“I’ve already given you a snippet of what I’m up to, son. Athens will turn all of our financial issues around.” I take the water from his hands, open it, and take a long pull. “Now that we are married, what I say goes.”

“Does she know about this marriage?”

“Doesn’t matter what she does or doesn’t know, she is mine to do with as I please.” I watch his face for any indication that would suggest he wants her for himself. What he says next tells me all I need to know.

“Do what you want, I’ll be out of here sooner than you think, old man.” He leaves me standing there and heads up to his room. Interesting, so he doesn’t care about her. That’s good to know because he won’t have any problems with what’s going to happen once I inherit her fortune.

“Soon, I’ll have enough money to pay off those bastards and finally be free of them.” Time to go find mywife.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Athens

“Daddy,no!Please,ithurts.” I wail as the belt cracks against the skin of my backside and thunder booms from the sky up above. Daddy always gets like this when there’s a thunderstorm happening outside.

“You’re going to learn that what I say goes! I’m the man of the house, and you will do well to remember.” He grunts, lifting the belt higher each time he lets it rain down on my back.

“I’ll remember, Daddy, please stop.” Crying is something I can’t hold back, even though I know it upsets Daddy more, but what could I do? Take another beating like the good girl he wishes me to be?

“Begging won’t save you this time, Princess.”

“Cliff, stop this! It’s not her fault!” Mom shouts in the distance. She should know by now that her interfering will only lead to her receiving the same treatment or worse.

“Unless you want to be next, Marni, get your black ass out of here!” Daddy always uses racial slurs at us when he’s mad. It’s because Mommy is black and he’s white.

I don’t know when he turned so nasty and began hating us because of our skin color, but he does.

“Daddy, please. I’ll do whatever you want.” I sob.

“Oh, I know you will, Princess.” He growls, pausing his punishment long enough to pull down my shorts.

“Daddy?” I whisper.

“Shut your mouth, or this will not end well for you.” He slides them down around my ankles, dread begins to set in as I know what’s coming next.

“Daddy, please don’t.” I begin to sob when my mother comes running in.

“Cliff, stop this right now. She’s learned her les-” Mom stops when she sees my pants down around my ankles and Daddy’s hand hovering over my most private part. “What the fuck are you doing, Cliff?”

“Stay out of this, woman. She’s been a bad girl and bad girls get their punishments how their daddys see fit.” He growls as his fingers skim my girl parts from behind. He smacks me on my butt four times before he yanks me up, tossing me on the bed. “Get out!” He screams at Mommy and pushes her out of the room, slamming and locking the door in her face.

I never once laid eyes on her, thankful she can’t see the horror etched on mine.

“Mommy?” I cry into the covers as she bangs on the closed door.

“Get your little ass up here now and take this punishment until I come.” He begins to unzip his pants, letting them fall to the floor, then sits down on the bed. Pulling me up and throwing me on the bed while he hovers above me. “Wrap your hand around Daddy’s dick, just like I taught you.”

He sticks two fingers inside his mouth, spreads my legs apart, and rams them inside my private parts. I no longer cry out in pain when he does, because he does it so often that I’ve learned to ignore it. The next few days are always the worst.

“That’s my good, little girl, always so wet for Daddy.” His words make me sick, and I fight the urge to contain the bile that rises in my throat. “Stroke my dick, girl, or I’ll beat you blacker than you already are.” I wish I had the will to fight him off. One time I did, and he beat me so bad, I had to skip school for a week.

He starts making grunting noises as his fingers move in and out of me. I know he’s close, and I can’t wait for this to be over so I can suffer in silence.

“That’s it, Princess, make Daddy come.” He grunts, picking up speed with his fingers. In and out, round and round, in and out. God, please let this end and be the last time Daddy can hurt me like this. I silently pray to God because one day… He will answer my prayers.

Just as the thought leaves my mind, the door comes crashing open.

“Get the fuck off my baby girl… You sick bastard!” My eyes are shut so tight, that all I see is darkness. I hear a clicking noise and that has them flying open so fast, but I don’t have time to react. I see a gun point at Daddy as I let go of his private part. “Athens, baby, get over her as fast as you can. We are leaving.”