Page 55 of Stand: Part One

If a child being born to this family was inevitable, maybe it would be better for me to be there. Perhaps it would be better for it to be mine because at least I would have standing to protest whatever “training” Darren would subject them to. No one would respect my objections to a child that wasn’t biologically mine. But the real mother? She held sway. It may not be very strong or effective, but she had a greater claim to it than anyone else. Which meant it had to be me.

Fuuucccckkkkk.

I didn’t even bother trying to leave the bed. I just stared up at the wall for God knows how long while Clive and Owen scowled at my refusal to acknowledge them. You’d think they’d appreciate the silence for once.

I sniffed the air when Carla brought in my breakfast, but I just let it sit there, too deep in thought to care about anything else.

“You’d better fucking eat something, Jaden,” warned Clive.

I clucked my tongue. “Nah.”

A collective sigh of annoyance made me smirk, but I wasn’t trying to be difficult on purpose. My stomach was just too full of knots and dread to fit anything else in it. Contemplating becoming the mother to a very powerful sadistic man’s child was enough to disrupt any woman’s appetite.

“Fine, then Camaro’s gone for the day.”

“Bye, girl,” I said sweetly with a wave as I saw them lead her away out of the corner of my eye. Truthfully, I didn’t think I had the energy for her anyway right now.

“First, you’re not sleeping, and now you’re not eating?” Owen commented. “Sorry, is your dumb bitch juice not to your liking this morning?”

I couldn’t help but snort. They always knew the right words to say.

“Did you guys know that Darren’s father used to have him and his brothers tortured for three days straight every single year while they were teenagers?”

And just like that, crickets. Absolute crickets.

“No? Hmm, okay then,” I murmured, my eyes suddenly fascinated with the ceiling.

“I did.” A different voice came from the doorway.

My eyes glanced to my left, finding Sid closing the door behind him.

“Oh look, my best buddy is here,” I teased, sitting up against the pillows.

Sid gave me a no-nonsense glare before he turned and addressed Tweedledee and Tweedledum. “Gentlemen, would you give us a moment, please?”

Groaning, the two fuckheads left the room and shut the door behind them while Sid took a seat on the nearby chaise.

“Okay, out with it. Let’s not pretend you don’t know why I’m here.”

I rolled my eyes and sat up straighter. Might as well get it over with and get him the hell out of here.

“You said you knew about Darren being tortured as a child?”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

“Were you there?”

“Toward the end, yes.”

I looked away. The shit he must have seen them endure.

“Darren just told me about it last night.”

“And it upset you,” Sid stated.

“Well, no shit, Sherlock. That’s a normal human reaction to something as horrific as that,” I snipped, leveling him with a glare.

“Unlike Darren’s?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.