Rebellion by Davis Siobhan

Author:Davis, Siobhan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-09T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Harlow

“Honey. It’s so good you’re home,” Mom says the following morning as I’m standing in the kitchen at the window, looking out over the back lawn. Her heels click across the tile floor as she heads for the coffeepot.

I turn around, clasping my hands around the mug I’m holding. “I waited up for you last night.”

Her spine stiffens. “We were out late.” She busies herself making coffee.

I walk toward her, pressing my hip into the counter and facing her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she says, finally glancing at me, and I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek.

Gently, I turn her face toward me. She’s wearing a ton of makeup, but it’s still not enough to disguise the swelling on her left cheek, and there’s no disguising the cut on her lip.

She pulls her face out of my grip. “Don’t, honey.”

“Why are you with him, Mom?”

“I love him.” She’s quick to reply as she removes bread from the breadbox.

“I’m not buying it.”

She pops the bread in the toaster, still averting her gaze. “I know that, and I hope in time you’ll warm to him.”

I harrumph. “That will never happen. He’s a monster.”

I’d love to tell her what he expects of me. That he’s salivating at the prospect of fucking me with his perverted buddies. But I won’t expose her to those truths because it’s not safe for her to know.

Doesn’t mean I can’t drop a few clues.

I shudder on purpose. “And I hate how he looks at me sometimes and how he’s finding more and more opportunities to touch me.”

Her face pales before she catches herself. “I’m sure you’re imagining it. He’s just trying to get closer to you, stepfather to stepdaughter.”

I can’t tell if she’s trying to convince herself or me. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” Sarcasm drips from my tone. “Not that he’s a sick bastard with grabby hands and perverted ideas.”

She rubs at her temples. “Harlow, you can’t talk about him like that.” She grabs my hands, her eyes pleading with me. “But if he makes you feel uncomfortable, perhaps, it’s best you keep your distance and do nothing to upset him.”

Her changing thoughts are giving me whiplash. “How about you give that pep talk to him, huh?”

Air whooshes out of her mouth, and she lets go of my hands, rubbing her temples again. “Can you please try? For my sake?”

“Why should I, Mom?” I top up my coffee as acid churns in my gut.

“Because you don’t have much longer left in this house, and it’ll be a much more pleasant experience for everyone if you act civil toward him.”

I shake my head. Un-fucking-believable. He’s using her as his punching bag, and she’s trying to smooth things over so I don’t upset him. She’s so weak it makes me sick. “What happened to you? Or are you so blind you can’t see what he’s doing to you?”

Her shoulders straighten, and the softness in her features evaporates. “My relationship is none of your business, Harlow. And all I ask is that you don’t argue with him.

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