Page 68 of A Little More Forgiveness

Was he lying too? Are they working together? The way Gabe reacted when he suspected we were lying to him had me hoping otherwise. However, the idea they might be made me feel sick to my stomach.

At least one, or possibly both, were playing games, and I’d be damned if I let them pull the wool over my eyes any longer.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Leo

Mitch was acting weird.

He’d been in the bedroom for over half an hour, and while he wasn’t prone to hiding away, the nagging voice in my mind informed me that’s exactly what he was doing.

A chill swept over me at the possibility he might have heard my call with Malcolm, and I hoped and prayed he hadn’t. I’d decided to bite the bullet and phone him to preempt the inevitable argument we were destined to have. Since discovering more about Mitch and the tragedies he’d suffered, I’d been extremely reluctant to continue with trying to make him sell.

Stuck here with ample time on my hands had allowed me to honestly assess my life and the choices I’d made. I’d continually strived to be the best at whatever I did, to prove to my family I was actually worth something. Being with Mitch and Gabe, reveling in how close we’d become, how much they’d increased my self-worth and confidence, had finally let me accept the truth I’d been avoiding my whole life: I’d allowed myself to be manipulated and abused to feel wanted, to earn tidbits of praise, or even love, when in reality they’d never loved me at all. More to the point, my stepfather continually used my weakness to emotionally blackmail and bully me into doing his dirty work for him.

“Is he still in there?” Gabe asked, returning to the living area.

“Yeah.”

He grunted. “I know he’s big, but surely there isn’t that much of him to wash?”

Normally I would have found his quip amusing, but not tonight.

He came around the sofa and sat down beside me, placing his hand on my thigh. I let the warmth of his touch penetrate, the heat he emitted making me notice how cold I was.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You think something’s up though?”

I nodded. “He might have heard me on the phone to my stepfather.”

“And?”

I let out a pained groan. “And, he might have heard me talking about my lack of progress getting him to sell.”

Gabe frowned. “What of it? You already told Mitch you weren’t going to pursue the matter.”

“Yes, but…” Having so recently accepted the reality of my shitty life, I didn’t want to have to admit the pitiful and sad truth.

“But?”

I steeled myself to lay out the full extent of my inadequacies, deciding to rip the bandage off as fast as possible, figuring if I word vomited quickly enough, I wouldn’t sound so pathetic. “I’m being emotionally blackmailed.” I flicked my gaze to him to gauge his reaction, embarrassment flooding my cheeks. “To force Mitch to sell.”

“By whom?” he asked, but I had feeling he’d already guessed exactly who it was.

I sighed, reluctant to give him his name.

“Leo,” he warned.

Curling my fingers into my palms I dug in hard, hoping the pain would numb the storm of emotions warring in my head. “Good ole dad,” I told him bitterly.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Fucking asshole.”

“I know, okay?” And, God, did I.

He rubbed his hand back and forth a few times on my thigh. “Speak to me.” His voice, calm and reassuring, held none of the derision I expected.

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