Page 14 of Thorns of Malice

"Shh, Ivy, that was a long time ago. You didn't ruin your father's life."

"I killed him!" I cry out, admitting what's been running through my mind the last week but never saying it aloud.

Jaxon holds me tighter. "Stop it, Ivy. You did no such thing."

"I did. I didn't obey him. And then everything he worked for... They took it! They took it, and he saw it, and that's why he had his heart attack," I admit, sobbing harder.

Jaxon holds me tighter. "Ivy, I don't know what you're talking about, but you didn't do anything."

"I did. I did. They took it. They took everything."

Jaxon shushes me. "Shh. You're hysterical right now. Calm down and tell me what you're talking about. What did they take?"

I break down, wailing so much my knees give out, emotions overwhelming me. The sorrow, the grief, the guilt, all of it hits me harder than ever before.

Jaxon somehow leads me through the kitchen and to the couch. He tugs me onto his lap, and I continue wailing.

I don't know how long my hysteria lasts. I finally calm, barely able to breathe.

"Take deep breaths," Jaxon instructs, then practices breathing with me until I'm finally just sniffling.

My face, dress, and his shirt are covered in tears.

I wipe my cheek and stare at the mascara on my hand.

"Ivy, I want you to stay calm. Okay?"

I look at Jaxon through blurry eyes.

He asks, "Why would you say you killed your father? You didn't have anything to do with it. He had a heart attack."

I nod, insisting, "I did. If they hadn't stolen from him..."

"Who stole from him?"

"Theydid."

"Who'sthey?" Jaxon asks.

In our meetings, I only used D for Dax. Avery was A. Bobby was B. Lilly was L. Marcey was M, and Cindy was C. I never used their real first or last names. I didn't even tell them it actually happened in Connecticut. I told them it happened in Rhode Island. I don't know why I lied about that detail as well. Perhaps I was afraid that saying their names out loud would somehow bring them back into my life. I don't know. But that's how I told my story.

Jaxon strokes my hair, firmly asserting, "I want to know who you're talking about."

"The people I talked about in the meetings. The ones who destroyed us—destroyed me and my father. They stole from him, and he learned about it. That's what was on TV when he was having his heart attack, and I saw the patent paperwork in his notebook. They stole his hybrid."

Jaxon's eyes widen. "Ivy, who are they?"

I turned my head, squeezing my eyes shut.

Dax's face appears in my mind, first when we were younger and then how he looked on TV. All the feelings I've ever had for him swirl faster inside me, then Avery's face appears.

I curse myself for being so stupid to have trusted them. I shouldn't have thought they would accept me. I should have listened to my father, who knew they weren't good.

Well, he knew Dax wasn't. Avery also had him fooled, which is another thing he used to beat himself up about.

Jaxon demands, "Tell me. Who are they?"

I can't say their names. I don't know why I can't say their names, but I can't. So I reply, "Can I see your phone?"

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