Chapter Thirty-Two
I lie there on my knees and front, waiting for his next command.
“You can rest now,” he says, before he does up his pants and walks out of the room.
The tears begin to flow freely now.
I sit up and fix my dress. I want to go to the tub of water and rinse off, but I know he’ll be angry if I don’t ask permission first.
I curl up on the bed.
Rest.
He said I could rest.
I close my eyes and the throbbing pain fades away with my exhaustion.
“Mommy?”
I open my eyes and see Darby standing beside my bed.
“Mommy, Daddy has gone to town. Can we play now?” She touches my face with her soft little hand.
“Of course,” I say, even though I’m exhausted. Pater had me up all fucking night choking on his cock.
I get off the bed and take Darby’s hand, walking out the room with her. We go into the backyard where I see she’s laid out a blanket.
“We can have a tea party.” She sits down next to her one-eyed teddy bear.
“Oh, I love a tea party.”
My sweet Darby, she’s so innocent. As long as I keep Daddy happy, he’ll never hurt her.
I know in my heart I’m wrong, but I want to believe it.
I want to believe the cycle will be broken with me, that I’ll be the last.
“I’ll pour,” Darby says, looking up at me with those fiery eyes.
The Greene eyes.
His daughter.
His granddaughter.
A fucking incestuous stewing pot.
I take the cup she hands me.
“What’s this?” Luke says from the end of the garden.
We both look up at him. Darby with love, and a little hesitation.
I look up at him with hatred and fear.
“We’re having a tea party,” I finally muster up the courage to say.
“Am I invited?” he asks, sitting beside me.
“Of course, Daddy.” Darby hands him a cup. “This is yours. You drink with Mommy.”
I sit up.
Skylar is standing next to the bed, looking at me with Darby’s eyes.
I feel something inside of me break.
“What’s wrong?” I ask quietly. “Is everything okay?”
“You were crying in your sleep. Do you not like being our Mommy?” She bites her lip.
I stroke her face and smile. “I love being your mommy. But you must never forget your real mommy, even if she’s gone for now.”
“Daddy says she’s not coming back,” Skylar says, looking at me sadly. “Richter was upset, but Daddy took him into a room, and afterwards he said we can’t talk about her anymore.”
“You can always sneak away and talk to me about Mommy,” I whisper. “I knew her very well.”
“Was she beautiful like you?” Skylar asks, touching my face.
“Even more so.”
“I can’t remember her as much now. It’s been a really long time. And Daddy doesn’t have photos.”
I smile softly. “She had your eyes and your nose. In fact, if you look in the mirror at any time, you’ll see her because at your age she looked just like you.”