Chapter 39

Istorm out of the room, my blood boiling with a potent mix of rage and disgust. How could my own father stoop so low as to physically hurt Cora like that? And now he’s behind all this chaos - the hospital situation, the eviction, everything. I clench my fists, feeling the urge to pummel something, anything, to release this pent-up fury burning inside me.

I’m not even aware of the drive over to my father’s house. Couldn’t tell if I was speeding, ran a stop sign, a red light, or even caused a massive pileup behind me. I don’t care. I just need to confront him. I need to kill him for hurting her.

As I reach the front door, ready to make him pay for what he’s done, a figure steps into my path. It’s Aunt Heather, with her cold eyes and twisted smile that sends a shiver down my spine. She blocks my way with an air of authority that I’ve never dared to defy.

“Where do you think you’re going, Slater?” she asks, her voice laced with saccharine malice.

“I need to see my father. Now.”

“You’re not going anywhere until we’ve had a little chat.”

I try to push past her, but she grabs my arm with an iron grip that immobilizes me. Logically, I know I am physically stronger than this woman. I could easily overpower her and throw her off me, could go further even. But physical force means nothing when this woman’s poison courses through my veins. There is no logic when she’s around. Fight or flight becomes freeze or fawn, and I refused to fawn over this woman.

I turn to stone under her icy grip.

“Let me go, Heather. I have no time for your games,” I growl, my patience wearing thin as the urgency of the situation gnaws at me.

Her laughter rings in my ears like a sinister melody. “Oh, but this is no game, dear nephew. Your father has had to leave on urgent business, and he’s asked me to watch over you. We have some unfinished business to attend to.”

A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach as realization dawns on me. My father has not only abandoned me to face whatever twisted plans Aunt Heather has in store for me, but has willingly given me up to her like lamb to a slaughter. How did he know I’d come here? Am I that predictable, that easily manipulated? Or would she have come looking for me?

A part of me knows it’s ridiculous that either of them think I need watching over now that I’m a man and not a child, but I also know that it’s just a power play.

“No.” The word comes out so much more feeble than I intended. She laughs again.

“No? You don’t get to tell me no, boy. You’re mine, always have been, and I can do what I want with you.”

“I’m not a boy, and I’m done. I should have killed you at my birthday when I had the chance.”

“Is that any way to speak to your favorite aunt, boy?” she snarls, her eyes flashing dangerously. Her palm raises, and she backhands me across the face, but I barely feel it. I’m always numb in her presence, my mind immediately shutting down to protect me from the horrors I’ve endured in her company since before I was a teenager. “Be nicer to me, or I might just have to take your stepsister under my wing too.”

My blood runs cold at her casual mention of hurting Cora, and I curse under my breath as I clench my fists in frustration. I know I can’t protect Cora, and the thought of anything happening to her makes me feel helpless. Aunt Heather steps closer, her eyes narrowing as she takes in my fearful expression.

“You know what I want, Slater. And you know that if you refuse, it will be the last decision you ever make. So, you can either do as I say and save her from the mess you got yourself into, or you can watch her get hurt and possibly die because of you.”

I stare at her with pure hatred burning in my eyes. “You’ll get exactly what you deserve, Heather. I promise you that.”

With a final look of supreme disgust, I turn to leave. Aunt Heather calls after me, her voice dripping with menace.

“You’ll regret those words, Slater. And so will the woman you claim to love. Leave now, and I’ll make sure she never sees another sunrise. Or stay and play the role you’re so good at, my little toy.”

My hands are shaking, my mind whirling with a mix of anger, fear, and determination. I know what Aunt Heather wants from me, and I know the consequences of defying her. But I also know that I can’t let her hurt Cora, even if it means risking everything.

I take a deep breath and turn back to face Aunt Heather. “You know what? You’re right. This is exactly the kind of twisted game you’ve always played, and I’m done. I won’t let you hurt Cora or anyone else in my life. I’ll take my chances with you, and I’ll make sure that your evil schemes never come to fruition.”

Aunt Heather’s lips curl into a cruel smile. “You’re a fool, Slater. A foolish, foolish boy. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

I move forward, my eyes locked onto hers. “I’ve faced worse than you, Aunt Heather. And I’ve survived. I’ll protect Cora, and I’ll bring you down. You’re not invincible.”

Her eyes widen for a brief moment, before her facade of confidence returns. “You will lose, boy. And Cora will pay the price for your stubbornness.”

I nod. “Then let’s see who falls first. You and me, Heather. I won’t let you win.”

With that, I turn with every intention of storming out of the house, determination setting like stone in my heart. But before I can take a single step, Aunt Heather raises a familiar silver whistle to her lips and blows. The effect is instant, the need to fall to my knees, to submit and obey, overpowers me.

My legs giving out beneath me, the crushing force of her control overwhelming me. I hit the ground hard, my pride and determination shattered, as Aunt Heather crosses over to me, her twisted smile never faltering.

“This is your last chance, boy,” she hisses, her voice dripping with malice. “Do as I say, or you’ll regret it. Save yourself and Cora if you can. I won’t hold back this time. You’ve seen the games I play, and now it’s time to face the consequences.”

As she walks away, leaving me on the ground, I can’t help but internally scream in frustration. I’m not going to let her win, but I need to find a way to break free from her hold, to save Cora.

“Come, boy.”

The command is so strong, so all-consuming, that my mind screams in protest as my body obeys against my will. I have no choice but to follow her as she leads me to my fate. The twisted plans she has in store for me, for Cora, for everyone I hold dear. I know the consequences of defying her, and the pain of submission; but I also know that I cannot stand by and let her harm another.

Crawling on all fours the way she’s trained me to, Aunt Heather leads me to a room that I’ve seen before, a place of horror and despair.

Stairs down to the basement that I have to shuffle down.

“On the bed.”

I swallow the bile that threatens to rise in my throat as I force myself to obey, climbing onto the mattress. Aunt Heather smirks as she circles me, her eyes filled with an unsettling satisfaction.

“Remember what I said, boy,” she hisses, her voice low and threatening. “You’re mine to do with as I please. And I have plans for you that will make you wish you had listened to me in the first place. This is just the beginning.”

With that ominous warning, she exits the room, leaving me alone in my twisted fate. I lie there, staring at the ugly ceiling above me, trying to push away the despair that threatens to consume me.

But I can”t. I won”t.

I am not a boy anymore. I am not her you. I am not powerless. I am a man, and I will find a way to break free from her control, to save Cora and avenge the countless atrocities she has committed.

As the door creaks open and slams shut again, I know that this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. This is the battle I’ve been preparing for. Aunt Heather might think she has won, but she is gravely mistaken.

With every ounce of strength I have left, I focus on the one thing that has always been my saving grace: my love for Cora.