Page 29 of In Love After Office Hours

Book Two

Prologue

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO

Eleven-year-old Willem de Konigh’s backside stung painfully. He had a humiliatingly childish urge to cry, but he struggled to deny it. He fought hard to keep his gaze steady, his face expressionless.

Behind him, his father grunted, and Willem stiffened in preparation.

But it still took him by surprise.

It always did, the feel of the buckle of his father’s belt slamming hard, latching onto his skin, and his fists clenched tightly against his side.

It lasted for another seven minutes – he had counted it by the second to distract himself from the pain – before Willem heard his father sigh in satisfaction.

It was over.

But he remained still on his feet, knowing that it could be a trick. The one time he had tried to leave right away, thinking the silence meant his father had succumbed to a drunken stupor, Edgar had beaten him to an inch of his life, and Willem had to ask for a week’s absence from school.

He had made sure not to repeat the mistake after that.

The seconds ticked by. Willem dimly thought that his backside might be bleeding. If it were, then he would have to wash the stains off his pants himself. Edgar would be furious if any of the staff found out about his beatings.

A full minute passed.

Edgar started to snore.

Fear clenched inside him, but Willem forced himself to take a step. But his foot had barely landed on the floor when he heard his father start to laugh. “Youstupidboy. You thought it would be over just like that?”

A kick landed on Willem’s back, and as he fell down, he felt it—-

His father stepping on the end of his spine, grinding his shoe down on Willem’s body like he wanted to crush his son.

A cry escaped Willem.

His father laughed harder.

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