AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Thirty-Five
I haveno fucking clue how long Nate and I stare at the black screen once the video cuts off. So many thoughts assault my brain at the same time, and I dig the heels of my hands into my eyes. I press so hard until it hurts, but nothing stops the onslaught of emotions and new information needing to be processed.
The affair didn’t go on for years.
We were wrong.
Nate’s mother knew about Lilly.
Admiration for the woman’s compassion and understanding makes warmth spread through my body.
Emily was blackmailing Brooks for money.
A bucket of ice douses the warmth.
Emily hurt her own daughter. Over fucking money.
Rage slowly begins to course through my veins. Lilly as a toddler flashes in front of my eyes. I've seen so many photos of her as a little girl, always laughing and smiling. But instead of remembering those good times, my brain alters them, inserting injuries into the mental pictures. One worse than the other. The sound of her crying reverberates in my ears, and I want to clamp my hands over them.
Nate’s mother and sister were killed. Murdered.
My heart is beating so fast I feel dizzy.
Brooks wanted to take care of Lilly. He was a good person who made a shitty mistake during a weak moment.
"I blamed him for everything," Nate mumbles, interrupting my inner rampage. I remove my hands, glancing at him. His gaze is vacant, still on the monitor. "I told him at the funeral that I hated him. I refused to take his calls. He tried to visit after my arrest, but I made the staff send him away." He turns to me. "My father wanted Lilly to be part of our family. He didn't have an affair all those years." His gaze flips back and forth between my eyes.
"I..." Fuck, what do I say? "You couldn't have known. He didn't tell you any of that."
"I didn't let him. He probably tried," Nate bursts out, and I jump at the sudden shift. "He killed himself."
"None of this is your fault, Nate." George's voice makes both of us jerk around. Neither of us had noticed the door opening. He remains in the threshold.
"Did you know?" I grind out between clenched teeth.
"No." George steps inside and closes the door. "I came to check on you. I heard...sounds, then your father's voice." He tilts his head toward the computers. "I knew your family had someone else they worked with occasionally when I was busy, but never what cases they put him on. It wasn't my place to ask."
"Emily killed my mother. She didn’t die in the accident. There was no accident." Nate looks like a little boy as he peers up at George, and my chest tightens.
George steps closer, pulling Nate up and wrapping his arms around him. Both men stand like this for several minutes, Nate’s shoulders shaking silently. Averting my eyes, I stare at the floor.
When Nate regains some control, he moves back but instantly sways on his feet. Both of us jump into motion and latch onto him before his legs give out.
"You need to rest." George's tone is commanding yet laced with worry.
"I need to find my sister," he pleads after he lets us guide him back into his chair.
"Dude, you are no good for anyone if you collapse," I snarl. Shit. I didn't mean to sound like an asshole. "I—" I'm about to explain when Nate waves me off. He gets it, and a sigh of relief escapes me. I can't handle much more.
With George, Nate starts the video over, and we conclude that Lilly must've watched the beginning but got interrupted—by whoever took her.
She would’ve told someone otherwise. She would’ve called me.
When we get to the part of Brooks recalling Lilly’s abuse—there is no other way to say it—I fly out of my seat. "I, um...I’m gonna get some coffee for, uh, you. And me." There is no fucking way I’ll listen to this one more time.
Several hours,and even more cups of coffee later, everyone in the house was up to speed. As per usual, my father remained mute. I wanted to punch the answers out of him. There is no way he didn’t know about at least part of this. The man has eyes in the back of his head, for fuck's sake. How could he have missed Lilly being used as a punching bag by her psychotic mother? My mother’s best friend.
I wanted to rip my hair out.
