"Never Before have I struggled to leave but that was until he decided to stay."
°•°•°
Amber Night is not really fond of running from one town to another but she has no choice. After a year of constant running, she finally settles down in a small tow...
"What happened to you?" I ask in a low voice as I brush a hand on his bruised face. He doesn't wince at my touch.
"Just got into a fight," he says and tries to sit up. I help him to do so. I sit on the bed, facing him.
"Why did you agree to do this, Caleb? Henry had no bad intentions for me. I did nothing to him." Except for kicking him at the very sensitive area.
"You have no idea what Henry would do to you, Amber. He is a rapist," he tells me and I wasn't surprised by his statement. I had seen that coming.
"You agreed to let him hit you so badly for...umm...me?" I question with confusion and adoration. He remains silent and nods slightly. I can't help, but throw my arms around him. He hugs me back tightly but, winces a bit when I hug him tighter. I immediately pull him away.
Awkward silence is filled in the room until Caleb sighs. "Charles and I are brothers. We have the same father but, different mothers."
I widen my eyes. "What? Your dad was with two ladies at the same time?"
"He was screwing both the sisters," he admits uncomfortably. He doesn't speak about this much, but that explains why he was similar features since they share the same father and two sisters as their mothers. That sucks.
"Where is he?" I ask, sounding a little bit nosy. He doesn't reply for another five minutes or so. He stares down at his bruised body for a while and finally looks up.
"When I saw your dad at the hospital, I was reminded of my father who we thought was a gentleman until my mom found out."
It still doesn't make sense to me. "Your mother's sister let him have her even when he was married?" Caleb shrugs uncomfortably.
"You don't have to share everything with-" before I could complete my sentence, he cuts me in.
"No, I want to speak to you, Amber. I don't often speak about it but, I want you to know why I am like this. Why I push people away." His voice is raspy. I nod, allowing him to continue. I wish I could open up, too.
"My mom never married him. It was a secret relationship because he didn't like all PDA and stuff. Turns out that he didn't like that because he was with her sister, too."
"Yet my mother didn't care about it. She forgave him when he said that he loves her. Soon, they got married. But, then, mom found out that he was with some other woman the entire time so, when she confronted him, he left us without telling anyone. My mom sea-" his voice cracks and I could see tears in his eyes but, he fights to keep them. I lean and hug him for longer than I thought.
"How old were you?" I ask with concern.
"Five, " he answers in a shallow voice. I imagine five-year-old Caleb, having fun with his parents until one morning he wakes to find himself alone...without his dad. I feel so horrible for him. He had to grow up with a single parent. Laura has been through so much, too yet, I couldn't even see a hint of sadness in her eyes. She is happy. Happy to have her son with her.
A part of me is glad that Caleb trusts me and decided to share his backstory, but the other part can't believe he actually told me everything. This is the thing I least expected and I hate that I can't share my darkest of secrets. I don't want to lose him by telling the truth. But I can tell him a part of it.
"We all lived happily. Mom, Dad, Charlie, and I. My cousins and I always went to Italy every summer. But one day, at my house...ugh..things changed." I gulp at the awful memory. Tears prickles my eyes and I forbid myself to let the cat out of the bag. No, no. I can't do this.
"What happened?" He asks with caution. My watery eyes meet his and I blink rapidly letting one drop of tear escape my eyes.
I take a deep breath. "Re-" before I could say anything, I burst into sobs. I really can't say this. I want to tell Caleb every single thing, but I can't. Not because I've been forbidden to do so. The memories that flash in my mind are horrible.
"My cousin died right in front of my eyes," I manage to say through my tears. Caleb sighs and cups my face, making sure of the scar that I have. He pulls me closer to him and lets me place my head on his chest as I cry uncontrollably. His naked chest was hard, but this slight gesture was enough to make me feel comfortable.
My eyes feel heavy as I listen to his rhythmic heartbeat. Before my sleep takes over me, I faintly remember him burying himself in my hair and placing a small kiss.
(A peek into their past!)
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