Trey I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. "She's constantly drunk, especially since Candy left. If I bring him up, she'll just lash out at me." And nobody has time for that bullshit. Ever since I've been back, I thought I could be the glue that pulls our family together, but it seems we're only falling apart more. It's all my fucking fault, and I don't know what to do to fix it. To fix us. Jeremiah comes back with the ticket, practically bubbling with excitement. "Dad and his girl ordered seared scallops, beef Wellington, and spaghetti bolognese!" he exclaims. Of course they fucking did. William is a leech. Is he can find a way to use someone, he's going to bleed them dry. And I'm his current victim. "I'm gonna go talk to Dad. Hit me up if you need anything!" he says before quickly heading out again. I clench my fists tightly, feeling a surge of fury boiling inside me. I'm not sure how much longer I can take of this before I fucking burst and take J's fa

Kiara Instead, I just nod. I'm relieved when he doesn't say anything else that will convince me to abandon everything I said and let him do whatever he wants with me. My mind remains clouded with lust even after we finish our meal. He finishes with the dishes and silently retreats to the room. I join him and discover him on the bed, engrossed in his laptop. He's still shirtless, wearing square-framed glasses. I ignore the second heartbeat between my legs as I grab my own laptop and sit down across from him. I might as well do some writing while I have somewhere comfortable to do it. If I don't look at him, I won't get distracted. After twenty minutes, I know because I couldn't help but watch the time tick away at the bottom corner of my screen, he peeks up from his laptop. A coy smile tugging at his perfect lips. "Whatcha working on Cupcake?" he asks softly. "My novel," I mutter, frustration evident in my voice. "I really need to stop getting distracted and wrap it

Trey "You know, it would have been safer for you to stay in the house." I'm currently speeding down the road with Kiara sitting in the passengers seat. I made sure her seat belt was secure before we left because I knew I would be driving a little wild. William wouldn't give details on the phone, but he said it was urgent. I can only guess he didn't call 911 because it involved something illegal. "Don't be ridiculous," Kiara asserts, "Your alcoholic step father just asked if you could help him with an "emergency" with no context. What do you think it could be?" "Who knows. The way he's got me by the balls, I might end up burying a body tonight," I mutter bitterly. The truth of that hurts, but I'll endure this shit if it means my brother is happy. Why did I even pick up the phone? Kiara and I were just about to have sex again, and William ruined it. I didn't expect tonight to happen, but it proves her guard is slowly coming down. I see that she likes when I open up to her

Kiara After Lucinda is checked into the hospital, I settle in the waiting room while they work on her. I told them I was visiting my boyfriend's aunt and found her passed out in the bed with blood everywhere. Lucinda told her that she doesn't live with anyone else, so she must've gotten high, hit her head, and managed to crawl into bed. I'm not sure how much the nurses believed our story, but so far everything seems okay. I still can't believe I'm covering for an abuser. Every part of me is screaming to tell them the truth, but I'd be betraying both Trey and Lucinda. What can I do when the woman being abused doesn't want to turn in her abuser because as fucked up as the situation is, she loves him? It has to be codependence or something that tethers her to him. There has to be a way to get her away from him, at least for a while, to show her that she can survive without him. I refuse to turn a blind eye. Everything okay, Cupcake? I smile at the text mess

Trey "Bring something to cover your arms. It's going to be cold." "Fall just started. We've got a few weeks before it gets cold," Kiara calls out from the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom and find her putting on mascara. She catches my gaze in the mirror. I chuckle, "Suite yourself, but if you start freezing your ass off, don't ask me for mine." The thought of her wearing my hoodie has my cock pitching a huge tent in my sweatpants. "Fine, but I thought you were a gentleman," she says jokingly, sticking her tongue out. If anything, I want to be the opposite of a gentleman. I want to fuck her so hard...so dirty, she screams my name until she loses her voice. I fight a smile, "Not when you're being hard-headed, Cupcake." She walks past me to put her makeup back in her bag. "Enjoyed the show?" she teases. I thought she noticed my boner, but it's hidden underneath my hoodie. She must be talking about me watching her put on makeup. "You know, you don't need make