Page 48 of Break

“Fuck you and fuck all of this shit! How can you stand there and let me go through this when there is a simple solution? I just need totalkto her.” He’s fuming. His face is turning red, and I can see the tendons bulging from his neck.

Is this the Danny that Mina has had to face for the last five years of her life? And what the fuck is this shit about her father?

Pointing at him with a piece of wood, I say, “You need to calm down. Think this through. If you want to talk afterwards, you know my number.”

He doesn’t say another word as he spins on his heel and storms out of my workshop, slamming the door behind him. I don’t move from my spot until I hear the engine of his car start, followed by the sound of gravel kicking up and hitting the garage as he peels out of my driveway.

I need to go inside and find out what the hell this woman went through before she ever said ‘I do’ to that monster.

Chapter 21

Paper

Ethan

When the front door opens and I only hear one set of footsteps, I let my body finally relax. I heard a car a few minutes ago, but I didn’t want to let my guard down until I knewfor surethat he was gone.

Max is seeing red as he walks past the door without looking at me. Once I hear his foot hit the bottom step to head upstairs, I’m up and circling the desk to follow. I don’t walk; I run up behind him, ready to stop him since I’m unsure what happened while he was talking to Danny. The last thing we need is a confrontation between him and Mina when she’s already feeling like an exposed nerve with Danny showing up unannounced.

“Max,” I whisper. He’s already reaching to grab the handle to the door of her room, and I put my hand on his wrist, stopping him. “What are you doing?”

When his gaze connects with mine, I’m taken aback by his tortured expression. He looks absolutely wrecked. His breaths are shallow, battling whatever war is raging inside of him. I furrow my brows in confusion, wondering what happened outside for him to have a reaction like this.

“Did you know her father abused her?” he chokes out and my head rears back in shock. My hand falls from him as I take a step back. He’s let go of the doorknob for the time being.

I run my hand over my chin before crossing my arms and widening my stance, processing his question. “Why do you think her father was abusing her? What did he say to you?”

Letting out a humorless laugh, he holds his arms out to the side like he has no idea how to handlemoreshit in her already fucked-up story. “Some fucked-up shit about how he saved her from her parents. They were strict, but he made sure to let me know that her dad was beating the shit out of her. Said that there’s no way we didn’t see it or hear it or some shit.”

I look to where I know Mina is sitting behind the door, worrying for what she’s had to endure at the hands of her parents.Christ, she was just a little thing back then. Why did she never say anything to us? Ask for help? We were right there almost every day.

“And you were going to what? Charge in there and confront her about it?” I press my finger to the space between my eyes to relieve some of the tension building there.

Max opens and then shuts his mouth. Watching him think over what he was intending to do would be comical if this wasn’t such a nightmare. Sighing, he looks at me helplessly. “I have no idea. I think I just needed to see that she was okay. Maybe?”

“So do that. Don’t press her about her parents right now. She just had a shock with her ex showing up unannounced. Timing is everything. It’s either your best friend or your worst enemy.”

His body relaxes, and he gives me a slight nod. “Alright. I’ll just… check on her. Let her know he’s gone.”

I move to stand behind him while he knocks on the door. We both wait silently for a moment, hearing nothing from inside the room. Max knocks one more time a little louder. He shoots me an unreadable look when she still doesn’t answer, then goes ahead and turns the knob.

As the door swings open, I see Mina in the middle of the room, surrounded by white. Her back is facing us while sitting cross-legged, hunched over to work on something in front of her. Quickly, I scan the space around her and try to understand what I’m seeing.

It’s a fucking town… of paper.

Her sling is balled up and resting next to her, I assume so she can use both hands to create the intricate buildings. There are buildings with windows, doors, steeples, and chimneys.How the fuck did she have time to make all this?

The ream of paper I gave her earlier this week is to her right, the pile of unused sheets running low. Making a mental note to grab her another one, I take a look at Max and see his face has gone slack. My elbow makes contact with his side, and it’s enough to jerk him out of his stupor.

Shaking his head, he takes a step forward into the room, giving me enough space to follow him in and step around to get closer and see her better.

“Mina,” Max calls out to her. I’m sure she heard us enter her room, but she doesn’t respond. Instead, she holds the piece she’s currently working on up closer to her face. With a pair of tweezers, she starts cinching the edges together to create the shape that she needs.

Moving further inside so I can see her profile, I watch her hands as she works on the paper structure. Her movements precise and delicate. She’s completely lost in her creation, oblivious to Max and me standing in her room.

“Mina,” Max repeats, louder this time. She startles at the sound of his voice, dropping the tweezers and knocking over a small building in the process. Her eyes flick up to us, and for a moment she looks bewildered, like she’s forgotten where she is.

“Danny’s gone,” Max tells her, his voice gentle. “You don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

---