“What changed?”

He runs a hand over his face and wipes his forefingers over his brows. “I don’t know. She escalated, I think.”

“Escalated?”

“One day, I came home and found her sitting in the bedroom. She was singing and brushing her hair with blood all over her hands. I ran straight to your room, scared she did something to you. Thankfully, you were sleeping safely.”

“W-What happened?”

His jaw clenches and I recognise the gesture as anger. Dad doesn’t show his emotions often, and I probably got my blank façade from him. “I found two children in the basement. They were on the verge of famine and their knees were scraped and cut horizontally. It was horrific.”

“Two of them?”

He throws a fleeting glance in my direction. “You saw them back then, but you don’t remember.”

“Were they… Alive?”

“Yes. The wound wasn’t fatal, but they were starving and on the verge of dying. Abigail usually fed the children and never laid a hand on them. When I asked her why she did that, she said they didn’t have Eli’s injury from when he fell off his bike so she fixed it.”

I gasp and cover my mouth with my free hand “And you still allowed her near children?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Not after that incident.”

“Thank God.”

“She took it out on you, princess.” He squeezes my hand in his. “I tried to protect you as best as I could, but I failed.”

“Dad, don’t say that.”

“I admit failing you. If I could go back in time, I would’ve locked her in the psychiatric ward.”

I shake my head. “I know you couldn’t. It was right after Eli’s death. If you and I lost both of them so close together, it would have ruined us.”

“It would’ve been worth it. At least, I wouldn’t have been separated from you for ten years.” He pauses. “And she wouldn’t have done what she did to Aiden.”

I perk up, blinking away the tears. “Why did she do that to him?”

“After the incident with the two children, Abby remained without a ‘fake Eli’ for three months. It messed her up badly so when she finally had Aiden, she took it out on him.” He runs a palm over his face. “I was busy with the aftermath of the Great Birmingham fire, HR, and police procedures so I didn’t come home for a while. If I did, none of this would’ve happened. Doesn’t matter anyway. What-ifs are…”

“Useless,” I say with him.

We smile with an edge of sadness at one another.

Dad taught me it’s useless to run after what-ifs when everything is said and done.

“We have each other now, princess. Nothing will keep us apart.”

The first droplet of rain hits my nose.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.”

We hurry in the direction of the house, and for a moment, I imagine myself as the little girl who hung onto Dad’s hand with all her might, giggling and screaming with delight as we ran in the rain.

The memory sends bolts of happiness through me.

Dad might be ruthless to the rest of the world, but to me, he’s just Daddy

However, I’m not that seven-year-old child anymore. I’m not blind to the facts in front of me.

For one, although Ma tortured Aiden, Dad was the one who kidnapped him. He was the one who started the vicious circle of ill fate between the Steel and King families.

Or maybe Jonathan is the one who started it by setting a fire that, while unintentional, killed dozens of people.

Jonathan and Ethan’s ambitions and hunger for power are the reasons behind this entire feud.

However, Ma was the one who tortured Aiden and took the fucked up situation a notch higher. She was the reason Alicia drove in the middle of a storm and crashed into the cliff.

Ma is the reason Aiden became a cruel monster.

My head hurts from the entire situation.

Dad’s phone rings as soon as we’re at the entrance. He takes a look at it then smiles at me. “Go in first. I have to take this.”

On my way inside, his no-nonsense voice drifts after me. “Yes. I want no mistakes… Perfect… Friday night…”

Agnus nods at me on his way to the kitchen. I smile back, but it’s awkward at best.

Not only was he watching me the entire time on Dad’s behalf, but he’s also Uncle Reg’s twin.

One was Ma’s supplier of orphan boys and the other is Dad’s right hand.

Weird dynamics.

I take the stairs and stop at the sound of music coming from Knox’s room across from mine.

He must’ve finished the job for Agnus.

Now that I think about it, we haven’t talked about returning to RES. Dad said he’ll move us back to a private school here in Birmingham; Teal and Knox’s school.

I haven’t made up my mind yet, but that’s probably due to the load of information my brain is trying to process.

If I talk to Knox, we might come to an agreement.

The sound of metal music blasts from the room. I knock, but there’s no response. He probably hasn’t heard me because of the music.

I push the door with my fingertips and then stop.

Knox is splayed on his back on the bed, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts. He’s laughing out loud while looking at his phone.

I’d bet a hundred he’s going through memes.

Teal rolls her eyes from her position at his desk. She’s going through some programming software and huffs as Knox laughs.

She has denim shorts without any stockings this time. I strain to read the quote on her blacktop.

A scar means I survived.

Just like mine and Aiden’s scars.

The words hit me harder than I like to admit.

We have those scars because we survived. We’re survivors.

Why the hell do I keep finding things to share with that bastard?

Teal hasn’t been exactly warm to me since I arrived, but she hasn’t been hostile either. She’s basically been ignoring me.

Both Knox and Dad told me to give her time, so that’s what I’m doing.

I’m curious about how they ended up with my father. They call him Dad, but neither of them is his biological child — per his confirmation the other day.

I’m about to knock again and go inside when something in my peripheral vision catches my eye.

A teddy bear sits on the shelves. It appears out of proportion for Knox’s room. The walls are all black and filled with metal graffitis about Metallica, Slipknot, and Megadeth. There shouldn’t be any teddy bears.

Oh, my God.

No, no, no...

This scene is familiar.

Way too familiar.

A shiver goes through my entire body as my mind jerks to the past.

* * *

“Daddy? Who are they?”

“Elsa? What are you doing here?” Dad stares down at me.

I grab his leg and lean to the side to stare at the door.

Two pairs of eyes look at me. One is light, the other is pitch black like the night outside. Their faces are all dirty like they haven’t showered for days. Their dark hair flies all over the place as if they don’t brush it.

I hug my teddy to my chest so tight, I’m sure I suffocate him.