Page 117 of Silent Betrayal

Hoping he will take me to a town, I ask, “I’m cold, and hungry. Can we go get some food?”

He turns his head to look down at me. His eyes are blank, I see no emotion there and that scares me more than anything. “Daddy?” I ask, licking my parched lips and swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Oh, honey. You shouldn’t have done that,” he says calmly. Outwardly I try not to show any emotion, but inside, I’m freaking out.

“D-do what?” I stutter.

“I’m not an idiot, Mina. I know you started that fire. I thought you were supposed to be my good little angel?” He turns his body towards me and I manage to pull my hand from his, stepping backwards as I look at him in fear.

“It’s those boys, they’ve corrupted you, haven’t they?” His tone grows angry as he follows me, step for step.

“I—”

“They’ve taken my perfect, sweet baby and turned her into an arsenic whore!” He yells the last two words just as I step back against a tree. “I’ll teach them to touch what doesn’t belong to them!”

“Daddy, you’re scaring me,” I say, hoping to calm him down.

“Don’t worry, daddy will take care of those bad men, then we can finally be free of their influence. I’ll teach you how to be my perfect little girl again. It’s not your fault they tainted you.”

“What do you mean, you’ll take care of them?” I ask, a knot of worry growing in my chest.

“Come on,” he grabs my arm and drags me towards the car, when he starts heading towards the trunk, I start to resist.

“No! I don’t want to go in there again!” I yell, trying to pry his fingers from my arm.

“You’re just going to take a little nap, and when you wake up, they’ll be gone, and this will all be over.”

“You’re—You’re gonna kill them?!” I ask, my wide eyes meeting his.

“I’ll make it quick, for you.”

A rage I have never felt before boils up inside me, giving me the strength to rip my arm free from his grasp and I shove him hard enough to make him move back a few steps. He stares at me with surprised eyes, and even though I know I should run, I don’t.

Instead, I point a finger at him as I seethe. “How dare you threaten the men I love!”

“Love?” he scoffs. “They don’t love you.”

“No!You’rethe one who doesn’t love me! This….” I throw my hand out to indicate the burning cabin beside us, “and this…” I point to the open trunk of the car. “Is NOT love. It’s psychotic. You are a MURDERER. Andthosemen love me unconditionally. Whether I listen to them or not. They don’t transport me in the trunk of a car or chain me to the floor. They let me make my own choices and decisions. They offer me support and guidance. They might be a little obsessive and possessive, but they would not stifle me or keep me locked up. Becausethat’swhat love is,Paul.”

I drag his name out slowly and watch the anger take over his face. Whether it was my whole speech or me using his first name that did it, all I know is that I’ve never seen him look this angry before.

At the same time he reaches for me, I run… straight into the trees.

“Get back here! MINA! Do you hear me?!” he yells behind me. His feet pound the ground behind me and I wonder when he had a chance to put shoes on, I definitely didn’t. An oversight I’m only just now realizing. The metal cuff digs into my skin with each step, but I don’t stop. I have no idea how far we are from anyone else, but I’d rather take my chance in the forest.

A loud bang sounds at the same time the tree I’m passing explodes from the impact of a bullet.

“STOP or I’ll shoot you!” he yells and I freeze. Did he sleep with a gun in his pocket or something? I raise my hands and slowly turn around. He’s only a few steps behind me, panting heavily as he glares at me.

He speaks in an eerily calm tone. “I see we have a lot of work to do. Little girls shouldn’t yell at their daddy, and they definitely shouldn’t run away from them. Who knows what sort of dangers there are out here?”

He’s deranged. He can’t possibly think I’ll ever be the meek little six year old he’s desperately clinging to.

He motions with his head back towards the cabin. “Let’s go.”

I pass him and he follows behind, pressing the gun between my shoulder blades as we slowly walk back to the car and the still burning cabin.

As we step out of the trees, the distinct sound of tires on gravel catches my attention and I look past Paul’s car where a large vehicle is pulling up, with its headlights off. My eyes widen, recognizing the guy’s SUV. My heart leaps in my chest at the sight.They found me!

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