Page 58 of Through You
She and that man . . . He’s not our dad.”
I was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Mom—she’s doing things in her bed with that man who is not our dad.”
A cold feeling settled in my gut. I knew damn well what was taking place.
Sadly, I wasn’t proven wrong when our mother suddenly appeared outside my bedroom door. She was naked under a white blanket wrapped around her body.
“Ares! Come here! Right this second!” Although her tone was commanding, I also detected fear. Her eyes searched my face, surely trying to assess if Ares had had a chance to tell me what he’d witnessed.
I catapulted to my feet, pushed Ares aside, and made my way in her direction. My sudden reaction took my mother by surprise.
However, she wasn’t my target, so I walked past her and made my way down the hallway.
“Where is he?”
My mother shook her head. “Artemis.” She tried to grab one of my arms but I swiped her hand away.
I rushed to her room and kicked open the door. Inside, a strange man was just finishing buttoning his shirt.
I jumped on him in a flash and punched his face over and over, my muscles tight with anger. I was taller than him even though I was still a teenager, and my rage made me strong and unrestrained.
My mother shouted at me, demanding I leave him alone. I felt her hands on me as she tried to pull me away, but I couldn’t stop My mother’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away, much like the memories of her standing next to my father when she was smiling and promising that our family would always be united and stay together.
Liar.
Hypocrite.
The only words that came to mind were insults that I would never dare call my mother; still, they roamed freely inside my head.
The grunts that came out of my mouth as I punched the man under me had an underlying tinge of powerlessness. My knuckles ached and burned, but I couldn’t make myself stop.
I didn’t want to stop.
A warm hand landed gently on my cheek, and I was about to flick it away when I heard her voice. “Artemis.”
I stopped, holding my fist midair as I looked up. Claudia was kneeling in front of me, her unruly red hair framing her face.
She took her hand off my cheek and used it to take my wrist.
My breathing was fractured, making my shoulders rise and fall uncontrollably.
“That’s enough.”
I didn’t think it was.
She entwined her fingers with mine.
“You’re fine. This is enough. Let’s go.” I shook my head and she gave me a sad smile. “Please.”
I released my wrist from her grip and reluctantly stood.
I was about to resume my assault when my mother moved in to assist the man, kneeling beside him as he moaned in pain. I left the room to avoid turning into a murderer. Claudia walked behind me in silence. Out in the hallway, I turned my gaze to my room, where I’d left Ares. Claudia could read the concern in my expression.
“My mother is looking after him. She made some tea to soothe him, and she’s trying to distract him. You should calm down before seeing him. And we need to tend to the cuts on your hand.”
I was confused until I followed her gaze to my knuckles, which were bleeding profusely. They hadn’t hurt until then, as I finally took notice.
