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“No, Violet, you won’t. I hate men like Charles Coldwell and seeing that bastard get what he deserves is all the payment I need.”
“We will discuss that later, but what can I do?”
“Well, we have a few options. Did your mother file a police report?”
“No, she didn’t think anyone would believe her.”
He frowns. “This system doesn’t protect the victims like it should.”
“What else?”
“Are we one hundred percent sure Eric is Charles’ son?”
“Absolutely.”
“Rape is always hard to prove and without the victim, he can claim it was consensual.”
“What about me? I was a witness.”
“A distraught teenage girl and a ten-year-old memory of an event. Not to be brutal but any lawyer worth their name would chew you up and spit you out.”
“So, he wins?”
“I didn’t say that. With a man like Charles Coldwell, an attack like this won’t be an isolated incident. He’ll have more victims out there and we need to find them.”
Bile rushes up my throat at the thought of him doing what he did to my mother to other women. But I know without a doubt what Hudson is saying is true.
“I’ll get my investigator on it immediately.”
“And in the meantime?”
“I suggest you talk to Linc. Tell him what is going on and about what happened.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
Hudson gentles his voice. “Why not?”
I feel a flight or fight response biting at my heels. “He’ll hate me.”
“Why would he hate you?”
“Because I lied to him. I should have told him why we left, about his dad.”
“He might be hurt but he’ll understand.”
“How can you be sure? You don’t even like him.”
Hudson links his fingers and leans on the desk. “I might not be his biggest fan, but I know he cares about you.”
“Maybe, I just….” I sigh. “I’m so used to handling this alone and I hate the thought of anyone judging my mother or looking at Eric differently.”
“Anyone worth giving a shit about won’t do that.”
“What about Heather? She’s been so good to us. She adores Eric, and he loves her. If she found out he was the product of her husband raping my mother, it would hurt her, and she’d definitely hate me.”
“It’s not an easy situation, Violet. I suggest you start with Lincoln and go from there. He’ll be in your corner. I’m sure of it and then he can guide you as to who, if anyone, you tell after that. In the meantime, I’ll have my investigator look for other victims and see if we can build a case.”
He gets up and walks toward me as I stand. “I’d also recommend some counseling for you. I bet you’ve never dealt with what you saw properly, and you need to.”
