Page 70 of 10 Days to Ruin

She boops his nose three times, once for every word. “All. The. Time.”

“Mom! That tickles!”

She scoops her child up again. “How about we go get some ice cream?”

“Really?!”

“Why not? We can call Tetya Zoya?—”

“Not a fucking chance.”

The mother freezes. The child in her arms does, too. “Yakov. You’re home early.”

“Clearly not a moment too soon.” The man who spoke—a big, burly beast with a shaved head and an undertaker’s black suit—strides up to the pair, temperatures plummeting in his wake. “What did I say about turning my son into a pussy? Into assyklo?Huh?”

“It’s just ice cream.” The mother’s voice, so happy moments before, now trembles. “If you don’t want him to have it, then fine, but?—”

SLAP.

“MOMMY!”

The woman holds her cheek. Redness spreads, but she catches herself from falling. The child isn’t mature enough to realize why—that his mother can’t afford to fall. Not with him in her arms.

The man sneers. “‘Mommy’ this, ‘Mommy’ that. Did I sire a fucking daughter? Are you going to start wearing skirts now, boy?”

“Leave him alone. He’s done nothing wrong.”

“No, you’re right.Youhave.”

Another slap, this time across the other cheek. The woman’s head snaps to the side.

“STOP!” the boy screams, his face tear-streaked now. “STOP HURTING HER!”

“So weak,” the man spits in disgust. “Look at you. You’re no son of mine.”

Staggering, the woman sets her child down.

“Honey,” she whispers, trying to keep her voice steady, “can you go play in your room for me?”

“No! I’m not leaving!”

“You have to.” The boy stomps again, but the mother reaches out to soothe him. She strokes his hair, slow and sweet, and that finally seems to work. “Trust your mommy, okay? I won’t be long. I’ll join you.”

“But—”

“Please.” Her eyes are shining now. “For me.”

The boy can’t say no to that.

Slowly, he trudges away, sparing a single glare for the man who dared raise a hand to his mother.

Right now, he is too weak to do anything about it.

One day, he will make him pay.

At the age of nine, the child hasn’t become strong yet.

But his father is impatient. He is cold, and rage, and everything his mother isn’t. He claims he wants an heir worth his salt, and the boy is trying, he swears he is, but it’s so hard when he doesn’t even know what that means.

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