Aiden. My Aiden. As we lock eyes for heavy seconds, he tilts his head, and in that silent exchange, the understanding passes between us effortlessly.

Sometimes, to conquer the demons within, one must first slay the monsters without.

He drops a gun to the floor and helps me right myself the best I can, redoing my clothes other than the missing button.

I glance down at the man lying on the floor and see a black bullet hole in his temple. Will’s eyes are glazed as they’re open, staring off into the distance.

Fuck him.

I feel nauseous from the dark emotions churning inside me, fully aware that what I just experienced pales in comparison to what Aiden has endured.

But I feel so dirty.

“It’s okay, Sara,” Aiden says, his voice calm. “It’s okay.”

I can’t tell if he’s saying it more to me or to himself, but I fall apart in his arms, sobbing as Carlos comes into the room and makes his way over to my sisters and mother. I try to breathe as Aiden holds me, stroking my hair and kissing the top of my head.

“He didn’t win, Sara. They didn’t win.” Aiden’s words are more comforting than I realize, and I start to wonder if that’s what he’s told himself all these years. Maybe that’s how he coped with all the monstrosity that happened to him. “They’ll never hurt anyone ever again.”

The next few hours go by in a blur as people I don’t know start showing up at the house. They take the body away. Aiden talks quietly to my mother in the kitchen. The girls are taken to their rooms, and I’m fairly certain they’re drugged even further as a means to erase the events of today.

However, nothing will erase what happened to me. In fact, it’s all I can think about as I find my way to my bedroom and take a seat on the edge of the bed. I feel violated and dirty, and I need Aiden to fix it.

But I don’t think he’ll do it.

My head falls to my hands as I start to cry, waiting for the nightmare to end. I want to go back to the castle I thought was my prison. I want to hide there forever and never leave. I want the girls to be there. And my mom. I want us to get away from this place and never come back…

So that’s exactly what Aiden does.

***

“Everyone is settled in for the night.” Aiden steps into our bedroom, where I’ve been hiding for the last few hours, trying to scrub my body free of the grime I feel. I let Aiden take care of everything, and it felt good to relinquish all control to him. I’ve been fighting him since I arrived, and I’m done now.

He takes a seat beside me, placing his hand on my knee. “I would tell you that I’m angry with you for defying me, but I’m not. Things were worse than I imagined. I was hoping to take care of Will before I took you back, but…”