Page 187 of Losing Faith

“Can we go upstairs?” I ask quietly as I trace his lower abdomen.

His stomach dips and I bite back a smile as I look up at him but he shakes his head. “Not for what you want, reina.”

My shoulders sag. “Please? I need to feel something else, Jackson. I need a different distraction.”

He shakes his head gently, his eyes full of sympathy as he watches me. “You know that’s impossible with her here,” he nearly whispers.

“I can’t be here.” I give up.

He nods in return as he takes my hand, kissing the back of it gently. “I’m not letting you leave.”

I let out a frustrated breath, but as I try to stand, he wraps his arm around me. “You can stay or call one of your siblings, but you know you shouldn’t be alone, and I know you want to go upstairs, but I don’t feel comfortable sleeping with you like this.”

I shake my head at him as I rub my temples.

He leans over for the markers. “Here. Draw something else.”

I bite my tongue, holding back on a chain of curses he doesn’t deserve.

Opening the markers, I mindlessly draw on his ribs. After a few minutes, Isabelle pulls up a chair to sit in front of us. I expect her to start drawing on her dad like I am but she turns to me instead.

“What happened here?” She rubs the scars on my thighs before her eyes land on my other leg and her brows pull together. “Are you bleeding?” She cringes as she looks at my bandaged leg and Jackson stops her from reaching for it.

“Not anymore,” I reassure her.

“Did that hurt?” She sits back down as she rubs my scars gently.

“Yeah, a little.”

She inspects every scar I put on myself and Jackson reaches for her again, but I push his hand away before he can stop her.

“I like how this feels.” She nods to herself as she rubs her tiny fingers along my leg.

“You think so?” I touch my leg and they feel horrible, every bump reminds me of the pain that made me cut as deep as I did time and time again. “I think they’re turning ugly,” I admit quietly.

She shakes her head gently before picking at one of my bigger scars. “I have a scar too.” She points at a faint line on her knee. “Daddy says scars are reminders of how strong we are.” She opens one of the markers mindlessly and draws a star around one of my scars.

A soft smile touches my lips and I feel my throat closing as she traces a rainbow on another scar before adding more stars. I watch her with teary eyes as she adds a piece of herself to the ugliest part of me.

“You’re so precious.” I quickly wipe my cheek when a tear falls. Mustering up another smile, I tuck a loose hair into her bun before holding her chubby face in my hand.

She smiles up at me before doing a double take. “Does it hurt?” She lifts the marker from my leg, but I quickly shake my head no.

“I just love you so much.”

She looks like she doesn’t understand me as her brows furrow. “You don’t have to cry, I’m right here.”

A soft laugh escapes me as I pull her onto the couch with us. I hug her close and her body goes limp as she lets out a groan.

“Ugh, too many hugs today.”

I stifle a laugh before kissing her cheek.

“Ugh, so many kisses. Stop being a little bitch.”

My cry mixes into a laugh as I bury my face in her neck. She taps my back gently and after a beat, I collect myself and pull away to look at Jackson who’s on his phone with a glare.

He starts calling someone on speaker and after a few rings, Sire answers. “Hey, did Lis call you?”

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