Page 39 of Haunt Me

“Daddy dearest hates your guts. Turns out you’re not his daughter, just a result and evil reminder of when your mother was raped.”

My insides turn and bile starts rising in my throat.

“She never reported it and never told your father, and when he found out…man, was he upset.”

“You’re lying,” I state, tears now rolling over my cheeks.

“Nope, you can call him right now.” He says, pulling out his phone and throwing it on the counter. I stand frozen, watching him with widened eyes and wet cheeks. “All your ‘accidents’ growing up…you really think that’s all it was—accidents? No, sweetheart… it was your father’s way of trying to get rid of you.”

I feel the bile rise in my throat and I swear I’m about to pass out. My mind can’t even comprehend everything he is telling me.

“Now, let’s get back to why I’m here.” He begins, walking around the island, getting closer. “You really hurt me, Star, I know I had some temper issues, but getting me arrested…that was a bold move.” He says, coming to a standstill right in front of me, peering down at me but I refuse to look at him.

I know where this is going, this is always how it started. He would yell at me and freak out, but once he got calm, that’s when I got terrified. I try to feel for my phone, but then I’m reminded I’m still in my diner dress and my phone is in my bag on the counter.

Shit.

“I loved you, so much, but you didn’t give a shit about me, did you?” He says and I lift my eyes to him, tears still streaming down my face. “When I saw you again, I thought maybe we could fix things, but then I saw you withhim.” He gritted his teeth. “He forced you, didn’t he? He fucking took advantage of you.”

“No. Iwantedhim, every inch of him, he doesn’t treat me like shit and I will give myself to him over and over again. I will never want you, Zavier, get that through your head and leave before he shows up, and trust mewhen I say when he does, he will rip your insides from your body.” I spit, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

His eye twitches and he clenches his jaw, lowering his head so that his face is inches away from mine,

“Ifhe shows up.” A wicked grin forms on his lips before he continues, “Oh, and did I mention your father paid me to get rid of you?” My eyes widen, and my mouth goes dry.

“W-what?”

“Mhm…although I would’ve done it for free, he insisted and—I mean, how could I say no to that.” I feel my insides turn and my head starts to spin.

How could my father be so cruel?

Well, I guess he isn’t my father. He’s just as sick as Zavier. Now everything makes so much sense—why my mother never approved of me and why I was never good enough. I was just a reminder of a traumatic event in her life.

Staring up at him through teary eyes, my bottom lip quivering.

“We’re gonna have so much fun, Star.”

Chapter 23

Argent

Idecided to personallyvisit the homes of the nearest victims and speak with their families, hoping to gather any insights or thoughts about what may have happened to their daughters.

Before leaving, I requested Demitri to watch over Starlet’s place while I was away. I purposely chose not to inform her about my plans, as she remains oblivious to my activities. I intend to keep this a secret until I gather concrete evidence implicating Zavier in these numerous crimes.

I already spoke to two families and all of them agreed that there was something off about him.

No surprise there.

I pull up in front of a house, one of the latest victims. Stepping out of the car, I notice the yard hasn’t been kept for a while, clear evidence of neglect to the yard as well as the house.

Sighing, I walk up to the front door and knock a couple of times. Looking around the porch, I see a small wooden bench with three cream-colored cushions as well as a lot of dying plants in pots decorating the porch. The door opens and a short and fragile woman with ashy brown hair steps out. The aging clear on her face as wrinkles spread across her eyes and mouth.

“Yes?” Her voice barely audible, craning her neck to look up at me. “Good afternoon ma’am, I apologize for intruding but I would like to ask you a few questions about your daughter if you’re up to it.”

She takes a few seconds before opening the door fully, letting me in. She tells me everything about her daughter and every time she mentions her, her face lights up before it falls and sadness overtakes her.

“She had a bright future ahead of her, she wanted to be a neurosurgeon. That was until that boy came into her life.” She states, taking a sip of her black coffee.

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