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Taking a deep breath, I shove down the words she wants to hear.
“I really haven’t told you anything about my childhood or life before you.”
Surprise registers in her expression. “No, you haven’t.”
Not knowing where to start, I dive deep. “I was born deaf. My mother loved me, but my father…” Hatred enters my heart. “He thought I was defective.”
“Defective?”
I point to my ears.
“That’s ridiculous,” she insists.
“I agree, but Craig Dunn was a hard man, and the fact that I was his son didn’t mean a damn thing to him.” Violet frowns but lowers her hands into her lap. “Anyway, they raised me in the Catholic faith, much like they were brought up. And they blindly followed the religion.”
“That’s called having faith,” she tells me. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Even when having that faith is at the expense of others?”
Violet sits back and scrunches her nose. “Well, I never really thought about it like that.”
I smile ruefully. “Most people don’t unless they’re forced to.”
“And you were forced to?”
“You could say that.”
“What happened?”
“A lot of the details aren’t my story to tell,” I reply honestly. If Malice wants anyone to know, he can divulge what Father Brine and Deacon Block did to him. As far as the rest… “When I was little, we joined a church, and some shit went down. It resulted in Soul and Malice joining the military while I remained behind and started taking all my anger out on sinners of the world.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I’ll get there. But first, a little more about my parents. Around age four, my father insisted I get hearing aids. I was fitted for them, but the first time I heard sound, it freaked me the hell out. It was beyond my understanding, my comprehension. So, my mom never made me wear them.”
“I’m guessing your dad wasn’t happy about that.”
“That’s putting it mildly. He became enraged and mean. Every awful thing he felt about me, he took out on her. And she stayed because the church taught her that she was supposed to. ‘Til death do us part, and all that.” Her eyes cloud over, and I cup her cheek for a moment before continuing. “I’m happy with our vows, Violet. But you need to know all of this to understand me.”
“Okay.”
“Anyway, I was so happy to get out of that house, even though the circumstances that forced that to happen were horrific. I spent my time purging, while my mom remained at the violent end of my father’s fists.”
“Purging, as in eating disorder?”
I chuckle and glance down at myself. “Do I look like I have an eating disorder?”
She smiles shyly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Not at all.”
“Purging, as in killing,” I admit, carefully watching her reaction.
Her eyes become saucers, and she darts her gaze toward the door. I grab her arm before she can bolt from the bed.
“I don’t even know you,” she cries, setting sparks of anger to ignite.
“Yes, you do. I’m the man who saved your life. I’m the man you married. I’m the fucking man you love!” I take a deep breath and school my features. “I’ve never claimed to be someone I’m not so don’t pretend I’ve misled you.”
“But you were never one hundred percent honest, were you?”
