Page 13 of Grave Kisses
“What’s wrong?” Noel asks, walking into the living room. “Sit her down. Did Marcus do something?”
I’m practically sobbing as he sits beside me so that he can hold me while I cry.
“What the fuck is she doing here? Are you fucking kidding me?!” Marcus yells at his parents.
“Tell me, Kendra. What happened?” Martin asks softly while Noel tells her son to shut the fuck up.
“He’s… helping Archer. He said… Archer is taking me to court,” I choke out. “I can’t lose this company. I promised him… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
I try to stand up, but Martin grabs me in a tight hug and pulls me into his lap as the rest of my emotions burst out, and I’m nearly hysterical. I have kept all of this inside for a week now, letting a little bit out at a time so it doesn’t overwhelm me. Right now, it’s too much to handle.
After a few minutes, Martin lets me move back to sit on the couch and holds my face so I look at him. “I promise you right now, Kendra. No one is taking that company from you. Okay? No one. I will be damned if Archer ever hurts you again.”
“Him hurt her? She’s the one—” Marcus starts to say as he walks closer, but Martin jumps up and gets in his son's face.
“Archer raped her for twelve fucking hours, Marcus. She was a fucking child, and he hurt her. I am the one who helped Alan take care of her. I am the one who sat there while I watched her sob in his arms because she was in so much pain. Alan was like her father, and if you could stop for two fucking seconds to realize that she is grieving, we wouldn’t be here. I don’t know what you did, but you are going to fucking fix it. Don’t think fora second I can’t take that company back from you. If you help Archer hurt her again, you are no son of mine,” Martin yells.
“Dad…”
“He was her foster father,” Bellamy says simply. “The day she found Alan dead, she had the adoption papers ready. She didn’t want to feel like she was intentionally replacing Archer. She never wanted to do that. Alan did that on his own, and you’ve been torturing his fucking daughter all week.”
“You knew?” Marcus asks. “Why didn’t you—”
“Why didn't I what, Marcus? Why didn’t I tell you that you were being a fucking asshole? I did. Why didn’t I tell you that she was grieving? I did. You didn’t fucking listen. It was not my place to tell her story. Yes, I knew. That woman has done nothing to deserve how you have treated her,” Bellamy says with a grave tone.
Marcus sits on the ottoman across from me, and Martin lifts my chin. “If he says something stupid, punch him in the face again,” Martin says, making me smile.
“Okay,” I sniff. Martin pats my leg, glares at his son, and leads everyone into the kitchen. Bellamy stays behind but keeps his distance.
“Kendra…”
“Why?” I ask. “Why did you care so much who I was to him? Did you think so low of him that you would think that he was dumb enough to be tricked?”
“No… I mean, I guess… I always assumed that he was alone. He was so content being alone. I thought he was just… fuck,” Marcus says, but stops and lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Kendra. Truly.”
“If I had told you and not your father. Would you have believed me?” I ask.
“Why would you lie about being raped?” he asks. “But honestly… I don’t know. Archer has been saying all week that you manipulated his dad, and he believed you because he was desperate to have a daughter again.”
“Again?” I ask. “I never knew of him having any other kids.”
“Let’s just… start from the beginning. Can we do that?” Marcus asks.
I do as he has suggested and start from the beginning. I explain everything from the rape to the recovery to the years that followed, leading up to Alan’s death. I talked about all of our happy memories and how that man saved my life. He saved me from myself more times than I can count. By the time I stop rambling, Marcus has tears in his eyes.
“I thought for years that Dad was cheating on Mom,” he says. “I kept telling her, and she said that it was okay and to mind my own business… When I would ask him, he would just chuckle.”
“I should have just explained,” I say. “I spent so many years trying to be as invisible as possible. I wasn’t ready to face the consequences.”
“What do you mean?” Marcus asks.
“Archer… the entire time he was raping me. He kept saying that no matter where I went, he would find me if I opened my mouth. The fact that I told his father and it led to him losing everything… Part of me is still that terrified teenager praying he doesn’t come back for me… but he has,” I say.
“If the adoption papers had been signed, Archer wouldn’t have a case at all,” Marcus says.
“Your dad said that Alan kept signed ones in his safe at home. All I would have to do is sign them, and Jesse could take care of it,” I sniff. “I haven’t been to the house since I found him. Hell, I didn’t even go past the living room.”
“Shit,” Marcus sighs.
