"That fucking coward!" Isabelle screamed, pulling at her hair, which was held in a bun. Christian engulfed her, minimizing her movements as she thrashed around. Dion stood silently, staring right at his feet. His gut boiled, bile rising up his throat on waves of anger. His skin prickled as his hands clenched into fists. "Cowaard!" She screamed again as she hit Christian's chest. She tried pushing him off her, but he just wouldn't budge. "At least he's not in your life anymore." Christian regretted his words the moment he uttered them. "Shut up! Are you justifying his cowardice now? He sold my brother! He separated us and broke my mother in the process. He fucking tried to kill her and framed me for having sex with my own cousin. He deserved to rot in jail. How can you stand there and spew such bullshit Christian? How the fuck can you?"Isabelle was seeing red, her eyes changing from teary to shooting daggers. "Isabel.." Christian loosened his grip, feeling like she had just kneed h
"So it really was about money." Christian spat, speaking to himself. When Isabelle had said he didn't understand what she was feeling, he gave a quick thought about it. For a second he thought that maybe something else was wrong with his mother the day he almost stabbed him. At that moment, as his hand found the door knob, Christian could feel his entire body getting cold."I'm sorry Chris, I'm so sorry." He didn't look back as he stepped out, tuning off his mother's voice. What had he really expected by going to see her? More plans from his father to finish him? For what? He grew up thinking that parents were supposed to be proud of their children. For his parents though? One was money hungry, the other one was both greedy, jealous and just monstrous.He had left his car outside the gate so it was a long stretch. He had to go past the fountain on the front yard and walk for a few minutes before he got to the outside. "Chris please! I should have been there for you, I should have stoo
"Christian please." Isabelle held on to his hand with her hands to stop him from walking out of their bedroom."I'm so sorry, baby say something, please, anything." She begged, sniffing. Christian used his free hand to open the door and easily got out of Isabelle's grip. He didn't look back as he stepped into the hallway, heading to the staircase that led down to the sitting room and the kitchen.Isabelle followed, breathing through her mouth to get air past her clogged nose. She had to jog to match Christian's long strides. He came home late after the fallout in the office the previous day. Hadn't said a single word to Isabelle; when she woke up, she found him already dressed and heading out. He had no plans of even glancing at her. Yes, she was grieving, but that didn't give her an excuse to bring his parents into the mix. "Are you seriously going to leave me here begging you?" Isabelle shouted as Christian picked up his car keys from the bowl on top of the kitchen counter. When he
"She came onto me; gosh, you always date them whores." Christian's father scoffed, shrugging his shoulders, when Christian shot him a glare."It was the only way to get you to talk to me." Isabelle addressed Christian. "She would have done something stupid, so..." Tiffany chimed in, crossing her legs."Shut up!" Both Christian and his father uttered at the same time, making Tiffany roll her eyes. She wasn't fazed by their testosterone; she just wanted her friend and boyfriend to reconcile."I'm sorry." Isabelle started, the memory of her boyfriend leaving her in the morning without a word crowding her mind. "I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. You said enough yesterday." Christian dismissed, lifting his hands above his shoulders. "Tiffany just sent you a photo of me and your father. Feel free to use it if you want to end the contract you have with him." She then turned to Tiffany and beckoned with her hand. "Let's go." Isabelle blinked back tears as she walked over
A month after Isabelle's father's burial, Isabelle and Dion had grown impossibly closer. Their relationship with their mother had tightened. Isabelle was back to talking with Dylan, even though Christian didn't like it. Sam had been arrested for blackmail and gotten a one-year sentence, while Stanton got one year of probation."I don't understand why you're nervous." Sean shook his head, looking at his friend, who couldn't stop pacing. The park was closed as darkness approached fast on that Tuesday."Do you think they'll come?" Christian asked, stopping for a second to look at the park's entrance."Of course, I just got off the phone with Dion. He said that they'll be here any moment now. She still has no idea about what's happening, and they are still lying to her." Sean explained, scrolling through his phone to rehearse the speech with Christian."What did they tell her?" Christian knew Isabelle was curious to know why Dion and her mother were taking her to a local park at 7 p.m."G
Isabelle's image of her naked body lying on top of her cousin's was projected for the whole family to look at."She forced herself on me." Her cousin Sam's voice broke as he uttered, pointing shakily at Isabelle.'Wh-at?" Stuttered Isabelle, her throat closing up on her. Her face was hidden by her hair in the photo, but you could tell it was really her. She didn't remember ever stripping or doing anything sexual with her cousin."Don't even try to deny it; we can all see it!" Sam's father banged his fists onto the table, holding Isabelle's wide eyes."I-I...no." She fumbled with words, her mind and tongue betraying her when she needed them the most. Her hands shook, she lost grip, and the glass in her hand fell in front of her feet. Her mind stuttered while her systems paused, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Her thoughts tried to catch up, to make a sensible connection of the image displayed."How could you Isabelle? How the fuck could you do something like that?" She didn't
Chapter 2Isabelle felt her throat tightening around her, allowing little air to pass through. Her lungs burned, while her feet failed to obey her command to run. She wanted to get out of there and go straight to the hospital to get checked. Her mind failed to make connections of the events that night. The more she probed, the more the contents inside her head became a jumbled mess.She could hear whispers around her but she couldn't make out the words clearly. Her father's booming voice however surpassed the rest, she felt every venomous vibration as he roared. "You are a disgrace to this family! "Every mumble quieted down as the older man approached his daughter in long strides. His shoulders were squared, hands balled into tight fists, while his chest rose rapidly. She couldn't control the tremor that overtook her. ' I didn't do it, please believe me. 'Isabelle felt wetness on her cheeks past the confines of her eyelids. A stickiness she couldn't wipe off, was left by the salty l
'Please pick up, please please. ' Isabelle mumbled in a scratchy voice, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding her phone to her ear. She had been trying to call her boyfriend Dylan countless times. Each time her calls went unanswered. She just didn't want to be alone after what had transpired at her uncle's place.'Aaargh fuck! ' She dropped the phone on her lap, gritting her teeth. She knew Dylan's shift at the bakery was over, so she couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't respond. She was speeding down the highway, heading to his place. Isabelle could feel the shattered pieces of her heart, breaking further the more she thought of the situation.It wasn't long before she got to his apartment. Knocking on his door while shuffling on her feet, Isabelle waited but no response was given. She banged again, grimacing when pain shot up on her right hand up to her elbow. The image of her father kicking her hand when she grasped his leg popped up. She squeezed her eyes sh