Page 36 of Demise

“I made a mistake, an embarrassing one.”

“That’s all you ever do is make mistakes,” Christopher tuts. “Let’s hope that it will be the end of them, hmm?” he asks, none of us missing the threat in his tone.

Asher nods jerkily, which seems to satisfy Christopher because he turns his sights on Steph.

“Stephanie, now that you’re back in the States, we must get you matched. Trenton Richards is newly available. His poor wife lost her life a few months ago, pregnant with their son as well. I believe you were in the same year as him?”

“Yeah,” Stephanie answers. “He still knocking women around? What was his wife’s cause of death exactly?”

Christopher gives a forced smile, the façade cracking by the moment.

“I’ll be honest, I think all that time abroad has soiled your couth. It’s a good thing you’re home now and won’t be returning,” he says, his smile vanishing by the end of his sentence.

Steph gulps roughly but doesn’t speak as Christopher yet again switches targets. Lucky me, I think I’m next.

“So, Skyla. If it’s not too traumatic for you, I’d like to talk about what happened with Corwin.”

“I don’t think that’s nec—” Asher starts but is silenced with a bang of Christopher’s fist against the table.

“I don’t believe I addressed you,boy,” he spits.

Asher’s nostrils flare as he lowers his head. Unwanted images flash through my head, and I grimace before facing Christopher and nodding.

“What do you want to know?”

“What was his reasoning?” my father asks sharply.

“For taking me?” I ask.

He nods.

I shrug. “He said that I looked just like Mom. That they used to date—”

Christopher scoffs. “He wished.”

“And that me coming back was like a second chance,” I continue. “He told me that she started dating my father and then…you.”

My mouth opens to mention the whole ‘him saying my father is the one that killed her’ thing, but for some reason, I don’t. Call it nerves or preservation. I mean, who in their right mind would accuse someone of murder right in front of them with no evidence? Someone looking to disappear, that’s who.

“Anything else?” Christopher asks.

I scramble in my head, trying to come up with more to tell him.

“He was about to rape me,” I say, the words coming out sharp as a knife, an awkward hush falling over the room. “He was stripping me naked and was going to rape me and then dress me in my mother’s clothes when…Asher came in,” I say, altering the story. Based on how Christopher and Asher spoke, they made it sound like Asher was the one to find me, alone. Not Vincent or Liam or Wesley or even Ronan.

Christopher watches me closely, like he’s searching my face to sniff out the lies before he speaks.

“Well, I’m very sorry you had to endure that, and I’m glad that the son of a bitch is burning in hell.”

I nod but don’t say anything, my throat feeling suddenly hot and tight. I attempt to clear it but when that doesn’t work, I reach for some water, taking a small sip.

“Your mother and I were together. We shared her, together. Most bond brothers do, as you know,” he says, setting me on edge.

Asher looks to me, nodding.

“He knows about Liam.”

Liam. Just Liam.

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