Page 101 of Bleeding Hearts

“No, it’s okay. I’ll make Willow help,” she says, and he nods.

A chorus of thank-yous sounds out around the room before Logan speaks up again.

“None for that weirdo though. He doesn’t like chocolate.” She points up to Kade, making it sound like his not liking chocolate is a crime. Although, I’d have to say that I personally agree.

“Who the hell doesn’t like chocolate?” Willow yells as she walks into the room behind Ellie.

“Language,” King groans at his daughter.

“Let’s go.” Ellie grabs Willow’s hand, pulling her into the kitchen as the rest of us laugh.

Theo and Gabby show up a few minutes after, both rushing over to me to see that I’m okay with their own eyes before sitting down.

I let out a sigh of relief as I look around the room, surrounded by the people I love the most.

My father’s words from earlier ring in my ears about me being unwanted, but suddenly they seem meaningless.

This, these people right here, they’re my real family.

I know that now is the time I’ll have to tell all of them everything about my past, lay it all on the table so that we can figure out what to do next, and I thought it would be scary, but it’s not.

I don’t know what happens after that, but I do know that each and every one of them will support me no matter what, and right now, that’s all that matters.

“Now, someone tell me what the fuck happened.” Theo huffs, looking around the room before his gaze lands on me.

Here goes nothing.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

Asher

Demi tells everyone everything. I mean every detail of what she lived through as a child, up until what happened today, what she told the cops, how she begged her mother.

She doesn’t cower or cry as she speaks about the abuse that she lived through. She sits tall, sipping the hot chocolate Ellie brought her and says it all from start to finish without a single waver in her voice.

My chest aches for her as she relives her trauma for us all, as she describes every brutal way her father hurt her.

But I’m also in awe of her as I watch her talk about the worst moments of her life and the strength she exudes as she does.

Then I listen to her detail everything that happened before what we walked into at her father’s house today. She looks right at me when she tells me about how she fought back.

How even though she knew it was a losing battle, she wasn’t going to lie down and take it.

My girl was faced with a man who abused her most of her life, who lived in her nightmares and was double her size, and still, she didn’t back down. She fought him off the best that she could, even when she thought it was over. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of her.

She tells us what the cops said and how her father is trying to spin it that I’m the one who attacked the both of them and he tried to fight me off. Even though Demi denies it, the only thing they have to go off right now is seeing me hit him, and the rest is his word against ours.

She hasn’t heard a peep from her mom since she spoke to her at the house, but as far as she knows, she’s still staying quiet. Demi thinks that if she comes forward with her own abuse along with what she saw, the cops will have enough to drop the charges against me in the name of self-defense and arrest her father.

But all of that hinges on if Clara Rhodes is willing to come forward and leave her husband behind, which, right now, doesn’t look promising.

It’s nearly ten p.m. by the time Demi gets through everything and everyone takes all the information in. Theo and Gabby leave shortly after that, making sure Demi is okay before they go.

I can tell Demi is exhausted, and I want to get her home, but when I called my mom earlier, I gave her King’s address, so we’ll have to wait for them to get here.

Demi told Logan and Kaden to go home. But Logan refuses to leave until Demi and I do, so they’re waiting with us.

I haven’t really stopped long enough to think about the impact of my getting arrested. The only thing on my mind since the second Demi didn’t show up for our date has been her.

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