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Stepping back. he looked at me with tear-filled eyes. “Sorry, kiddo.”
Hastily wiping his eyes, he drew in a shuddering breath. “Your mother would be ashamed of me right now. I should be strong for you when you’re hurting. Come now. You don’t have to be all alone anymore.”
I shook my head. How could he think Mom would want him to swallow his pain to look after me?
“Where have you been, sweetheart?” he asked, looking at me with concern-filled eyes. “Corey and Caleb have been searching for you everywhere. I was so afraid you were gone. They’ll be relieved to see you’ve come back.”
“I’m not going back.”
A serious expression came over him. “What do you mean? I’m taking you home right away. You look so cold, kiddo. We’ll go home and make sure you get a hot bath and some food—”
He stopped as I shook my head. “I’m not going back.”
I could see he was trying hard to find the right words. He was such a kind and loyal man, determined to do the decent thing for me. I felt truly sorry for him.
Bending down, he picked up the umbrella and held it over my head. Rain continued to pour on him, drenching him completely.
My heart ached for him. I never knew what it was to have a father but at that moment, I was sure Mom chose him to be my dad. No other man could treat me so patiently after I’d been missing for the past three days.
He was just doing his best to be there for me.
“Is it about what they did to you?” Brian asked in a grim tone. “Noah, Corey, Caleb...That video clip you sent to me and Mr. Jenkins...what was that about? Was the whole thing non-consensual? Did they hurt you? Why’s there a video of such a horrible—"
“They hurt me and used that clip to blackmail me,” I said in a blunt tone, meeting his somber gaze. “I didn’t want Mom or you to see it or know about it. Mom would’ve been heartbroken if she knew how much they hurt me. She’s no longer here, so none of it matters anymore. I wanted to make sure Noah couldn’t blackmail me again.”
“Blackmail?” His expression hardened. “Noah watched while his brothers defiled you?”
I cringed at that word.
“That clip didn’t look like they were forcing you, but if they did that to you, I’ll punish them,” Brian said in a thunderous voice. Anger pooled into his blue eyes. “I promise you that, kiddo. They won’t get away with hurting you.”
“So, you believe they forced me?” I asked in a breathless whisper.
For a long time, I didn’t fully trust him to believe in my version of the truth. No matter how good Brian was to me, I always thought he’d choose to believe his sons.
“I know my sons,” he replied in an icy tone. “And, I know you. They’ve never had any respect for me but I can’t believe they’d go so far as to hurt you that way. You should’ve told me sooner, honey.”
A sob escaped me as I flung myself at him and hugged him. The pain of not being able to talk to anyone for so long finally broke me. I held on to him, letting him see the pain I’d been suppressing these past months.
“I’m so, so sorry,” Brian said in a choked voice. He rubbed my back, comforting me and consoling me. “If I knew what you were going through, I’d have sent them away. I can’t believe I let them hurt you.”
I looked up at him.
“Do you want to bring charges against them?” Brian asked. “I’ll support you if that’s what you want to do. I’ll make sure they’re punished.”
I shook my head. “There’s no point in that anymore. They did what they did. Nothing we do will bring back my dignity or erase the wounds they inflicted on me.”
Brian stared at me. “You’ll forgive them, then?”
A wild laugh escaped me. “No. I’ll never forget and I’ll never forgive.”
Confusion flickered through his eyes. “I don’t think this is the right time or place to talk about such things. How about we return home? This time, I’ll make sure they don’t lay a hand on you. I’ll protect you. Trust me on that.”
“I trust you but I’m not going back to that house.”
“Where do you want to go?” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Please, Milla. Trust me. I’m here for you. Just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. Please, just come home with me.”
I considered his words. “Will you give me anything I ask for?”
