Cas’ pov That night, my father took me out for drinks. But it was a surprise bachelor party at some high-end strip club. I sat there, looking at women dance, not bothering to engage. I drank way too much, hoping to drown out this feeling of vulnerability. Of not feeling worthy of, I don’t fucking know. All I know is that it felt wrong. Everything about the situation I am in feels wrong. This world I’m in doesn’t feel like mine anymore. The people who surround me feel fake and annoy me. And even the women that hit on me weren’t interesting to me. I handed them money and told them to bother someone else, not feeling in the mood for a lap dance. Dad called me out for being in a mood, but I didn't fucking care what he thought. I didn't even want to come here. I never asked for a damn bachelor party to begin with, and I didn't give a fuck about any of the people here. I sat at the bar, drinking glass after glass of the most expensive wiskey, eventually just asking for the bottle to

Ripley’s pov “Hello?” I answered, unsure if I should pick up the phone. I’ve had calls from various people asking me for interviews and even distant relatives that tried to get me to spill the beans, probably so they could sell the story. Even mom sent me an email, which I have been too scared to read. But this was the realtor who had helped me look for a house, so he wouldn’t be calling because I was in the news, right? “Hi, Ripley. This is Mary; we met a few weeks ago when you were looking to buy a new house. I’ve seen your name pop up in the news…” O crap. “And I felt the need to call. As you know, the house you loved was bought by another couple.” “Yes?” What was she trying to say? “Well, they just backed out of the sale due to financial issues. The house will go back on the market tomorrow. Since you’re going through a lot right now, I wanted to give you the chance to offer a bid on the house before the rest could.” Mary said. The house, the perfect house with a large gar

Ripley’s pov It hasn’t rained this hard in a while. A loud thunderclap followed the lighting that was brightening my apartment. Thankfully, my girls could sleep through everything, even after what happened with their grandparents. Nope, they don’t deserve the title anymore. Even as a kid, I found the rain soothing. The sounds of it hitting the windows, and while Oliver had always been nervous when I looked out of the window to watch the lightning, I loved it. But tonight, it made me nervous. Maybe it wasn’t the storm that was making me anxious, but the move to another house. Or the fact that even after Cas let me hear him do something so intimate and cruel, he would still be so kind to my girls. I never planned on finding a new father for them. Oliver was their dad, and any man I dated would have to accept that he wouldn’t be more than a stepdad. Out of guilt for Oliver, I guess. But it was clear both girls wanted that male influence. That they even needed it. But to let Cas

Cas’ pov “Mommy!!!” “It’s River.” Ripley sighed. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t apologize, Ley.” While I would much rather fuck Ripley right now, it wasn’t really something she had a choice in. And I have parents that don’t give a crap about me, so it’s actually nice seeing Ripley care for her daughters. It’s nice to see her be there for them. She actually goes to them when they call out in the night. Ripley put her shirt back on and walked to the room, a tiny bit of her ass sticking out from the bottom. God, she looked good in anything. I could hear her through the baby monitor. “Riri, do you need to pee or a hug?” “Both.” River said in a sleepy voice. “I had a dweam.” “What did you dream?” “Thewe was a monstew.” River said. Ripley’s voice came through the monitor, “monsters aren’t real, River, but if they were, mommy would beat them up and yell at them. You know how scary I can be when I get angry.” I couldn’t see what Ripley was doing, but River was giggling. It was hard to imagine

Cas’ pov After getting out of that cramped, fucking shower, I wore one of the most paper-like-looking towels around my waist. It absorbed water a lot more than my usual towels, but god did it feel like I was scrubbing my skin bare. Every time I dried my skin, I expected a hole to tear into the towel. Hell no, I would wear my clothes from yesterday. They smelled nasty and were all wrinkly, so I waited for Ripley to come back with her girls, but I knew it might take a while. But before I could get a glass of water, my phone rang. I hoped it was Ripley asking me a mundane question or just checking in. It was fucking stupid, but I missed her already. But instead, my dad’s name popped up, and I wanted to throw my fucking phone out the window. He would call again, though, and he wouldn’t stop until he got a reply. And I did not want to have this conversation with Ripley or her girls around. A fuck almost slipped out this morning, and whenever I talked to my dad, I felt the need to curs