AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Following dinner, he did the dishes while Cassandra called her parents to let them know she was back in London, and back with him.
“Can I help?” she asked, entering the kitchen.
“That was fast.”
“They didn’t pick up. I left them a message.” Her brow furrowed in concentration.
“Are you worried about their reaction to us being together again?”
“No. That’s not it.” She sat on a stool. “There’s something I want to ask you. If this isn’t the right time, I’ll drop it.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
“You told me your right eye had been injured. What happened?”
He hadn’t planned on telling her this story tonight, but he promised to tell her the truth.
“Malcolm did it.”
Her eyes widened. “What did he do?”
He’d been so naïve when his father brought him to London. He assumed moving in with the Sutton family meant he was welcome, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.
He grabbed another beer and refilled Cassandra wine glass. He sat down on the stool next to her and took a deep sip. “Not long after I moved in with the Suttons, my father left on a business trip. He told me I’d be fine. I had a stepmother who cared about me and a half brother who wanted to be friends.” What a fool he’d been to believe Eleanor would care about him or that Malcolm’s overtures of friendship were genuine.
“Malcolm planned a hike around the estate grounds with some of his friends. He said we would hang out together and they would be my friends too. I was lonely and didn’t know anyone, so I agreed. As soon as we were far enough from the house, Malcolm started taunting me. He said I was stupid to believe I had a place with his family. Malcolm told me his mother hated me, and the only reason my father took me in was that he felt sorry for me. He pushed me around, and I fought back. Like the coward he is, he had some of his friends hold me down while he beat the shit out of me. He kicked me in the face a few times, and one was a direct hit to my eye. I was lucky I wasn’t permanently blinded.”
Tears shimmered in Cassandra’s eyes. “That’s terrible. What did your father say?”
“He cut his business trip short and came home to take me to a specialist. Eleanor believed Malcolm’s story that I started the fight, and he had the right to defend himself. Of course, Malcolm never mentioned his friends restrained me. My father didn’t believe a word of what either of them said. After I healed, he took me to get a contact lens. He told me he didn’t want Malcolm to enjoy looking at a reminder of what he’d done.”
“Malcolm is a monster.”
“He’s a sick bastard. Malcolm continued to plot and scheme against me. He hated me because I existed. He still does.”
“I’m so sorry, Leo.” Cassandra held his face in her hands as she scrutinized his right eye. “I think you should stop wearing the contact lens.”
“I’ve gotten used to wearing it.”
“If you don’t want me to hide behind my glasses anymore, you shouldn’t hide behind your contact lens. Walk into the meeting tomorrow and show Malcolm who you really are.”
He was moved by the conviction behind her words. She understood the depth of what Malcolm had done to him.
“I think it’s a great idea.” He took her in his arms and whispered, “I’m so glad you’re going to be there tomorrow. I need you near me.”
Cassandra was a blessing in his life. He’d given up expecting to have someone to share his life with, and now he’d found her. He’d grown up learning there were no guarantees in life. Falling in love made you vulnerable. Sometimes you lose the people you loved, but he was ready to take the risk because he couldn’t imagine life without her.
