Page 124 of My Vows Are Sealed

“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts,” I sniffled.

“Sorry,” they sighed, dropping a kiss on my head.

A knock sounded on the wall, and I looked up to see a man and woman who looked about Peter and Marie’s ages walking into the room. They were both wearing badges around their necks, so I figured they were probably the detectives I was told were on the way.

“Hi. Darla?” the woman said.

“Yeah,” I sniffed.

“I’m Detective Michele. This is my partner, Detective King,” she told me. “You up to answering some questions?”

I nodded. “Sure. Can my friends stay with me?”

“I’m sorry, but we need to speak with you alone to get your statement,” Detective King said, giving me a sad smile.

“Um, detectives, I need to speak to someone too. It’s about the person who did this to her. He…he hurt me too,” Ethan said, his voice shaking a little.

Detective King’s eyes widened a little as he looked at me, then at Detective Michele.

“Is it okay if it’s just us girls, Darla?” Detective Michele asked.

I nodded.

“Okay. I’ve got this, Gil,” she said, looking at her partner. “You can talk to him.”

“Come with me, son,” Detective King said, leading Ethan toward the door. “We’ll find somewhere quiet.”

Kate gave me another hug. “You’ve got this, hon. We’ll all be right outside if you need us, okay?”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

Kate, Ashton, and Alex walked out of the room, standing right next to the entrance, and Detective Michele went and pulled the door shut before coming back to the bedside.

“Okay, Darla, can you tell me what happened today?”

Even though I’d told my story to Brendan and my friends before, this was so much different. This time, there was a chance that my father could finally be held accountable for his actions. My injuries were testament that something had happened to me today, but today was just the culmination of almost eighteen years’ worth of terror and abuse. And she needed to know about all of it.

“This might take a while,” I sighed. “It’s not just what happened today. It’s what’s been happening for my whole life.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got all the time in the world,” she told me.

So I took a deep breath for strength, and then I started at the beginning.

Chapter 33

Brendan

The Last Night

It felt like I’d been waiting for days when Saul finally came back into the room and handed me the manila envelope with my phone, wallet, and keys in it.

“Okay, Brendan, you’re free to go. The detectives handling this case might have some more questions for you, but I get the feeling you’re not leaving Darla’s side anyway,” he said, giving me half a smile.

I sighed in relief, and a few more tears leaked out of my eyes. Finally. I could finally get to where I belonged: right by Darla’s side. And that was where I’d stay for the rest of my life. I refused toeverspend a single night without her again.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry this happened,” he said for what felt like the hundredth time.

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