Page 185 of Redeemed

A startled, pained noise leaves Haven before she bursts into tears. I wrap her up in my arms, and Xander rounds the table to do the same. My childhood was hard, despite being cushy and safe. Xander had it even worse. But Haven? Neither of our childhoods compare to this. She had to live through a real-life nightmare.

No wonder her anxiety is so bad.

Feeling Haven’s body convulse with every sob drives me to action. I stand and reposition her so she’s leaning into Xander. Reliving her past is hard enough for Haven. Lucas being an ass about it is only heightening Haven’s pain.

“Where are you going?” Xander asks.

“To find Lucas. Get her home before we run into any more trouble.”

I march off, entering the woods and scanning the area. Lucas is sitting on a fallen tree that’s not that far into the forest, facing the picnic tables. Even when he’s pissed at Haven, he can’t stop himself from ensuring she’s safe.

Can’t blame him, either. I’m the same way.

Lucas doesn’t acknowledge me until I’m standing right in front of him. Jaw clenched, he tips his head up and glares at me.

“Get up,” I say. “We’re going for a walk.”

Lucas normally only listens to Xander, so when he stands without fighting me on it, I know he’s really out of it. Losing a parent as a kid fucks you up, whether it’s because he cheated and left like Lucas’s, or because she died like mine. The pain of being abandoned has followed Luc around ever since, but dammit, the guy still has logic.

After a few minutes of silence, I stop and turn to face him. “Listen, despite what everyone else may think,Iknow you’re not a brainless jackass. So would you use your head for two goddamn seconds,please?”

“I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I don’t care that she escaped a cult,” he snaps. “That doesn’t justify this. She could’ve applied for divorce, gotten a restraining order, shit like that. But cheating is never justified.Never.She’s—”

“Lucas,” I yell.

He goes quiet and stares at me in shock. I’m not one to shout, but I need him to shut up and listen for a minute.

“She was forced to marry Isaiah when she was fifteen. She was a kid, man.”

Lucas glares at me. He wants to be angry. I don’t know if Xander has noticed yet, but I have. Lucas wants an excuse to keep hating Haven because feeling any other way toward her is terrifying.

“He beat her, Luc. Raped her. She spent her entire marriage trying to be the perfect wife so he would finally start loving her. So he’d stophurting her.But she was never enough for him.”

She didn’t confess to all of that today, but she didn’t need to. I’ve never forgotten a single thing about Haven, and between how she acts, the things she’s said, and what I know about the church, I have enough information to confidently draw those conclusions.

Lucas pales but doesn’t say anything.

“She can’t initiate a formal divorce, but she left him,” I continue. “Even if she hadn’t, I think anything is justified given the way he treated her.”

Eyes averted, he nods. “I should’ve pieced that together myself. God, I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

“I’d agree with that assessment.”

“Is she…?” He grimaces.

“Is she okay? God, no.”

“Where is she?”

“Xander took her home.”

Grabbing his keys, he starts moving toward his car. “I need to talk to her.”

I place a hand on his chest to stop him. “No. Not right now.”

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