Page 116 of Injustice and Absolution

How did we get here from there?

It was never real.

The truth aids the venom rolling through my veins, adding its own bitter sting to the poison.

He opens the folder and begins rifling through the pages inside of it as more tears fall.

“The police report that was filed was for a missing person. Not a death. It states there was no trace of foul play in your trailer. No mention of a search for a body, and obviously, one was never recovered. Yet you assume he’s dead? I mean, that’s what you told me, at least.”

Oh, fuck.

“I don’t know if he’s dead for real, but he’s dead to me.” I lie. “What’s the difference?”

I grew up being able to produce any lie or excuse I needed to end suspicious lines of questioning that came my way.Whether it be from a teacher, classmate, doctor, Maggie, or otherwise. I always had an answer in my back pocket, ready to dowse whatever scruples someone had regarding my wellbeing.The most important rule of my father’s was deny, deny, deny. Even more important than pleasing him. Though some could argue that my success at evading questioning brought him a different kind of pleasure.

Royce was the only one who saw through my lies.

Until now.

Drew clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes. “Delilah... Unless you want me to chain you up in the basement of this club for the rest of your life, you’re going to need to realize that I’m not stupid.”

I peer into his eyes, trying to decipher whether or not he’s telling the truth.

Lock me in the basement?

Where?

How?

Wouldn’t someone find me down there?

Oh. Right.

It’s interesting that I learned he’s the only one with a key to the basement just this morning. Did he want me to find out then?

My question goes both unasked and unanswered. And Drew continues.

“You told me your father died when you were fifteen. There’s no way you would have been smart enough or capable enough at that age to kill him without leaving some kind of trace behind.”

No. Please don’t go where I think you’re going.

“Which means your Royal Bastards friends likely had a hand in it. It was Royce, right? Yourboyfriend?Yourknight- in shining armor?”

He laughs humorlessly as my brows furrow in question.

“I’ve heard you moan his name in your sleep before. I know exactly how you feel about him, especially after seeing the two of you together that night. It’s pathetic that you’d pine after someone who fucked you then tossed you aside like a whore. But I guess it makes sense. Your daddy didn’t set a good example of what it takes to be a man. Figures you’d fall for someone just like him.”

With each dig, Drew’s words carve further into the scars of my past until the pain steals my breath away.

If only he was capable of realizing how much like my fatherheis.

“Actually, I know it was him. I was going to wait and watch you squirm. See what other kinds of lies you’d try to feed me, but I can’t. Really, it’s the best part.”

An evil smile spreads on Drew’s face as he pulls a few photos from the back of the folder.

“A key piece of evidence the cops failed to seize during their search. But a little sweet talking and a few eight balls of coke and your former next-door neighbor gave me the smoking gun.”

He throws the pictures on my lap. As much as I don’t want to look, I can’t not. I grab them, one by one, and study each of them. Between my shaky hands and my tears, I can’t comprehend what I’m seeing. Swiping the moisture from my eyes once more and taking a deep breath, I’m finally able to hold them steady enough for the images to become clear.

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