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“Call the fucking police, Anna!” he roared, kicking me in the lower back, making me groan.
Footsteps raced out of Neri’s room.
“I told you!” Jack snarled. “I told you never to touch her. And what the fuck did you do? You drink too much and think you can take what isn’t yours to fucking take?!” He kicked and stomped me. “You hurt my daughter!”
“He didn’t, Dad. I love him—”
“Shut up, Nerida. Go and find your mother.”
“Aslan didn’t do this.”
“Look at your room! It’s destroyed. Look at your wrists! He was on top of you! There are fucking teeth marks on your neck, for fuck’s sake!”
“It’s not what you think—”
“It’s exactly what I think.” His fists came again, finding fresh spots to hurt. “He was trying to rape you.”
“No, he wasn’t!”
“I can see with my own eyes, Nerida!” He kicked me again, his force turning sloppy with fatigue. “Don’t try to defend him. Never try to defend someone like him.”
“I called the station,” Anna shouted. “They’re on their way.” A glimpse of her legs came into view as Anna inched closer to Jack and said breathlessly, “That’s enough, Jack. He’s down. He’s not going anywhere. Let the police deal with him.”
Jack sucked in a snarl-sob, kicking me once more in the belly for good measure. “How could you, Aslan? How could you fucking do this to Neri? To us? After everything we’ve done for you?”
I tried to speak.
Blood trickled from my lips.
I tried to breathe.
Pain strangled my lungs.
Agony stole everything.
“Dad, listen to me!” Neri yelled.
Jack spun to face her, grabbing her by the elbows as my vision skipped in and out of focus. Shaking her, he glared at the fresh ligature marks on her wrists. “Did he tie you up? What did he do to you? Tell me. Tell me, and he’ll never touch another girl for as long as he lives.”
“It wasn’t him, Dad!”
“You expect me to believe you did this to yourself? Come on, Nerida! Your skin is welted. He did this—”
“It wasn’t him. He was trying to help me!”
“Help?” Jack laughed with dripping scorn. “Help? Fuck, I’ve been so blind.” Horror filled his tone. “How long has he been ‘helping’ you, little fish?” Tears scratched his throat. “Is that why you’ve been so off these past few weeks? Did something happen when you went on The Fluke together?” He shook her hard. “Tell me! Stop fucking protecting him and tell me—”
“It wasn’t him who raped me!” Neri yelled. “I-It wasn’t him!”
Silence tumbled like snow all around us.
“What...what do you mean...it wasn’t him...” Anna choked. “Did someone else...? Neri?”
Neri’s quiet sobbed filled the room. “It wasn’t Aslan. Okay.”
The overwhelming pain faded just enough for me to uncurl from my spot on the floor and look up. Blood poured from a cut on my temple, blinding me in one eye. I caught Neri’s water-streaming stare.
I saw her horror.
I witnessed her heart crack.
I knew why she’d tried to keep this secret.
To tell anyone else what Ethan had done only made it more real. To tell her parents that she’d been touched, defiled, abused...
She’d never be able to look at her parents again without them seeing her that way. She’d never be their strong daughter again. Never see their eternal pride and unconditional love without streaks of pity and sorrow.
I couldn’t let her lose that bond, that sense of happiness and home.
I couldn’t allow her to hurt herself for me.
“It was me,” I coughed, wincing and clutching at my probably-broken ribs. “I-I attacked her—”
“WHAT?” Neri exploded. She tried to run to me, but Jack lashed his arm around her middle. “That’s not true. You saved me. You’ve always saved me. Every damn day of my life since I was twelve, you’ve—”
“Groomed you and molested you. Right beneath our fucking noses,” Jack hissed. “I should never have let him into our house.” His stare burned like acid. “I should’ve reported you the moment we found you at sea.”
Sirens sounded in the distance, coming closer, closer.
“At least, I get to rectify that. At least you’ll get what you deserve.” Jack held Neri as she fought to get free.
“Dad. Don’t. Just listen to me!”
Fear drummed through my veins.
Fear that by manhandling his daughter, she’d regress. She’d won against me tonight. Our ridiculous role-play had returned her power that Ethan had stolen.
But if her father kept trapping her, I didn’t know what that would do.
“Jack...” I grunted around my wounds. “Let her go.”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do with my own flesh and blood, Aslan. Don’t you fucking dare!”
“Stop restraining her,” I coughed and spat blood into my palm, wiping it on my shorts so I didn’t stain Neri’s cream rug on the floor. “Just let her go.”
Sirens echoed so loud, screaming down the neighbourhood.
Fuck.
I needed to run, to hide.
If they catch me—
Grunting with agony, I pushed up to my knees. “Jack...I-I love your daughter. I always have—”
