Page 86 of Sweet Possession

“Cora!”I yelled, preparing to throw myself in the water to get to her,but I was being held back by something.

“Daddy, please, you’re scaring me,”her voice broke through the darkstorm clouds surrounding me. I blinked several times, clearing the memory from my mind, my surroundings coming back into sharp focus.

Cora was standing in front of me, herHarry Potterbook discarded ina puddle, water droplets dripping down her smooth legs to her bare feet. Her little hands gripped my shirt, holding me back with more strength than I knew she had in her.

I looked down, jumping back in horror when I realized I’d beengripping her upper arms. Angry red marks marred her skin, leaving behind the imprint of my fingers.

I choked in horror. I’d hurt her. The one thing I promised I’d neverdo.

“Cora…I’m sorry,”I said, fear still gripping me in its sharp claws.“I…didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay, Daddy. You haven’t hurt me,”she replied, her eyes wide.

Scared.

I needed to get the fuck away from her. I was scaring her.

I was scaring myself.

“No, it’s not okay, Cora,”I ground out, clenching my teeth so hard Icould feel them cracking.“I need to go.”I turned, practically sprinting back to the house.

“Where are you going?”Cora yelled, trying to keep up with me.“Please, don’t go, Daddy,”she cried, ripping my heart to shreds.

But I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t think. The image of her floating facedown in the pool circled my head.

I was going to be sick.

“Stay in the house, Cora,” I growled with unrestrained anger. “And don’t go near that fucking pool.”

I was going to fill that damn pool in, that way she’d never fall in and drown.

I grabbed my keys and yanked the front door open before storming tomy car. The door almost ripped off its hinges with how hard I tugged it open.

Switching the ignition on, I floored it down my drive, peering in therearview mirrorjustbefore I pulled onto the road.

The last thing I saw was Cora standing in the doorway, tearsstreaking down her cheeks.

Chapter 24

Cora

Helpless, I watched as Fox sped down the driveway, dust kicking uparound the wheels of his car as he spun away so damn fast it was as if he was fleeing from the devil.

Brake lights illuminated when he reached the road, and for a second,I thought he was going to turn back around.

But he didn’t.

The angry roar of the engine filled the air as he pulled out of the drive,the noise diminishing the further away he got.

“Hey, what’s going on?”Savannah said, joining me at the front doorand staring at the empty driveway, frowning when she looked at the vacant space I was staring at.

“He thought I was here alone,”I whispered throughmy tears.

The look of utter devastation carved into his face when he stormedout of the house flashed through my mind. As the panic attack took hold of him, I tried to tell himthateverything was okay,thatSav hadjustpopped to the toilet, but no matter how loud I shouted, my words weren’t registering.

It was only when he grabbed me and I told him he was scaring methathe snapped out of it. He hadn’t hurt me. Sure, he’d left marks on my arm, but they were already fading. And I wasn’t scared of him, I was scaredforhim. I’d never seen him behavethatway, and I didn’t know what to do to help him.

When he turned and started running back to the house, I knew I hadno chance of getting through to him, he was lost in his head. Desperate to explain the situation, I chased after him, but he was in his car and speeding away before I could explainthatI wasn’t alone.