Page 108 of The Fighter
Dad said something about being tired of people asking why Magni and Khan looked so different. “I’m fucking tired of the question.”
And Mom said, “I don’t believe anyone would ask you that question, Marcus.”
“Maybe not to my face, but people aren’t blind, Erika. Khan looks nothing like me and I see the question in people’s eyes.”
“He’s your son. You know he’s your son.”
“No, I don’t know that. Not after what happened.”
I couldn’t see Mom’s face, but I could hear her voice break when she spoke. “Marcus, please! You said that we would never speak of it. You said that no matter what, Khan would be your son.”
When Dad didn’t answer Mom cried hysterically, and I wanted so badly to go in and comfort her and tell Dad that he was wrong. Khan might be darker than me and Magni, but that’s just because Mom’s side of the family has brown hair and brown eyes. She has told us so many times.
But then my Dad hissed, “I know what I said. It doesn’t change that he’s not my blood, and we both know it. Every time I see the boy’s face, I’m reminded of it.”
After that I ran back to my own room, and now I’m shaking. I don’t know what to do. Should I tell Khan what I heard or not? Nothing will ever be the same now.
The room was dead silent as I stopped speaking and raised my gaze from the diary. It was like time had stopped; they all sat with stone faces.
Chewing on my lip, I looked at Leo, who moved a little closer to me.
“Dancing devils.” The small outburst from Magni woke them all up. “That’s some fucked-up shit right there.” He coughed.
Khan stood stoically close to me, his eyes on Erika, who was looking down. “Care to explain,Mother?”
My defense of Erika came fast. “Your mother didn’t cheat on your father if that’s what you think.”
Khan held a hand up to silence me and repeated his request for Erika to explain herself. “I’m listening.”
Erika didn’t meet his eyes; instead she looked at me. “Why don’t you tell them what happened?”
I swallowed hard and cleared my dry throat. “When Dina was a few months old, Lord Wolf came to see her.” My eyes darted around the room until they settled on the bedspread on Magni’s bed. “He and two of his generals drank with Marcus to celebrate a precious girl had been born and then things took a turn.” I paused. “The generals held down Marcus while Lord Wolf raped your mother.”
Pearl’s hand flew to her mouth. Mila gave an outcry and Laura got up from her chair with a row of cusswords, while Magni growled and stabbed a finger at his mother. “Why didn’t you ever tell us that? We could have avenged you.”
“How? Your father already killed Wolf and we were trying to move on with our lives. No one can know about this outside this room.”
My attention turned to Khan, who still hadn’t said a word. He seemed way too calm for someone who had just been told this kind of news.
“So that’s why Dad started the rebellion – or should I say, Marcus?”
Erika’s lower eyelashes were wet with tears. “He loved you and he was your dad.”
Khan scoffed. “Loved me. Huh. I don’t know if that man was capable of loving anyone, but this explains a lot.”
“That’s because you didn’t know Marcus before it happened. He was an artist and a loving husband.”
“Khan, it changes nothing,” Magni exclaimed looking paler than ever. “Even if people outside this room found out that I was the rightful heir to the country, it’s not like anyone is going to want your crippled brother as a ruler anyway.”
“Magni.” Laura gave him a pleading look. “Stop talking about yourself as a cripple.”
“Iama fucking cripple.” With his right hand Magni tore the blanket off, showing that from the knees down there was nothing. “Do you see any legs, Laura, huh? Do you?” He held up his left arm, which only went to a little under his elbow. “The sooner you realize that the man you married is gone, the better.”
Mila sat next to her dad with her legs pulled up in front of her and her face hiding against her knees. She had wrapped her arms around her legs and from the way her shoulders were bobbing I could tell she was crying.
“Should we take a break?” Leo asked Pearl.
“No. You people don’t get to take a fucking break. Welcome to my world where nothing makes sense and everything that comes at you isshit.” Magni’s anger gave color to his face and with the extensive scarring on his left side, he looked scary. “I can’t take a break from this joke of a body and you don’t get to take a break from the news you don’t like either. I demand that we keep going. If someone killed my sister, I want to know who did it.”
