Page 135 of The Sea Witch's Son

I can feel Melody’s stare as I tip my glass and pour straight into my mouth.

He never looked back.

Chapter 47

MELODY

Marlin’s bedroom is the creepiest part of the house.

A California king bed sits in the centre of the room, it’s sheets so fine I can practically taste the cost from here. A large mirror and walk-in closet are to the left of the ensuite bathroom that boasts the same dark purple paint as the rest of the bedroom.

It’s easily the size of our entire ground floor. And yet, the bare walls and sparse shelf space has unease creeping over my skin.

“Where is all your stuff?”

Scanning the nightstand next to his bed, the only thing that looks remotely personal is a puzzle book sitting on top the stack of textbooks.

I frown, looking from the dog-eared paperback to the man disappearing inside the walk-in closet.

“This is it.”

I follow the echo of his voice and peek inside an abnormally large closet. Rows of dress shirts and dress pants are meticulously hung from hangers while an entire wall is dedicated to his shoes. Everything is organized by colour, from the box of ties to the box of spare shoelaces.

It’s everything I was expecting his closet to look like, except it feels...

Empty. Achingly lonely.

There isn’t a splash of personality among any of the fine clothing hanging around me. Just rows and rows of expensive suits that look like something you would find at a high-end shopping mall.

“Don’t you have any hobbies?”

“I have many hobbies.” Marlin doesn’t look at me as he unbuttons his shirt, “None of them happen to be materialistic.”

I don’t say anything as I watch him pull off his shirt. His unforgiving back muscles flex with the movement, the sharp lighting of the closet drawing my attention to faded marks covering his lower back.

“Is your mother always like that?”

“No. She was much more charming tonight.” He chuckles softly, “When she gets in one of her moods, not many survive the night.”

Closing the distance between us, I reach out and touch the jagged lines etched along his skin.

“I meant, does she always treat you like that?”

His muscles tense beneath my touch. Any sense of amusement drains from his body as I lightly graze the bumpy ridge of his stretch marks.

Up close, they’re hideous. Long strips of warped tissue that bear a sickening purple colour. It is the only part of Marlin’s body that falls beyond the realm of perfection, and I find myself wishing there were more.

More evidence of the little boy he once was.

“These must have hurt.” Pressing my lips against his stretch marks, I kiss the skin that never got the chance to heal, “I’ve never seen them before.”

“That’s because I am usually the one behind you.”

I ignore the taunt, “You probably made up some terrible story of how you got them.”

“I told the kids at school the Sea Witch was fond of her belt collection. Liked to test out her new leather on my back.”

A small laugh escapes me, “Did anyone believe you?”

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