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“He loves me, ye know? He’s brand new to me life, and he’s shown me what it’s like to be truly loved and wanted. He is a real man, Daddy. I’m in awe of him, of his brothers and father, and I’m so grateful to have them in me life. I’m glad you’re out of it for good now.”
I blew out a breath and wiped away the tears of closure that ran down my cheeks.
“You’re a good for nothin’ coward, Daddy. I can now go on with me life with no regrets, knowin’ that ye truly know how I feel about ye. Readin’ it in a letter is one thing, but hearin’ me say it to ye like this when ye can’t talk back is another. The best thing I ever did was walk away from you, and when I leave here, I won’t ever come back. Wherever you are, I hope you’re miserable and never know a moment's peace. It’s what ye deserve. Nothin’ more and nothin’ less. Rot in hell, Daddy.”
I turned and walked away from his grave. I followed the winding pathway until I found myself back at the spot where Dante was waiting for me. My man’s arms came around me the second I reached him.
“I said everythin’ I had to say to him,” I said, squeezing him. “I got all off me chest and I feel free of him now, Dante.”
“Ye are free of him,” he assured me. “I’m proud of you, baby.”
I felt a great measure of peace when I looked up at him and said, “Take me home.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Date
* * *
Two weeks later …
* * *
“She’s breakin’ up with me.”
“Bro, she’s not,” Harley reassured me for the fifth time in ten minutes. We were in his car as he drove us home after hitting the gym. “Just because she wants to talk to ye doesn’t mean she’s endin’ things, Date.”
I didn’t believe that.
“She’s been distant from me, Harley. I can feel it. She hardly lets me hold her and kiss her. It’s different. We haven’t had sex, we don’t touch, and I am absolutely not complainin’, but I know it’s a bad sign. Now that she’s speakin’ to a therapist about what happened to her, I think she’s realisin’ that our fight before the Finn shitstorm is too much for her to deal with.”
It’d been two weeks since Finn kidnapped my Ina, and it fucked up everything.
She adamantly refused to file a report with the guards against her ex. I understood that because it was a long winding road of legal horse shite that might never amount to anything, and Ina didn’t want what Finn did to her dragged out for years through a court case. She wanted to leave him in her past and forget him, so I didn’t argue against her filing a report, but I did argue with her about going to the hospital. Her piece of shit ex beat her black and blue, and he tried to fucking strangle her to death. There was no way I was letting her not get checked out.
Her refusal brought on an argument that was amplified when my sister found out what had happened. I closed my eyes and thought back to that night two weeks ago after everything went to shit.
* * *
“Ina, just listen to me—”
“No, I’m not goin’ to the hospital!” She interrupted as we walked into our apartment. My brothers and father followed us. “Remove your shoes, please.”
I stared at the back of her head, wanting to shake her. She had just been kidnapped, beaten, and almost killed, and she was worried about dirty shoes in the apartment? This woman! Annoyed, I removed my shoes, noting my brothers and father removed theirs too.
“You’re hurt, baby.” I followed her down the hallway and into our bedroom. “That prick was stranglin’ ye, so ye have to see a doctor. It’s not up for discussion. I refuse for anythin’ bad to happen to ye, Ina. I refuse.”
She sat on our bed and released a big breath. Immediately, I was on my knees in front of her with my hands on her waist. She lifted her hands to mine and lifted them to her face. She frowned over my red raw, cut knuckles. That was all the evidence of the beating I gave her ex.
“These need to be cleaned.”
“Ina, please,” I pleaded. “I’m fine. I’m so worried that bastard hurt ye more than you’re lettin’ on.”
“Dante, he hurt me, I won’t lie, but nothin’ is broken, and I don’t have any open wounds. I just want to take a shower, pop a few painkillers, then have a cup of tea.”
A cup of tea? She thought this could be fixed with a cup of tea?
Sweet suffering Jesus.
“You’re goin’ to the hospital.”
When she stood and walked out of the room, I got to my feet and followed her down the hallway and into the kitchen where my brothers and father were. Gavin was sitting up on the counter, Harley was leaning back against it next to him, JJ was by the sink, and my father sat at the table. Ina walked over to the kettle. I was annoyed with her so I sat down across from my father and just watched her for any signs of pain because if I spotted any, she was going to the fucking hospital, even if I had to drag her.
