Page 14 of Hateful Union

I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Get close to Raylee.

If she’s innocent, then I’ll let her live. If she’s not, then not even God himself can save her from me.

6

Raylee

“She needs to eat,” Dad gruffly whispers.

They think I can’t hear them. They’re here all the time. I just want to be left alone and yet, none of them will leave me alone. I’m awake, unable to sleep; each and every time I close my eyes I see his lifeless body on the ground, the blood pouring from him.

“She needs to get out of bed,” Bentley sighs, “it’s been two days. Enough is enough.”

I wish it were that simple. That I could get up from this bed and move around as though everything’s okay. Whenever I do stand, my legs threaten to buckle from beneath me. I don’t have the fucking energy to move. All I want to do is be left alone and yet, that concept is too hard for my family to grasp.

“What she needs...” Mum begins and finally, fucking finally she’s here. “Is for you lot to leave her alone.”

Dad gasps, “Nella, she is my daughter. She’s not left her room in two days. She’s not eaten a fucking thing. She’s practically comatose.”

“She’s grieving,” Mum snaps. “She’s hurting and this is her way of grieving for her best friend, so you’ll leave her alone.”

“Mum, that’s not exactly possible. The funeral’s today,” Francis says softly.

My chest aches, the pain slashes through me. Today is the day that makes all this real. I’m not strong enough to do this. I can’t watch as they lower his casket into the ground. I just can’t do it. A sob bursts from me, God, I can’t stop the tears, they fall no matter what.

“Fuck,” Dad growls. “Baby, you’ve got to stop crying.”

Any other time, I’d laugh. My dad doesn’t do tears, he fucking hates them. I learned from a young age, the power that crying would have over my dad. But I never used it to my advantage, I just wouldn’t do that. So whenever I do cry now, it affects them all. My brothers are my father’s sons for sure. They’ll jump over themselves to do whatever it takes to stop the tears.

“Nel, do something,” Dad pleads with Mum.

“I’ve got her,” I hear Gabby say, and then I feel her crawl into the bed with me. Her arm wraps around my stomach and holds me tightly. I inhale deeply, the smell of shea butter and coconut has my body sinking into her embrace.

“I’ve got you, Ray, you’re not alone.”

My body bucks at her words as the tears fall harder.

“Together. We’ll get through today together,” she promises me, her voice cracking. She buries her head into my back, and I feel wetness soaking through my t-shirt. She is hurting too.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” I cry, “we shouldn’t be going to his fucking funeral. He should be here with us.”

The bed dips and I look up and see Dad sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes are cold and flinty, his lips curled at the corners. “Baby, this absolutely should never have happened. I promise you, whoever killed him, is going to pay.”

The way his jaw’s set shows the determination that he has. I nod, glad that those animals won’t get away with killing Mayer.

“Now, baby, you’re going to have to get up. It’s time to get ready.”

My body tightens at his words, I shake my head. I can’t.

“I know,” he whispers, his hand running through my hair. “I know you don’t want to, but if you don’t, you’ll regret it until the day you die.” He kisses my cheek, the love and adoration he has for me shines brightly in his deep blue eyes. “Go shower, then you’ll have something to eat.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he gives a sharp shake of his head. “Not up for discussion. You need to eat and we’re not leaving until you do.”

I sigh, resigned to the fact that he’s not going to leave me alone until I’m out of bed and moving towards the shower. I nod, slowly dislodging myself from Gabby’s embrace. “Okay, Dad, I’ll shower.”

He nods, pleased with my answer, but the worry is still etched on his face. These past few days have seemed to have aged him, the lines on his face are deeper, there’re bags under his eyes, and his beard has started to grow out, thick and grey. “Then you’ll eat,” he says, glancing between both Gabby and I. “The both of you will eat.”

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