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He’s going to freak out. Best not to show him at all for right now. Pushing through the throbbing pain, I wash up and shrug into a pair of sweatpants. There’s no way jeans are going over these bruises right now. Pain doesn’t usually bother me. I’ve had worse than this, and part of me wonders if it bothers me because Blake’s the one that put them there.
Not that I think he did it on purpose. How I didn’t feel his grip that tight last night, I have no idea.
Everyone sits in the kitchen and with measured steps, I walk as normal as possible. Teresa hands me coffee and I take a sip watching Sorina. Her eyes are bloodshot and red-rimmed. Her skin’s paler than usual and she’s lost weight in the last week.
“Sorina, come with me please,” I say, sitting my coffee down and wal
king back to the bedroom.
Digging through my jean pockets, I pull out the necklace Samuel’s mother gave me. Sorina stands in the doorway, her eyes downcast and shoulders slumped forward. She’s so broken.
“Close the door, sweetheart, and sit down.”
She pushes it shut and plops on the bed. I wince, sitting down next to her. Keeping the necklace hidden in one hand, I cover hers with my other.
“I talked to Samuel’s mother when I took him home.”
She looks up, tears pooling in her eyes.
“I told her that he loved you and you loved him. She was happy to know he’d found happiness with someone. Did you know he’d never dated before?”
The tears fall over, spilling down her cheeks, her eyes going wide as she shakes her head.
“Here.” I put the necklace in her hands. She fingers the cross, running her thumb over his name. “His mother was going to bury him with it, but she thought you should have it instead.”
Sorina clutches the necklace to her chest and sobs. I pull her into a hug and rock gently, kissing her hair. I’ve no idea how long we sit like this, but a rap on the door startles us. Sorina sniffles and wipes her eyes as the door opens and she slips the necklace on.
Blake stares at us, his eyes tight at the corners.
“Hi, Dad,” she whispers, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“Hey, baby. You okay?”
She huffs, pushing the air forcefully from her lungs. “Not really.”
Twisting off the bed, I gasp in pain, kneeling in front of her.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say brushing off her concern. “Listen to me, Sorina. I’m going to find the men that did this. For Samuel and Jameson. You know what I’ll do when I find them.”
She nods with a sinister glint in her eyes. “I’m going to go lie down. Thank you, Mom.”
Blake closes the door behind her and pulls me into his arms as I stand. I nuzzle against his chest, inhaling his scent as he runs his hands down my body. Everything tenses, a sob gripping my throat when he squeezes my hips. He lifts his hands and looks down at me with wide, fear-filled eyes.
“Lily, what happened?” He moves to pull up my shirt, but I shuffle back, pushing his hands away.
“Nothing, babe.”
“Don’t lie to me, Lily. You never cry out like that. Last time you did, someone had torn your back up with a cane. Show me.”
He takes a step forward and dread fills me as I hold my hands up in defeat. He’s going to flip. I’m not angry about the bruises, just surprised by them. Gently, I slide my pants down an inch and lift the bottom of my shirt.
“Oh my god. Did I— are those from— Christ.” He holds his hands above my skin, matching them up with the bruises.
“Blake, it’s nothing. They’re just bruises.”
He recoils, tears shining in his eyes. My hands dart out and grab his shirt, pulling him to me. His hands stay at his sides, terror etched on his perfect face. I knew this was going to happen.
