Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“Lily, get in the Jeep and lock the doors, babe. No matter what you hear, you stay inside there,” I say, not taking my eyes off him. I keep my words soft, because the last thing she needs right now is something harsh. Her hands tremble against my back, but a second passes, and I hear her whisper, “Okay.”
I stand there, the two of us unmoving as I listen for her steps, and then the door to the Jeep closes. After I know she’s safe, I take a menacing step forward. Her dad blinks a few times as if seeing me clearly for the first time. He notices my size and takes a step back. I follow him step for step. Every time he retreats, I close in. Until eventually we are in the living room of the house, and I kick the door shut behind me without even glancing at it. No, my eyes are glued to him.
“Get the hell out of my house,” he says with a confidence I know he doesn’t feel.
“You laid your hands on my woman, the love of my life. So I’m going to lay my hands on you.”
I pull back, and as hard as I can I backhand him across the face—what he did to her. He flies back and lands against a table by the door. For a second, I think back to the bruise on Lily’s back and all the other ones since. The ones she kept brushing off, saying she was clumsy. This man gave them to her. And I’m going to pay him back tenfold.
“You think you can beat on her and get away with it? What kind of monster are you?” I kick him hard with my heavy boot, thinking about the bruise I saw last night on Lily’s side. “She is the gentlest, kindest, and most special person I’ve ever met in my life. And you hit her because she isn’t your wife.” I lean down and punch him in the stomach, remembering the red mark she had there last week. “Because you’re a drunk and you think it’s her fault. You don’t ever touch her again. Do you hear what I’m saying?” I reach down, grabbing his dirty shirt in both my fists, and pull him to his feet. “Do you understand me?”
“Yeah,” he coughs, but it’s not good enough.
I pull back my fist and punch him in the mouth, seeing his lip split open as he cries out.
“Do you understand!” I shout, not making it a question this time.
He nods and says yes over and over before he starts to cry. I let him go, and he falls into a heap on the floor. I stand there for a second, looking around the place, and then I see the stairs. I make my way up them and to Lily’s room. I grab a suitcase from the closet and start filling it up. It hits me that she doesn’t have much of anything and all her belongings can fit into one bag. I make sure to get her art supplies and pictures before I look around to double-check I’ve gotten everything. Once her things are cleared out, the room is bare. It doesn't look like it ever belonged to her, and maybe it didn’t. There are so many thoughts racing through my mind, but the one thing that keeps beating down on my back is to get her to safety. To keep her away from this monster.
When I make my way downstairs, I see he’s still a crying heap by the front door. There’s a moment when I put myself in his place and think about what I would do if I lost Lily. I would be a mess, and I might even turn to alcohol. But I know I could never do that to a child. I could never hurt something that was a part of her and something that she loved. He doesn't deserve a second chance, but that’s not for me to decide. All I know is that I’ll be the one to take care of her from now on. Not him.
I don’t give him another look as I leave the house and close the door behind me. I walk down to the Jeep and put her bags in the back before climbing in and pulling her into my lap. I drive away from her house in silence, because I need to get her away from here. Away from this darkness and all the things that have hurt her. I’ll protect her from this. Forever.
22
Lily
Ren only makes it a few blocks from my house before he’s pulling over to the side of the road. I have my face cuddled in his neck, not wanting to look at him. I can feel the wetness on my cheeks and where I’ve soaked his shirt. I sniff when he starts to rub soothing circles on my back, trying to get me to calm down. He’s telling me everything is going to be okay and how much he loves me. He’s saying that no one will ever hurt me again.