Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Not only are you a terrible mother, you are also a stupid, unthinking woman,” I say. “Do you really think she would choose you over me after everything you’ve put her through?”
Violet looks from me to Amelia in shock. “Are you going to let this man speak to me like that?”
43
VIKTOR
I don’t know how this will go, whether I’ve overstepped the mark, but I just couldn’t stand to see the glee on Violet’s face as she lorded over her daughter and me.
“Why not? That’s what you’ve always done,” Amelia says.
Violet shakes her head. “You think you’re better than me. Let me tell you now you’ll never be able to keep a man like him. He’ll be cheating on you in no time and then you’ll be making excuses for him too. Just like me.”
I take a step closer to her and she instinctively shrinks back from me.
“You should take notice of what I’m saying here. You and your rapist boyfriend,” I say, my voice low and threatening. “Because if either of you so much as come near Amelia ever again, you might find that you disappear.”
“You won’t see either of us around her again. She’s nothing but trouble. You’ll see it for yourself.” She turns to her daughter. “Just give it time. And Amelia? When he does, don’t even think about coming back here.”
“You know what, Mom? I’d sooner live in a fucking box under a bridge before I came back here,” Amelia cries.
“Let’s go, Amelia,” I say.
“Just give me a minute. I need to pack my stuff.”
“Leave it,” I say. “We’ll buy you some new stuff. We don’t want anything that’s tainted with the stink of this fucking place.”
Amelia smiles at me and puts her hand in mine and we walk out of the trailer without looking back. I lead Amelia down the steps and start to make my way back down the short path to the waiting car. Amelia stops abruptly and when I turn back, I see she’s crying.
“Hey come on, it’s ok. You’re safe now,” I say, wrapping her in my arms, instantly conscious of her body pressed against mine. “God, Amelia, I’m so sorry. If I had any idea what I was sending you back to in there I would’ve found another way.”
“It’s ok,” she sobs. “I was the one who was stupid enough to believe my mom had changed.”
She pulls back from me and looks up at me, tears running down her face.
“Viktor, there’s something I have to tell you,” she says. “It wasn’t meant to be like this. It was meant to be happy. I’ve been so excited about it, but now, Dan has ruined everything.”
“It’s ok, Amelia, just tell me,” I whisper.
My heart is breaking for her as she sobs and shakes in my arms.
“I… I’m pregnant,” she says. Before I can react, she hurries on. “But Dan. He punched me in the stomach. What if he hurt the baby?”
Anger floods me and I want to go back into the trailer and finish what I started with Dan, but Amelia is looking up at me again, pleading with me with her eyes to be there for her. I swallow the anger down and hold her closer for a moment, knowing that if I go back in there, I will end him, and the fact is being here for her now is more important than taking revenge on a pathetic excuse for a human being like Dan. He’s the sort of guy who will get dealt with one day anyway. He’ll overstep the mark with the wrong person one day and get his comeuppance.
“Let’s get you to the hospital and get you checked out,” I say, my voice strange even to my own ears.
She nods sadly and I squeeze her again.
“It’s going to be ok,” I say, hoping it’s not a promise that I can’t keep.
It has to be ok. She has to be ok. Our baby has to be ok. Despite the anger, I can feel a flood of happiness waiting to erupt over me, but I hold it back, not wanting to be so happy only to come crashing back down if I find out that the baby is gone.
“Are you angry at me?” Amelia asks quietly as we start to walk again. “Because I couldn’t protect the baby?”
“Never,” I say, meaning it. “I’m angry at Dan. I’m just trying to reign it in so I can be the man you need me to be, that’s all.”
“If he’s hurt the baby, Viktor, you won’t need to do anything because I swear, I’ll kill him myself,” Amelia mutters fiercely.
I squeeze her hand and lead her to the car. I open the back door and she gets in. I quickly walk over to the other side, and I climb in next to her.
“Can you take us to the hospital please Jerome?”