Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Emily wasn’t fazed by the tough days at St. Gabriel Reform Academy, or the Bennett family misunderstanding her and stirring up trouble. But the mere thought of Charles discovering the dark secrets from her past two years made her blood
run cold.
Bob could read her thoughts, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. ‘Poor kid,’ he thought. ‘What she’d been through these past two years had forced her to grow up way too fast.
He clapped her shoulder gently, his voice soft with sympathy. “Don’t talk about it if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”
He let out a quiet sigh. “They’re just bad memories, anyway. Better to leave them in the past. From now on, we’ll make sure she’s safe.’
“Don’t worry,” Bob soothed. “Charles doesn’t know a thing.”
Just seeing Emily’s bruises made his heart clench. He couldn’t even picture how crushed Charles would be when he learned the truth. What was worse, Charles’s health was so shaky lately that he couldn’t handle big swings in his mood.
Emily finally relaxed. She gave Bob’s sleeve a tiny tug, begging, “Bob, can you keep this secret for me?”
She used to do this all the time when she was little. Every time she felt wronged, she’d tug at his sleeve, pout, and snivel out her complaints. But now, she was asking him to hide her hurt.
Bob’s throat tightened. Quickly, he turned away, swiping at his eyes. “Of course, kiddo. I promise.”
Emily pretended not to hear the quiver in his voice. She picked at her meal, her mind already drifting to her plans to visit Charles once her IV drip was finished.
Bob had told her how Charles had fainted from rage. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she saw Charles with her own eyes.
Emily’s hospital room wasn’t far from Charles’s-they were on the same floor. As she stepped out, she collided with Lucas unexpectedly.
Lucas looked just as surprised to see her. Then, after a beat, his face flushed with anger. “Where are you going? Gonna go start something with Lydia again?”
Emily stepped back fast, her eyes sharp and wary. Lucas had always been hotheaded-when he got mad, he didn’t think straight. Back in the day, she’d bailed him out of more scrapes than she could count.
The fear flickering across Emily’s face caught Lucas in his tracks, his anger choking in his throat. “What’s this about?” he demanded, his expression darkening. “Trying to play the victim again? Make me look like the bad guy?”
‘I know how this works. If someone walks in and sees her looking scared while I’m worked up, they’ll think I’m the one harassing her,’ he thought, glancing around out of reflex. Seeing no one around, he relaxed.
He turned back to Emily, as if he had seen through her, and scoffed, “You put on that poor-little-me show for Grandpa and got him so riled up he hit me. Must feel pretty good, right?”
Only then did Emily notice Lucas’s swollen cheek. ‘Grandpa Charles hit him?’ she thought, a heavy, guilty weight sinking into her chest.
Lucas was the youngest Bennett, and Charles had showered him with the same affection he gave Emily. But this time, Charles had slapped Lucas and collapsed from sheer fury. It was clear how deeply the other Bennetts had pushed him over the edge.
Noticing her staring, Lucas unconsciously tilted his chin, pushing out the bruised side of his face.
Back in the day, every time he got into a fight, Emily would tend to his wounds and ask if it hurt, vowing to get back at whoever had hurt him.