Page 13 of Cherished Union

His eyes are wild and filled with hurt and anger. “Fuck, Ade, what happened to you? Your face is bruised to fuck.”

I wave my hand dismissively, and his eyes narrow even further. “I got up in the middle of the night to get a drink. I didn’t want to wake anyone, so I didn’t turn the light on. I ended up falling down the stairs.”

He scoffs, his lips thinning. “Stairs, right…” He shakes his head. “Talk to me, Ade. Who hurt you?”

“You should have heard the screams from her,” Mama says as she walks into the kitchen and puts her hands around my shoulders. “She was bloodied at the bottom of the stairs.”

I grit my teeth, anger rushing through me like a tornado. I never thought I’d ever hate my parents, but these last few weeks have made me hate them with everything I am.

“Jesus,” Dario whispers harshly. “What did the doc say when he checked her over?”

Mama’s hands tighten on my shoulders. “He said that she’s fine, that she must have been asleep and missed a step.”

Dario’s eyes fill with relief. “Christ, Ade, you need to be careful.”

I glare at him. I need to be careful? Damn this fucking family to Hell and back. “I need to finish the dishes. I have a lot to do today.”

He presses a kiss to my head, and I grit my teeth. “I’ll see you soon.”

I nod, tears threatening to fall. Mama follows him out of the kitchen, and I sigh with relief. God, I hate the lies and the damn secrets. They still haven’t told Vivi or Dario about Papa’s diagnosis.

I finish cleaning the kitchen and make my way upstairs. The sooner I get to my room, the better. It’s the only place that is safe for me. My haven.

“Adelina,” Mama calls out just as I reach the staircase.

I release a sigh, knowing that whatever she wants can’t be good. I move away from the stairs and walk into the living room and see she’s waiting for me, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping. Papa’s standing beside her with a pissed off look on his face.

“Yes, Mama?” I reply as politely as possible. I’ve learned that anything can set my father off. Hell, it could be just by the look on my face. He’ll twist it in his head that I’m disrespecting him and then he’ll need to punish me.

“What the hell are you playing at?” she hisses at me. “Walking around without makeup on? Showing everyone your bruises. Do you think that anyone is going to want to listen to you whine about your life?”

“My face has been breaking out in spots lately. With the wedding coming up, I didn’t want to have spots all over my face. So I’ve not been wearing any makeup.”

Her eyes spark with anger. “You’ll not ruin your father’s reputation. He has worked hard to get to where he is. He’s going through a tough time lately and doesn’t need you to add to it.”

I take a steadying breath. There’s no point in arguing with her. I won’t win. “Yes, Mama, I’ll wear makeup from now on.”

She nods, satisfied with my answer. “You have convinced Dario that you fell. Make sure no one else asks questions.”

“What if the bruises haven’t gone by the wedding?” I ask, knowing that Hayden already knows something is going on. There’s no way he’ll buy me falling down the stairs. He’s already wondering what the hell is going on.

I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have known that asking questions was never the right way to go about this.

My father closes the gap between us, his brown eyes narrowed and clouded with rage. “You just can’t shut that fucking mouth of yours, can you?” he snarls. “No one is to find out about what goes on inside my house. Do you understand?”

I quickly nod, hoping it’ll ease his anger, but it’s wishful thinking. “If that Irish fucker finds out what’s happened, it’ll be you who pays.”

I swallow hard at the threat. “Yes, Papa,” I reply timidly. I’m bracing, waiting for him to lash out.

Pain explodes in my cheek as his fist connects with it. I cry out, my body swaying from the brutal attack. Before I’m able to recover, he hits me over and over again, his fists landing direct punches to my stomach, ribs, and face. I’m unable to stay standing. The savage attack has my body curling into a ball, trying to stop him from inflicting even more damage.

Blood seeps from my nose and mouth. My vision blurs with every movement I make, and it hurts to breathe. He’s gone too far this time. If he doesn’t stop, he could kill me.

“What the fuck is going on?” The roar of Elio has me whimpering. “Get the fuck away from her,” he snarls. “Do it, Father, or I’ll fucking put a bullet between your eyes.”

The anger in my brother’s voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before. While he’s the broodier of the three, he’s also quick to joke. But he’s never disrespectful to our father, or even this angry.

“Leave, Elio. This doesn’t concern you,” our father snarls at him, his foot connecting with my ribs, sending pain ricocheting throughout my body.

---