“Why?” I sob.
“Because she ruined us,” he growls, getting into my face, his face seething with rage. “She tried to hurt my brother. She was going to be our downfall—our ruin. So, she had to go,” Zach hisses in my ear. “She was smart, though. She caught on. See, Trent didn’t even know you existed until I put the thought in his head.” I shoot a quick glance at Trent who is frozen, staring at Zach like this is news to him. “I knew it would rile your sister up. She was so paranoid. So fucking angry all the damn time. But then, she kept pushing and threatening. I figured it would be fun to hurt you to get to her. You were her kryptonite.”
“You’re sick,” I choke.
I hate myself for the way I treated her back then, always thinking she was angry with me and hated me, but really, she was trying to protect me in her own way, all while dealing with the crippling loss of giving up her child. She thought pushing me away was the best way to do that.
Suddenly, I’m pushed out of Zach’s arms, and he’s shoved back. My relief is short-lived when Vincent’s hand wraps around my throat. He slams me into the wall, squeezing and cutting off my air supply. I try to suck in air, but it’s impossible. His hand is clamped around my neck like a vise. My feet kick out wildly, trying to gain traction.
His eyes look tortured, something shining in them. It’s anger and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. He gets up in my face, his nostrils flaring with each intake of breath, as he works to control his anger.
“She’s mine, isn’t she?”
I realize much too late why he would ask that question. My brain is struggling to keep up because of the lack of oxygen. Black spots dance before me, and I can feel my consciousness slipping. My eyes bulge, and I kick and jerk against his hold, clawing at him, gasping for breath. He must realize this because he loosens his grip, just enough to allow me to breathe, but not enough to allow me to get away.
I sputter and crouch against his hold on me as I try to catch my breath. I’m living my one true nightmare. Ever since I learned the truth about Ava and Madison, I tried to work out who Ava’s father could be. It was there in the back of my mind, the possibility. I just hoped it wouldn’t be true.
I shake my head, lying to him, anything to get him to turn away and forget her. Forget us. I need to get her out of here alive.
“Vincent…please.” My voice is weak as I plead with him. Setting my hand out between us placatingly, I rest it on his firm chest. His heart is pounding against his rib cage. “She’s just a little girl. Let her go, please. This is between us.”
“But it’s not, though, is it?” he says, his eyes narrowing. “Swear on your sister’s life that she isn’t mine, Mackenzie. Tell. Me!” he yells in my face, and I let out a cry of fear. I flinch away from him, my body trembling uncontrollably. “Tell me the fucking truth!” I jump at his booming voice. My gaze darts around as I try to find a solution, a way to protect myself long enough to get to Ava and get her out of here safely. There isn’t one.
Where the hell is Baz?
“She’s…she’s…”
“She’s mine!”
He lets go of me, storming away, back toward the hallway. I scramble after him, realizing he’s heading back toward her room, gait intent. He must have left her in there, so she wouldn’t see, just as I asked them to.
I yank on his arm, trying to halt his progression, but he tosses me aside like I’m a rag doll. My body smacks against the floor, pain slithering through my hip bone, but I scramble to my feet, chasing after him. I finally manage to get in front of him and try to halt him from going anywhere near Ava.
“Don’t do this!” I cry, my hands on his chest. “Please, she’s all I have left of her!”
Vincent stumbles at the admission. “How dare she…” he hisses. “How dare she fucking keep my goddamn kid from me? There was never any foreign exchange program, was there? I always wondered why she came back with a fucking bone to pick. She was so fucking angry.”
“Wouldn’t you be? You hurt her!”
“I didn’t mean to!” he yells, swiping a frustrated hand through his hair. “We were drunk. Just two stupid fucking kids. You think I wanted to hurt her? I fucking loved her!”
I jerk back at the admission, my stomach roiling. “Loved her? That’s not love, Vincent. You killed her.”
“No, I didn’t,” he grits.
My brows tug down. “What are you saying? That night in the car, you tried to kill me! You told me you killed her. You said it was you and Baz! Why would you lie?”
“I’m saying, that’s not the whole fucking story. I didn’t physically kill her, but I might as well have. I think we’ve established I lied about a lot of things that night.”
My stomach cramps.
“Then tell me. I’m tired of all the lies. Fucking tell me!” I yell, my voice echoing around us. I feel a presence close in behind me. Slowly, I turn, spotting Zach, a deathly still look on his face.
“It wasn’t any of them. It was me.”
Nine Years Ago
I can feel them closing in on me, trying to scare me. It won’t work. I’ve been through hell this last year. I’ve had my heart ripped out. I’ve had everything I’ve ever loved taken from me.
Giving away your child unwillingly leaves a taint. You can’t breathe, think, or live, without thinking about your child. I hate Vincent for doing this to me. For giving me no other choice. And my parents, they are the main culprits. The ones I can’t even stand to look at day in and day out.
I wanted to die in that hospital bed. I wanted to run away with her and never ever look back. And I realize now, that’s exactly what I should’ve done.
“You’re going to pay, Vincent. I promise you. I’ll spend my last breath making you pay for what you’ve done to me.” I’m so focused on Vincent, as I spout the words, that I don’t see Zach coming. His shove catches me off guard, and I lose my footing, stumbling. I smack the ground with a harsh thud, my head colliding with something sharp and hard. It’s enough to daze me. I lie there on the dirt, blackness stealing over my vision and pain snaking its way through my skull, as there’s a scuffle and yelling in the background.
“She’s the reason we’re falling apart!” Zach snaps, getting into Vincent’s face. Vince shoves him back.
“Fuck off. She’s a means to an end. You’re giving her too much credit.”
“Prove it then,” Zach challenges.
Fear digs its talons into my chest and rips me open violently when Vincent spares me a cold glance, then backs away, his body hard as a rock, giving Zach free rein. I let out a pained sob, when Zach turns, stomping toward me, and I realize what he’s going to do. I try to fight him off, but my limbs are suddenly weak, and the back of my head feels damp. My movements are slow, and my body feels as if it’s been drained of strength.
Zach tears at my clothes, and my sobs ring around us, intermingling with the reckless sway of branches and the stream nearby. As pain rips through my body, I keep my gaze fixed on Vincent, tears leaking down my cheeks. He tries so hard to remain calm, but I see it, the pain in his eyes. The anger brewing in his body, as he watches his friend defile me in order to prove a point.