Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Dammit! I finished the diary with Alba at the pub, got drunk, and drowned my tears in vodka as she rubbed my back.
I get home, and this is Victor’s version of a surprise.
No rest for the friggen weary.
Dad hobbles after me. “Murder him? Have you lost your mind? Upon arrival, Tudor disrespects me and now my own child. What has gotten into you?”
I pause just inside the sitting room and reconsider favoring the chair I sat in while reading much of Momma’s journal.
I nod my head to the designer couches. “Please sit. I’ll be sure to tell you exactly what has gotten into me.” Jonah.
“No. I will not sit.” The man I once knew as Dad scoffs.
“Okay, just a second, please.” I step out of the room. As I suspected, Victor is standing in the hallway as if prepared for any sudden movement.
“Hey, I’m good, baby,” I tell him and start up the stairs. When I come back down with my mother’s diary, Victor is still standing next to the chaise lounge right outside the sitting room. What war is he preparing for?
Inside, Dad has finally settled down. I place Gina’s journal on the marble slab coffee table and slide it over to Jonah with my index finger. Wild, bewildered eyes latch onto mine. An unsteady hand claims the journal.
“Wha-what is this?” His eyes roam left to right as he turns the pages. “What is this?”
“Gina’s writing. Your wife's journal. She fell in love with Charles. But honestly, I’m going out on the limb to say, Momma always forgave you for all the cheating, but it took her a while to catch up. She was raped one night when I was a little girl. Where the fuck were you, huh?”
“I . . .” Guilt clings to Jonah’s squared shoulders.
“Oh, go ahead, Dad. You’re quite innocent these days. Working and watching wholesome, old TV shows that don’t have one fucking cuss word. You are perfect, now, huh?” I nod. “But you were out sleeping with one of your bitches while I was sick as a dog. Momma left me with Grammy to get medicine. Someone molested your wife. You aren’t a fucking protector. You aren’t a husband.”
“Luxury!” Jonah’s shout reverberates from the walls, but it doesn’t move me. “Those are lies.”
“For a year, Momma couldn't even think straight. I remember it. I was seven—right after she was sexually accosted—had to be. She always kept me by her side. I couldn’t go down the street anymore. God forbid I wanted to spend the night at my two friends’ apartment across the way—the only friends that didn’t make me feel ugly.”
He groans.
“I internalized her demeanor. Drew into myself. Became shyer while your wife jumped at the sight of any man walking by. You still couldn't stay monogamous after that. What kinda moral support did you provide? Where were the vows you made to your wife before God? She never found out, never found out who did it.” My voice shatters.
Appearing finished with our discussion, Dad takes in the pristine room, avoiding my face.
“Finally, Gina realized who really loved her. Who called when she was dealing with the traumatic triggers,” I snap, “the thoughts that fuck up a person’s mind after being raped? Charles reminded her of her worth as he always had. For years, he was that constant in her life. Uncle Red loved her. Mom loved him.”
“That's a lie!”
“Why did he take her on you guy’s first date?”
“She found him more attractive.”
“Fortunately, Momma had a habit of writing verbatim the sweet shit and the fucked-up shit. Case in point, during a time you demeaned her, you said, ‘I told Charles to take you to dinner. He just got his heart broken, and I heard around town you wouldn’t fu—’ ”
“Luxury!”
“Fast forward years later, when you found out that they were in love, Dad, you tried to murder Uncle Red!”
“If you call that motherfucker your uncle one more time!” My father jumps to his feet, grimacing as his hand zips toward his side.
“Hmmm, you’re in pain. Uncle Red tried to kill you. The cold part about it is you tried to burn him alive.”
“Yeah, I torched Everhart's lab. I would do it again. He should’ve died!”
Victor is in the room in seconds. His presence makes Jonah take a shaky, psychotic laugh. “What are you going to do? Lie to my child? Turn her into your little whore—”
My hands form fists at my sides. “Isn't that what you called my mom? After years of cheating on your part. You had the audacity?”
39
Luxury
Dad lunges toward me.
Victor towers over my father, raising his chin. Without a word, Victor’s intimidating height speaks volumes. While my father’s eclipsed in a shadow of deceit, my man emanates light and the protective capacity that any woman would dream of.
Jonah places his hands up in frustration. “Luxury, you missed so many spankings as a child because of your mother. Now, listen here, you stupid girl. This book of yours is a lie.” He picks it up from the table and tosses it at my feet.