AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mackenzie gasps, and I drift back to reality. Her pale, shocked face stares at me in horror. “Oh, God, Chase. I’m so damn sorry. But it’s not your fault. Your fatherrapedher.”
“But I didn’t protect her from him, Kenz.” Guilt curdles inside my stomach like sour milk. My thoughts are full of self-loathing. “It gets worse, though.”
Guilt consumes me, turning my stomach into a pool of acid. Sucking in a deep breath, I muster all the courage I have inside me, determined to finish my story.
27
CHASE
My courage slips as I stare into Mackenzie’s beautiful face. She’s endured so much since we’ve been in this hellhole.How can I burden her further with stories of my ugly past?
She sees the doubts swirling in my eyes. Her hand grips my arm, squeezing gently. “Please, Chase. I wanna know.”
“Why? It’s gonna burden you even more than being in this hellhole.”
She exhales a breath, her small form trembling. She moves even closer to me, seeking warmth. Wrapping my arms around her, I inhale her scent. Though it’s different because of the soap and ointments, it’s stillher. “It may sound weird, but… It helps. Hearing about what you endured… It gives me hope.”
I raise my brows, staring at her like she’s lost her mind. “Hope?”
“I know it may not make sense but being here…” She gestures at the dimly lit attic. I wrap the blanket tighter against her thin frame as the wind blows through the drafty windows. “You were young, enduring something horrific. It could’ve changed you. Made you into someone hard and unfeeling instead of the warm and caring man you are. You could’ve gone down the same path as your dad, but you didn’t. Even though I didn’t know you then, I know you now, and you’re damn incredible.”
I stare at her, baffled, before my body relaxes and a dizzying feeling courses through me. The smile that stretches across my lips probably makes me look crazy, but I don’t care.
“I’m damn incredible, huh?” My voice is low and husky. Her words have affected me on a level I don’t fully comprehend because I’ve never experienced these feelings before.
She nods, no hesitation whatsoever when she says, “Yes, you are.”
We stare at one another, our bodies so close her heart pounds in unison with mine. Her pulse beats rapidly against her neck.
God, I wanna kiss her so bad.
We lean in, our lips nearly touching, but the moment is interrupted by the loud rumbling in her stomach. It reminds me of the many times I heard my sister’s stomach growling.
The moment is lost as I pull back, my past swirling inside my head.
Mackenzie sees it on my face because she gently squeezes my hand. “I’m here, Chase. Tell me what happened. I promise I won’t judge.”
I didn’t work for Matt for a week after I was discharged from the hospital. He had no idea what my father did to me and that I’d been hospitalized. I wanted to keep it that way. Although we needed the money, if I would have worked for him, my injuries would have given it away. Instead, I told him I was sick with the flu and would return once I was well.
When I returned to work the next Saturday, there was a somber mood in the air. Matt told me Stacey’s mom was diagnosed with cancer, so Matt and Stacey were going to fly out on Monday and would be gone for two weeks. I had money saved, so I wasn’t worried about it.
For those two weeks Matt and Stacey were away, my dad didn’t go near Elsie. Even though he kicked my ass, I think he knew I was prepared to kill him if he came after her while I was around.
My sister was different, though. I knew the assault would impact her, but I didn’t expect it to completely change her. She was moody and withdrawn. I tried to get her to talk to an adult—the school nurse, the guidance counselor, or a teacher. She promised she would but didn’t. I hated seeing her like that, and I vowed to find a way to get her out of there and away from my father.
When the Hammonds returned, I worked as many hours as Matt allowed, saving as much money as I could.
But the surprises kept coming.
Matt and Stacey decided to move to California to help Stacey’s mom since her cancer was worse than they thought, and they weren’t sure how much time she had left.
Although I was disappointed as hell, I didn’t blame them. Hell, I even helped them pack for the move since that was more money I could earn. I was sixteen years old and had more options for jobs, but never considered finding anything else because the Hammonds paid well, were flexible with my hours, and were people I liked and respected.
I stood in the driveway, waving goodbye, sadness enveloping me. Elsie had caught a stomach bug and was too ill to be there to say goodbye to them, so I was despondent when they left.
When I arrived home after the Hammonds departed for California, an eerie silence filled the mobile home. I called my sister’s name, but there was no answer. Racing back to her room, I found her lying on the bathroom floor by the toilet, a note in her hand. I grabbed the note, shoving it inside my pocket, before I fell to my knees. Judging from the pallor and coldness of her skin, I knew she was dead, but still, I tried to save her.
I frantically dialed 9-1-1, not realizing my father had come home and was standing behind me. He knocked the phone out of my hand before telling me to give up on my worthless slut of a sister.
