Page 69 of Uprising

“Me too.”

“I hate Darius the most.”

I squeeze her tighter, hearing the venom in her voice, hating the sound of his name on her lips.

“He hurts mummy. He hurts her and tells her it’s her fault.”

My stomach drops at that. It takes all my strength not to lose my shit. “What?”

She looks at me, and I see it all the trauma there in her face. “He’s a liar daddy. A nasty, horrible liar.”

“Yes he is.” I reply as those words sink in. As it really hits home how much Rose is suffering right now.

Rose

We’re sat, facing each other across the ornate dining table.

He’s staring at me.

And I’m staring at my plate unsure how I can even manage a mouthful. My hands are practically useless, I can only just hold the fork in my right hand. I guess he’ll be keeping me locked here, out of view until the bones heal because he wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea now would he?

But she is gone.

My daughter is gone.

The room feels empty, the house feels more desolate than ever. Like I’m living in a tomb, a mausoleum and I’m just biding my time, waiting till he does enough to kill me.

He hasn’t even said what school she’s at. Hasn’t even said that she’s okay.

But he seems happier, like some great weight has lifted. Did her presence really affect him that much? I guess so considering she was a walking reminder of everything me and Roman were. Everything I would kill to get back.

He takes a sip of his wine before letting out a long sigh.

“I don’t want to be like this.” He says.

“Like what?” I ask.

“This.”

I look at him and then instantly regret it. All those emotions, all that hate comes flooding back. It’s all I can do not to pick up the knife in front of me and gut him.

“I love you Rose.” He says.

“No you don’t.” I reply.

He shakes his head, slamming his fist onto the table, making me half jump out of my chair. “Why are you so difficult?”

“What else did you expect?”

He snarls, clenching his fists once more. “You weren’t like this with Paris. You were obedient to him.”

I let out a laugh and it sounds so hollow, echoing off the walls.

“No I wasn’t.” I say.

He tilts his head. “I watched you, I saw how the two of you were. You were his perfect wife.”

My stomach twists, maybe that’s what the world saw but that wasn’t how I was. I just got very good a pretending when we were out in public.

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