Page 46 of The Lonely Hearts Guide

Alexander snorted a laugh. “Well, you made it into the pool again, at least.” He was teasing Elliot, and it made him a bit uncomfortable, because what if Elliot didn’t like being teased? What if being the brunt of the joke was triggering for him, thanks to his homelife with Jared Price? Alexander opened his mouth to apologize, but Elliot cut him off by rearing back his palms, then shoving them forward against the surface, splashing Alexander’s face.

Elliot sprung forward, driving Alexander’s back against the cement ledge. He winced at the burning sensation of friction, but he pushed past the sting and focused on the man in front of him. Elliot’s legs wrapped around Alexander’s waist, and he hooked his arms around Alexander’s back.

“What was it we needed to talk about? You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

Alexander shook his head. “It’s about what comes next. If we’re going to do this, I think our best bet is lying low for a while. I called my mom and asked her to contact my assistant back home. I’m worried if we stay until the end of the cruise, Jared will be waiting for us when we dock. If you’re serious about this thing between us, we need to act. Tonight.” He could sense the confusion in Elliot’s expression, and he opened his mouth to explain how he chartered a helicopter to collect them and take them back to land. From there, they would need to find somewhere to hide out until Alexander’s lawyers could find some sort of loophole that would free Elliot, or, at the very least, transfer ownership to Alexander. He didn’t have a chance to voice any of that, because Elliot stared down at the water in horror. Alexander looked down, surprised to see swirls of red liquid twirling with the blue water.

Elliot reached behind Alexander and touched his back, the sharp sting of pain making Alexander cry out.

“Sorry!” Elliot shouted. “Alexander, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you. I think you may have scraped your back on the concrete.” Tears flooded Elliot’s eyes. “I’ve hurt you.”

Alexander shook his head firmly, trying to mask the pain in his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I’m fine, Elliot. I promise. It’s just a scrape.”

Elliot’s legs unfolded from around Alexander, and he sank to his feet in the water. He waded around, pausing behind Alexander and assessing the damage. “You have a small cut, but I don’t believe it’s a major medical crisis. Still, I’m terribly sorry. I would never want to hurt you.” He placed his hand on Alexander’s shoulder.

“I know you wouldn’t ever want to hurt me. Baby, I’m okay, I promise.” Elliot’s eyes were locked on a swirl of red and blue, and he didn’t react to Alexander’s statement, so Alexander repeated, “I’m okay, Elliot.”

Still, Elliot said nothing, just stared at the blood in the water like he was waiting for sharks to approach. Then Elliot’s entire body tensed, and he shook his head.

“No, no, no, no,” he said over and over, his head shaking left to right, then right to left.

“Sweetheart?”

“Oh, God.” He covered his hand and backed away slowly, his cheeks drained of color as sparks of yellow light flickered in his eyes. “What have I done?”

“Baby,” Alexander said, taking a step forward.

“So much blood,” he whispered to himself. “There was so much blood, and I couldn’t get it clean. Couldn’t get my hands clean. I tried.” He closed his eyes, and as tears spilled down his cheeks, Alexander pulled him in for a hug. “I didn’t mean to do it. At least, I don’t think I did. Alexander?” His voice was a high-pitched whine as the words left him, and it felt like the words were accented with pure terror. Alexander didn’t understand what was happening. They were sharing such a wonderful moment.

“I’m not bleeding that much. I swear, I’m okay.”

“Not you,” Elliot whispered. “I . . . Alexander, I think I may have killed Jared Price.”

My darling, Elliot. If you think the only thing you need to worry about is your child’s behavior at home, you couldn’t be more mistaken if you tried. A child’s behavior is a reflection of one’s parenting abilities. Should your child ever act like an uncivilized lunatic, I would beg you to search inside yourself to find where you went wrong. Did you give kind words when you should have given a spanking? Have you become a pushover in your own home? Fear not, dear boy. That’s what Mother is here for.

Social etiquette is something we should all strive to follow. While in public, your child’s role is to be seen, not heard. This can be taught easily enough with mouth washings. Simply squeeze vast quantities of dishwashing detergent into their mouths and make them keep it there for sixty seconds. You can add or subtract fifteen-second increments depending on the severity of their poor behavior.

A simple infraction which might only require a fifteen-second cleansing period would be if your child refused to hug the distant relatives of family friends. They can cry about bodily autonomy all they want, but touch aversion is something that should be nipped in the bud. You wouldn’t want your child to be seen as a societal menace, would you?

Thirty-to-forty-five-second warnings should be applied to medium level offenses such as backtalk and sass.

For all-out temper tantrums, Mother would suggest a full minute. If your child is lying on the ground, flailing their arms and legs as they scream at the top of their lungs because you refused to buy them candy at the supermarket, I would suggest you promptly purchase a small container of dish soap, carry them to the public restroom—remember, public discipline is generally frowned upon, as it makes you seem like you’re unfit to properly raise a child—and empty its contents directly into their mouth. To really drive the point home, you may even want to have them gargle the soap.

Though child rearing can be a stressful, confusing time in your life, what’s not confusing is Mother’s love for you, my precious boy.

I love you with my whole heart.

Elliot was unwell. His hands twitched and nervous yellow light flickered in his eyes. Alexander’s hand was tight around his waist, holding them together as Elliot broke to pieces in his arms.

The memory had been so vivid. All of the scattered mental images were finally stitched together to display the most disastrous of tapestries. It was as if Elliot had been an solid, secure dam before, but the sight of Alexander’s blood mingling with blue water caused the dam to break.

The fight he had with Jared Price.

The blows that felt like earthquakes each time Jared’s fist connected.

The vicious shade of crimson Elliot saw when Jared balled his hand into a fist and reared back his hand, preparing an uppercut Elliot could only assume was meant for his tummy. The next thing Elliot knew, he was rushing forward with a framed photograph in his hand. It was an old picture Jared forced him to take. In it, they pretended to be a happy couple. In it, Elliot hid away his secret hurt. And, in it, Jared Price’s hand wasn’t visible, but Elliot could see the waves of black lights in his own eyes, indicating pain. Elliot didn’t need to see his hand to know what Jared was doing. It was the same thing he always did when he wanted to harm Elliot without causing a scene. He was pinching Elliot’s back as hard as he could. Fitting, really, that an image depicting his abuse would also be the method of Jared’s demise.

Elliot hadn’t cried at the sound of Jared’s pained screams. He hadn’t batted an eye as broken glass sliced through skin. Elliot didn’t even blink when Jared lifted his hand in a final plea for mercy. Elliot simply sat there, taking Jared’s hand and holding it kindly, allowing him to slowly slip away. He could have contacted emergency services, but Elliot had no mercy left to give. He knew for a fact if he were to render aid, Jared would unleash his rage once he healed. Elliot also knew Jared wouldn’t contain his rage to Elliot after their child was born. Elliot had been holding out hope Jared’s temper would even out, if not for Elliot’s sake, at least for their child’s.

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