Page 88 of Corrupt Obsession

At Isaac’s stern tone, Violet stirred. She turned, revealing a bloodless face and eyes so glassy and empty that Jesse looked away.

“Tell me this has nothing to do with Tucker,” Dad ordered.

“This has nothing to do with Tucker,” Violet parroted in a flat monotone.

Dad relaxed and glanced at Jesse. “You said you’d make it up to her.”

He cleared his dry throat. “I tried.”

Dad switched his gaze back to Violet. “That wasn’t good enough?”

Jesse tensed. “It’s not her fault. It’s mine,” he interjected swiftly.

Isaac’s focus didn’t waver from Violet. “I can’t recall the last time I heard you two argue, much less fight. What could Jesse have done to make you hold such a grudge?”

Jesse felt like his heart was being squeezed in a vice. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to fidget as he waited for Violet to respond, but she said nothing.

“Ephesians 4:26 says not to let the sun go down on your anger. You’ve let this go on for weeks,” Isaac said quietly. “The devil is always looking for an opportunity to come into a family and cause discord, to divide and conquer. There’s nothing Jesse could have done that can’t be forgiven.”

“Dad,”Jesse stressed, but Isaac ignored him and continued his lecture.

“Matthew 6:14 says if you forgive others, God will also forgive you. No one is perfect. Give Jesse grace, Vi, so one day someone will do the same for you.” Isaac paused a moment to let that sink in before he continued, “Jesse’s running to the church to pick up supplies for the work we’re doing on the McMillan’s house tomorrow. Go with him. Talk. Bury this once and for all. If you can’t resolve your issues, Mom and I will get involved, and we shouldn’t have to. You two are adults now. Act like it.” Isaac jerked his chin. “Go change, Vi. Jesse’s leaving in five minutes.”

When Violet didn’t move to obey Isaac’s order, the tension in the room thickened. Jesse sensed Violet wrestling with herself.His heart thudded in his ears as he waited for her to break her silence and condemn him. Isaac scooted to the edge of his seat, clearly ready to deal with this on his feet, but before he could, Violet abruptly turned on her heel and disappeared down the hallway.

As Mom watched her go with a concerned expression, Isaac’s hard gaze cut to Jesse.

“You’re always trying to protect her.” Isaac held up a hand to stop his protest. “I know my daughter better than anyone. She’s strong-willed, impulsive, and has a nose for trouble. Ever since Tucker, she’s changed, and not for the better. She needs accountability. What’s going to happen when you’re not around to save her?”

He opened his mouth to crush Isaac’s illusions about him and instead heard himself say, “I love her.”

“I know you do.” Isaac sighed as he leaned back in his recliner. “You’d do anything for her. She knows it and takes advantage.”

Isaac was an honorable, hard-working, practical man, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was blind. Because he embodied everything Isaac had always wanted in a son, Isaac couldn’t see his faults. On the flip side, when it came to Violet, Isaac discounted her good qualities and instead focused on the bad ones that reminded him of his first love that he’d never forgiven. How many times over the years had he defended Violet against a father, who was too hard on her and had never given her the grace he expected of her?

What would Isaac say if he confessed what he’d done? Isaac assumed because he loved Violet that he was incapable of truly harming her. He believed the same until she scorned his love and destroyed his illusions of a future together. He could set the record straight and clear her name. He steeled himself, but before he could speak, Violet reappeared.

She was dressed in black pants, a t-shirt, a light jacket, and a hat pulled low over her eyes. She didn’t say a word as she crossed the living room to where he stood by the front door. He opened it for her. As Violet trotted down the steps, he looked back. Isaac had gone back to watching TV, but Mom’s eyes were on him.

His mother was a glass half full, eternal optimist who believed that good would always prevail. She had a kind heart. He’d always thought of his mother as being somewhat naive, but as their eyes met, he realized the rose-colored glasses were missing and she looked… disturbed. Unlike Isaac, Mom wasn’t blind. She may love him more than life itself, but she also loved Violet with the same ferocity and, unlike Isaac, she would believe Violet in a heartbeat. He flashed her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before he turned away, his stomach in knots.

It wasn’t until he unlocked the truck that it struck him. He stared through the window at Violet, who stood on the opposite side. They hadn’t ridden in this vehicle since that day. They couldn’t switch to the SUV because he needed the truck bed for the paint cans and lumber he had to pick up. He blew out a breath before he pulled the door open. Automatically, his eyes scanned the interior, even though he’d thoroughly cleaned it. He turned the key in the ignition and waited.

It took Violet several minutes to open the door, and a few more before she actually got in. As she settled beside him, he sensed her reluctance, resentment, and the smallest trace of fear. He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t known he was capable of what he’d done in that field.

They rode in absolute silence. Despite Dad’s decree that they sort this out, Violet didn’t try. Both of them knew nothing could fix this.

He slumped in his seat and tilted his head back while keeping his eyes on the road. Violet was right beside him, but her presence was so faint, it was almost like she wasn’t thereat all. She’d become a wraith, drifting through life, lost in her head. Even though she loathed him, the urge to reach out and touch her, to bridge the distance between them, was a gnawing, dragging compulsion that made him tighten his hold on the steering wheel.

He hadn’t touched her since the day they visited the bluebonnet field. Not even a stray brush of his fingers while passing her a plate at dinner. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking more, and he’d taken enough.

You think if it felt so good, if we were meant to be, that I would spend an hour scrubbing my body every time you touch me and still never feel clean?

The memory of her voice, filled with venom and revulsion, tore through him like shrapnel, reopening wounds that hadn’t even begun to heal. He wholeheartedly believed Violet loved him and, at some point, would surrender to what was between them. It never occurred to him that their bond could fracture beyond repair or that, one day, she would look through him as if he wasn’t there.

How had he misjudged her feelings for him so badly? Had he imagined her eyes following him months before she gave herself to him? Had he convinced himself she desired him when she didn’t? He straightened and raked his hand through his hair as he shifted restlessly in his seat. No. It hadn’t been all in his head.Shekissedhim, which tipped their relationship into the physical realm. And before the reality of their circumstances tainted what they had, Violet had given herself freely, eager to experience any and everything he could offer her. The memories of her initiation and the handful of days where they experimented to their heart’s content reassured him that it wasn’t all in his mind, even as it tormented him with what was forever out of his reach.

When their bodies writhed together and the crap from the outside world faded away, what bloomed between them was sospecial, he vowed he would do whatever it took to keep it. So, he’d ignored her struggles, denials, and breakdowns. Ignored her babbling about all the reasons why they couldn’t be together. He tried to give her time and space to come to terms with what was between them, but the more he had of her, the more his appetite increased. The fact that her body wept for him, and she clung so tight in the throes, yet repeatedly rejected him, drove him insane. He assumed the constant imprinting on her body would overcome her reservations. He’d believed that in the end, love would conquer all.

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