Page 103 of Bleeding Hearts

“And if she did, do you think that would be enough to put him away?” Dad asks, grabbing a water bottle for himself.

“Demi said her mother is most likely still being abused, but her father is probably hitting her where it can be covered. I bet she’s hiding all her abuse from not only the world but from herself. If she did choose to come forward, I think between the two of them, regardless of his connections, they’d have no choice but to charge him,” I say.

“So, we just have to get Clara to come forward,” Kade says as if it’s simple.

“That’s not your decision to make,” Mom says as she walks into the room, smiling at me softly. “Emma Gray. I’ve heard wonderful things about the two of you and it’s nice to finally meet you both.” She smiles at King and Kade. “As I was saying, Demi’s mother has been experiencing her own trauma, and as much as we want her piece-of-shit husband behind bars, it’s not anybody’s place to push her to talk about it if she’s not ready to.”

“Well, shit.” Dad sighs. “How else are we supposed to get him arrested then?”

“I don’t know, and we’ll figure it out, but not tonight,” Mom says, looking over to me. “Honey, Demi is tired. We should get her home. You stay with her tonight and give me the keys to your apartment; your father and I will stay there.”

“Alright, sounds good.” I nod toward her, and she grabs my dad’s arm, pulling him out of the room. “Thank you both for everything. I mean it.” I look between King and Kade.

“Anytime, Ash.” Kade pats me on the back before leaving the room as well.

“I’ll pay you back for the bail,” I say to King, who immediately shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re family, Asher. We got you.” He pauses. “We don’t have to talk about it tonight, but did I hear your dad say cancer out there?”

“Yeah, you did.” I nod. “Like you said, not tonight, but I’ll tell you about it someday soon.”

“But you’re okay now?” he asks.

“Yeah, King. I am. I promise,” I say, and he nods, accepting that as all he’s going to get for now.

My parents, Demi, and I say goodbye to everyone before walking out with Kade and Lo. Kade offers to drop Demi and me home so that my parents can go straight to my apartment, but my dad insists on taking us.

The drive home is short, and both my parents insist on helping Demi upstairs and making sure she’s okay. How the two of them dote on her brings back memories from when I was sick. Both of them went out of their way to check on me every second of every day.

I smile to myself as it makes me realize just how much they love her.

We say good night to both my parents before walking into the apartment, closing the door and locking it behind us. My phone pings as we do, and I pull it out of my pocket, surprised at the text shining across the screen.

Unknown Number: Hello, Asher. This is Clara Rhodes, Demi’s mother. I’d like the chance to speak to you in person. Would you be able to meet me at Louisa’s, that little café my daughter is a fan of tomorrow at 11 a.m.? Oh, and please do not tell my daughter that you’re meeting with me.

I stare at the message for a second before holding it up to Demi. The text may say not to tell her, but this is her life. She doesn’t deserve to have secrets kept from her.

“It could be another trap,” she says skeptically.

“I don’t think it is.” I shake my head. “Alexander’s injured. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to want to be around me right now when he can’t defend himself properly,” I add, and she nods, agreeing.

“Then I think you should go. I don’t think it could hurt things at this point,” she says.

“Are you sure?” I ask, making sure she’s okay with me going to meet her mother without her.

“Of course, Ash. I trust you. More than anyone.” She smiles. “I’m going to check on Gordon.” She presses a soft kiss to my lips before turning to walk toward his room.

I pick up my phone and text back the only response that I can, hoping meeting her will lead to a conversation that helps Demi and puts her father away for good.

Asher: See you then.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

Demi

Today has been fucking hard. And I’ve had a lot of hard days in my life, but this one is definitely up there with the worst of them. The pain from my injuries is kicking in, on top of the exhaustion my body feels, and I can’t seem to relax.

Even lying in bed next to Asher, I’m tired, but I can’t stop stressing about my father long enough to sleep. My mind is stuck on replay, him grabbing me, hitting me, strangling me, and I can’t seem to shut it off.

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