Page 69 of Thorns of Silence

Our gazes stayed locked, tension filling the air while a small smile curled his lips.

“You think you can end me,” he snickered. “You won’t. You’re weak just likeher.”

Her.Did he mean my birth mother or the one who raised me? It didn’t matter. At least I wasn’t like him. At least not that he acknowledged. Although, sometimes I wondered. The enjoyment I found in torture. The way I fucked Phoenix.Shit.I couldn’t compare myself to him or I’d lose all my marbles for real.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I said, already picturing his pain and hearing his screams. Oh, they’d be perfect. The louder, the better.

He narrowed his eyes on me and cocked his head, almost as if he were considering the scenario of me killing him. Except something was off. Instead of worry, amusement crinkled in his eyes.

“You were always the weaker one,” he retorted. “You should’ve been born with a pussy like your mother wanted. You weren’t good enough for her, and you’re certainly not good enough for me.” Anger knotted in my stomach. He never considered me good enough, and I’d stopped trying a long time ago. “It’s kind of ironic, actually,” he went on as a vile smirk spread across his face.

“What is?” I should have known better than to ask.

“Your mother killed herself.” I closed my eyes, my heart thumping. He lit a cigar, the puffs of smoke swirling in the air. “Right after giving birth. She took one look at you and sliced her own jugular vein.”

I bared my teeth. “You’re lying.”

“Oh, I wish,” he said, still smiling. He was enjoying every second of this. “It really was such a shame. I liked having my pretty way with my bride.”

I knew exactly what that meant. He liked to force himself on women, make them cry and scream, hearing their sobs carry through the air. He got high off it, the sadist.

“You raped her,” I rasped.

He laughed long and hard. “Call it what you will, boy. She was my wife. Her cunt belonged to me, and she owed me an heir.” I couldn’t breathe, my vision turning red while the drumming in my ears became deafening. “It took her forever to deliver though.”

I glared at him, the hate searing through my veins like poison.

Father destroyed and ruined anyone he touched.

“The docile and sweet Francesca quickly turned into a rabid animal when you were born,” he continued. “She tried to kill you when she realized you weren’t a girl. When she failed, she killed herself. She preferred to die than live to see my son. She called you evil reincarnate. Dumb bitch.”

No wonder he hated me. Apparently so had my mother.

The invisible walls were closing in and my hands curled into fists, turning my knuckles white. I started to get lost in my head.

My mother predicted I’d turn into my father. I could’ve had a different life, but she abandoned me. Hated him. Hated me.

My throat closed up while my ears buzzed.

“Francesca could predict the future, it turns out,” he said. “You areworthless. It was the reason I refused to pay ransom. Fucking the daughter of my enemy.”

I stared at him beneath a furrowed brow, wondering what in the fuck he was talking about. He stood up, the corner of his lip curling in disgust. There was a challenge in his stance, hate in his eyes.

“Couldn’t get it up for anyone buther.” Dark brown hair… The woman who sometimes came to me in my visions. Was that who he was talking about? “You didn’t think I knew, did you?” I kept my face an expressionless mask, my teeth grinding together. “I know everything, son.”

“You know nothing, old man. You prey on the weak.” My tone turned sinister, provocative. “Pick someone your own size and then talk to me.”

He snickered. “All brave and shit, but still fucking your family.” I had no fucking idea what he was saying. He was probably grasping at straws. “You disgust me. Not even I would go that far.”

This conversation felt like a ton of bricks on my shoulders and chest, making it impossible to breathe.

“Want to know your mother’s last words to me?” He went on torturing me and continued without waiting for an answer. “She would have stayed for a daughter. But you… She hated you at first sight. She predicted you’d destroy everything you touched.”

I shot forward, my hand wrapping around his neck. “You fucking bastard,” I snarled, clenching my jaw. My fist flew through the air and hit his chest. Then I did it again. “Youdestroy everything you touch, not me,” I growled.

A gasp came from behind me, but I could barely hear it. I struck him again, his mouth opening and closing without a sound. Blood coursed through my veins, rage feeding the violence.

Child of rape.Punch.