บททั้งหมดของ I Stopped My Father From Marrying A Domestic Abuser: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

I grabbed Dad’s arm and tried to pull him toward the door.Dad did not move.“Ryan, what’s gotten into you today?”He frowned at me.“First, you wouldn’t let me leave. Now, you want to lock Yvonne out.“What are you so afraid of?”Dad’s voice cracked.“Ryan, it hasn’t been easy raising you on my own all these years.“Now that I’ve finally met a woman who cares about both of us, why are you so suspicious of her?“Do you want me to spend the rest of my life alone?”The clock in the living room kept ticking.I quickly dragged over a little stool and climbed onto it. I reached for the lock.“Dad, lock the door! We can talk after you lock it!”“Stop it!”Dad grabbed me and pulled me away from the door.“Ryan, can’t you think about me for once?”I could not break free. There was no time left.I lowered my head and bit down hard on the skin between Dad’s thumb and index finger.Dad cried out in pain and let go.I used that second to rush back to the door and turn the lock.

I pulled Dad back. “Dad, run…”Before I could finish, Yvonne and Cecilia rushed toward us.Yvonne grabbed Dad by the wrist. She wrapped her other arm around his waist and dragged him toward the gray van at the end of the alley.I rushed over and bit her arm. “Let go of my dad!”However, my body was only seven years old.Cecilia grabbed me from behind and lifted me off the ground.She shoved me into the back seat. Yvonne pushed Dad in from the other side.Cecilia took Dad’s phone and locked the doors.The van drove away. We were going to the city hall.“Are you crazy?” Dad’s voice was quivering. “You’re kidnapping us!”“Kidnapping?” Yvonne laughed. “You’re my fiance. I’m just taking you to the city hall so we can get married. If you call the police, they’ll probably just see it as a cute little couple’s spat.”“Let us go!”Dad reached over and grabbed Yvonne’s hair.Cecilia pulled a dagger out from under her seat.She held it by the handle with the blade pointed down. She

Cecilia’s face changed instantly. She took a step back.“Those are just the words of a kid!” She waved her hands in panic.“Kids make things up all the time! I don’t have anything on me!”As soon as she finished, she turned and ran toward the lobby doors.Her shoe slipped on the marble floor.Cecilia stumbled and grabbed the door frame. Then, she pushed open the glass door and ran outside.The other officer, Tyler Dixon, reacted quickly. He chased after her.“Stop! Don’t run!”Neil stepped forward and grabbed Yvonne.“You stay right there.”Neil pushed Yvonne against the counter. Her smile cracked.Neil turned to Dad. “You two need to come to the station and give a statement.”Dad nodded.Tears still covered his face, but his voice was steady. “Okay.”He turned to the clerk behind the counter. “Cancel the application. I’m not getting married.”“I second that. You can’t get married.”Grandpa also looked at the clerk.“Why not?”Yvonne could not keep up the act any long

The screening process for military housing was much stricter than I expected.Dad made copies of his ID, proof of his relationship with Grandpa, a clean criminal record check, and the police report receipt. He submitted all the documents at the gate.The man in charge was middle-aged and dressed in plain clothes.“Who will you be living with?”“My father, Julian Sullivan.”“Which building?”“Building Seven, Unit Two.”“Go home and wait for the results. You’ll hear from us within three business days.”During those three days, Dad went to work and submitted his resignation.“Dad, I want to go too.”I stood up from the couch and took Dad’s hand.Dad froze for a moment, then smiled.“Ryan, are you worried I’ll disappear again as I did in your nightmare?”I nodded.“Then, let’s go.”When we got to the company, Dad took me to the HR department.“Wait here. Don’t wander off.”“Okay.” I sat on the couch in the waiting area.Two of Dad’s coworkers walked past with some paperwo

Dad replied right away.[Where are you? Can you talk?]The only reply was a location pin. It was for an apartment complex about six miles from our home.Then, the profile went gray. No more messages came through.Dad put down his phone and looked at me.“This person sent the location and then disappeared.”“Someone must have taken the phone away.” I set my spoon down. “Call the police.”The police arrived fifteen minutes later.The apartment complex was old and run-down. The alleys twisted and turned so much that even delivery drivers got lost.An officer checked the location. “The area is too big. We’ll have to go door to door.”I looked up at him. “I’ll go.”“You?”“I’ll say that I’m looking for my cat.“A child knocking on doors is less likely to make someone suspicious. An adult would make them more alert.“I’ll keep my phone in my pocket with the call on speaker. You can listen from there.”The officer hesitated for a moment, then nodded.No one answered at the fir