AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Are my hands shaking?
Who is this man before me?
Why didn’t I recognize this monster before?
“You killed Mom,” I breathe out, as if still trying to believe it.
“I didn’t want to,” my father says, reproachfully. “She was alive for two months and I tried to convince her to stay. But I couldn’t let her out of here. But she didn’t want me. And if she didn’t want me, she couldn’t have anybody else.”
I sway at his calm words, trying not to flinch. “Why didn’t you kill me? Why take me in?”
He looks thoughtful. “I was going to. But you ran towards me the minute you saw me. You didn’t remember a thing and you were something Lily and I made together. I had to keep you alive.” He sighs. “It was a pity that Angela followed me to the church that night and saw me sitting with Lily.”
“A-Aunt Ange knew?” I choke out.
My father waves away my shocked words. “T
he night of her accident. She certainly suspected since she knew that I often brought Lily here on certain nights to try to teach her to accept me. But she never said anything, and all those years later, she decided to follow me out. She tried to run with that brat, so I took care of it.”
I recall Suzie’s laughter as she counted out to ten before coming and looking for me. Tears spill out of my eyes, burning my skin. “She was your daughter!”
My father gives me a serious look. “No, Halley. You were my only daughter.”
I see the flash of something in my peripheral vision and I don’t know why but I think of Jace waiting for me at home, probably grinning at the note I left for him.
I’ll never see him again, will I? I think to myself, dully.
“I recorded everything, you know. It’s a pity my phone got damaged but I wanted to keep all those memories alive.” He caresses my hair.
This makes me cringe away from him.
“But it’s all right. Once I go back, I’ll use the one you got me and I’ll deal with that man you’ve been inviting into your bed. Just like I dealt with the others.”
I open my mouth to scram, “Stay away from Jace!” I’m startled with the vehemence in my tone, the raw fury. “Leave him alone!”
“I can’t do that, Halley.” My father looks at me, sadly. “He touched you. You didn’t belong to him and he tried to take you from me.”
I struggle even more viciously now. “You’ve already got me, you bastard. Stay—”
A painful slap lands on my face, the sound echoing in the room.
“Watch your language.”
Stunned, I stare at him, and once again, I see movement behind him.
Then there is a small click and a cool voice speaks, “I’m sure you can forgive her this one transgression.” Jace steps into the light, his face hard, a small handgun pointed towards my father. He doesn’t move his eyes away from Raymond.
My father’s face grows red as he spits out, “What are you doing here?”
“Getting my woman back.” There isn’t a trace of nerves in Jace’s eyes.
I know for sure he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
He steps further into the room. “Halley, are you all right?”
I don’t trust my voice and I whimper, grief, shock, and pain rendering me mute. However, I can’t take my eyes off of him. I hear footsteps.
Caleb, Oliver, Lucas, and Duke file into the room.
