Page 75 of Corrupt Obsession

When he hesitated, her eyes welled with tears.

Pity made him say, “Yes.”

Even as her face lit with relief, he knew he wouldn’t keep his promise.

Chapter 15

VIOLET

2 MONTHS LATER

Violet layon the couch in the living room with Mom and Dad, who sat in their individual recliners. Mom graded papers while Dad watched TV and switched from the news to sports and then an old, black and white sitcom.

“Isaac!” Mom said, exasperated. “Stop changing the channel. What about Violet?”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” Violet murmured.

And she wasn’t watching anyway. When she was a child and had bad dreams or wasn’t feeling good, she would sneak into Dad’s bedroom and sleep on the floor. Just being near him banished the boogie man and made her feel better. At seventeen, she was hoping their presence would have the same magical effect, but the feeling of safety and comfort she was seeking eluded her.

She tensed when she heard a key turn in the front door.

“Hey,” Jesse said as he entered with his backpack, gym bag, and a sweater slung over one shoulder.

“There he is!” Mom said fondly. “How was basketball practice, son?”

“Long.” Jesse placed a kiss on top of Mom’s head. “I’m starved.”

“You should get cleaned up first. If you hurry, the food on the stove will still be hot.”

Mom laughed as Jesse ran down the hallway to his room to shower.

“That saying about the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is true, isn’t it, Isaac?”

“Yup,” Dad said distractedly.

“What meal did I make that made you fall in love with me?” Mom asked.

“Hot honey chicken cutlets.”

Mom grinned when she saw Violet watching her. “You’re set, honey. You already know that recipe by heart.”

“She isn’t dating this year,” Dad said as he changed the channel.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean she can’t keep an eye out for the one,” Mom said with a wink.

Violet gave Lynne a weak smile before she returned her attention to the TV. She wasn’t looking for the one and if she stumbled upon him, and he turned out to be as perfect as she’d always imagined, she’d tell him to find someone else. Someone who could give him what he was looking for. She had nothing to offer. The good qualities she’d once possessed had been wrecked beyond repair.

Her hand fisted under the pillow. Jesse hadn’t kept his promise to keep sex out of their relationship. He hadn’t even tried. Dad made her easy prey by not allowing her to attend after school programs, go out on weekends, and made Jesse her only option to commute to and from school. She was basically a prisoner, and Jesse took full advantage.

He was relentless in his demands, yet nauseatingly gentle as he pillaged and plundered. He took every opportunity towring unwanted orgasms from her and comforted her when self-loathing got the best of her, and she burst into tears. Sometimes, when he felt a lick of remorse, he made promises that he couldn’t keep for more than a few days. It was a hellish cycle of hope and then crushing disappointment.

His sheer brazenness astounded her. He ambushed her in the most unlikely places. School wasn’t a safe zone. At any moment, she could be propelled into an empty computer lab or hustled under the bleachers so he could have his way with her. The only time she was truly out of his reach was in class, where she’d dozed off a few times. The stress was taking a toll on her. Her grades were starting a downward trajectory that she needed to get hold of before her parents saw her report card.

Jesse had easily worked his way back into their parents’ good graces by utilizing the skills he picked up from the general contractor to fix things around the house. Little did Mom and Dad know, he was repairing the holes he’d made in his bedroom and covered everything up with a fresh coat of paint. Violet couldn’t deny she’d been relieved when he got rid of the last reminder from the day he took her virginity.

She was so on hypervigilant, she sensed Jesse enter the room seconds before he spoke.

“Hey, Mom, how’s Raiden doing?” Jesse called.

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