Page 30 of Tainted Empire (Sins of Our Father)

“Is this true?” I ask Claire and Earl and after a long while, they slowly nod.

“We almost went out of business. Your dad had buyers and everything. It took us nearly a decade to repair,” Claire says, and I feel disgusted.

I feel sick, dizzy with hatred and shame. I can’t even look at my mom. I can’t look at anyone, much less myself right now.

I sigh, standing there on the stairs before looking up at the ceiling, sniffing back the tears, refusing to let them fall.

“Well, then. I apologize. I’m going to bed now. We’ll talk in the morning. It’s good to see you Mom,” I say quietly, turning and walking the rest of the way up the stairs.

Beau jumps from the couch and follows me into my room, climbing into bed with me as we shut the door. I pull the covers over us, staring at him as I pet him softly, smelling nothing but Hunter and his earthy scent as it marks my skin. I can’t shake him away and it seems that the closer I get, the more of his dark secrets become unveiled. And they get uglier and uglier by the second.

After a while, I hear a soft knock on my door, but I ignore it.

“Ali, it’s me. Please let me in, I’m not going to lecture you,” Marley says from the other side, but I don’t answer, just burrow deeper into the mattress.

“Ali, come on. It’sme,” she says and I sigh. She’s right. Marley is sweet and now my closest friend. She’ll never judge me, and I need that more than anything right now.

“Come in,” I say, and she opens the door.

I hear it shut and feel her sit at the foot of the bed before she gently pulls the covers back and away from my face.

“Talk to me,” she says, her eyes wide and gentle.

I can’t answer her for a while, mostly because I don’t know what to say, until finally, I tell her the truth.

“I slept with him,” I say, and she nods, like she already knew.

“You knew?” I gasp and she laughs.

“Of course. I see how you are even when his name is mentioned. When I saw you two at the bar the first night, I knew it was only a matter of time. I just wanted to…to save you from him. Stop you before he caused any damage, but you’re your own person and free to do what you want. I just didn’t want to see you get hurt,” she says honestly and right now, I love her more than I thought possible.

“You’re a good friend,” I say and she nods, resting her hand on mine as the silence grows in my bedroom.

“So..” she says suddenly and Beau’s head pops up.

“How was it?” she asks, a wicked smile on her lips and a naughty glint in her eye.

“Oh my god, Marley!” I huff, swatting her with my pillow as she laughs and bats me away.

“What? Don’t get mad at me for asking, you know how he looks! And by the way I saw him look at you, I’m dying to know,” she says and I bite my lip, remembering every delicious touch that Hunter Brooks has given my skin.

“He was amazing. That’s why it hurts,” I say quietly and she nods, sadness in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ali. You can’t hide the truth forever,” she says, and as much as I hate it, she’s right.

I’m telling everyone about my confusion of what to do with the ranch tomorrow. Tonight, I just need to sleep off every thought I’ve had of Hunter. Which is easier said than done.

21

I wokeup the next morning not feeling rested at all. The birds are chirping outside and the sunlight cascades all throughout my bedroom. I look at my clock and see that it’s just past ten in the morning. I’ve slept over twelve hours, and I feel worse than I did before I slept.

I groan and stretch, wiping my eyes before I walk to my bathroom and take a shower. Once I’m dressed in my jeans, boots and a red tank top with a flannel, I tie my hair in a braid and walk downstairs and find that everyone is gone.

I check my phone and see that my mom texted me, asking me if I wanted to join everyone at the diner for breakfast. I sigh, walking around the counter to make a cup of tea and freeze when I see a stream of documents lining the countertops.

I flip through them, looking at all the past bank statements that declare my father’s debt from years ago. The more I flip through, the more I find out about all the business that was stolen from my father by the Brooks. The livestock that apparently “crossed over their property,” the “sick” horses they took from him, all of it. I feel a knot of sickness ball and twist in my stomach. I can’t believe what I’m seeing, and it makes me regret every single kiss, every touch that Hunter stole from me, knowing that he and his father did this to my family. They put my dad through hell, nearly costing him both his legacy and his dream that he bled for.

I drop the files back on the counter and huff out a frustrated sigh, not knowing what to even do next, not knowing what to think or how to feel.

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