Page 33 of Ravage God

Dad looked at me once, his gaze making my blood run cold, before he turned and walked away.

“Has he always been like that with you?” Valentino asked.

“Like what?” I said casually.

He frowned at me. “I don’t know. Hostile.”

I shook my head. “You know how it is with him.”

He looked like he wanted to say something more to that when I feigned a yawn. “Can we go?”

His face softened. “Yeah, sweetheart. Let’s go home.”

I nodded and followed him out. Just as I was about to cross over the entryway leading out of the ballroom, movement from my left caught my attention, and I turned to see Elio talking to a server in the corner. She was standing with her back against the wall while he stood close to her, his face bent toward her. The position was an intimate one.

He said something to her, and she nodded before he led her out the back. Just before he turned and disappeared from my sight, he looked up suddenly, and our eyes met and held. I felt my heart shattering into a million little pieces. It was obvious where he was taking her and why.

I looked away from him first, no longer wanting to see any more.

I wished I didn’t care. I wished it didn’t hurt so badly.

And there was a part of me that hated the fact that he could still be so free to do whatever he wanted, whereas I was…

I was still trapped and unable to get out.

A week had passedsince the night of Luna’s birthday party.

It was past midnight, and I was wide awake.

In the main level of the house, I could hear Dad stumbling around the kitchen, the clinking of beer bottles as they clanged against each other, loud in my ears.

If he wasn’t drunk already, he was well on his way.

The door to my room was locked, but I knew that wouldn’t stop him if he really wanted to get in. Luckily, when Dad got like this, he usually just wanted to be alone with his drinks. As long as I stayed in my room for the rest of the night, I should be safe, right?

I didn’t know anymore.

A part of me wanted to sneak out through my window and walk over to Valentino’s apartment, but I was trying hard to resist the urge to escape over there so often.

I wanted to give Valentino a break from me. And things hadn’t been awful today. Dad usually wasn’t so bad to deal with. It was only when he drank?—

I flinched when I heard the beer bottle falling to the kitchen floor and breaking. Dad let out a loud curse. I closed my eyes and stayed where I was for only a few long seconds before I flung the blanket away from me and stood up. I walked over to the closet, changed out of my pajamas, and threw on my shoes. I moved over to the window without thinking. The old tree there was good enough for me to climb out onto. As soon as my feet touched the grass, I ran.

I didn’t know where I was running off to, and at this point, it didn’t matter. I just wanted to be as far away from the house as possible.

I tookin the glimmering lights of Las Vegas at night.

More specifically, the strip. Surrounded by glitz and glamour, I was able to go unnoticed.

It helped that most people were probably too drunk out of their minds to notice me, and that no one even knew who I was. Out here, I was just another person wandering around on the strip.

There was something freeing about it.

I wished I had the good sense to bring more than the little cash I had with me. I stopped in front of a convenience store. It was still open. Most of the businesses on the strip were open, despite the late hours. If I spent this cash, I wouldn’t have enough to call for a ride to get me home.

By the time I needed to head back, I would either have to call Tommaso to come pick me up or would be walking the six miles back to the house.

Or I could save the cash for when I would need it later to pay for a ride.