Page 88 of Because I Liked A Boy
My chest heaved, but the knife twisted deeper when he said, soft and lethal: “You killed Nathan. Don’t think I’ve forgotten. You were behind the wheel that night. You walked away while my son bled out. You killed him. And now you’ve abandoned his sister too. Tell me—how long before Penny ends up in the ground because of you?”
Tears blurred my vision. “Stop it.”
“You’re a coward,” he hissed. “You ran from London. You ran from me. And now you hide in some nothing town, pretending you’re not a disgrace. But do you know what, Isabella? You’ll never outrun who you are.”
My lungs burned. “You’re lying. You’re twisting this.”
He laughed, cruel and mocking. “Am I? Penny doesn’t think so. She asks for you. Over and over. She doesn’t want me. She doesn’t want her mother. She wants you. And you’re not here.”
The line went dead.
I sat frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear, tears spilling fast.
“Belle?” Ruby’s voice cut in, cautious at first. But when she saw my face, the bowl slipped from her hand, cereal scattering across the table. She rushed tome, panic sharp in her voice. “Jesus Christ what did he say?”
I choked on a sob, forcing the words out. “Penny. He said she’s asking for me. That she’s crying for me every night. And then he said I killed Nathan. That I’m a coward. That I’ll ruin her too.”
Ruby’s hands landed firm on my shoulders, steadying me. “Belle. Look at me.” Her eyes blazed. “Don’t you dare repeat his bullshit like it’s gospel. He’s manipulating you. That’s what he does, right? He finds the softest part of you and twists until you bleed.”
The fight left me in a rush. I crumpled against her, sobbing hard, her arms wrapping me up. She didn’t know Nathan the way I had. She didn’t know my father. But she didn’t need to she could see what his words did to me, how they hollowed me out until all that was left was guilt and ash.
“He’s not right,” Ruby whispered fiercely into my hair. “He’s a monster. And monsters lie. That’s all this is.”
But the guilt still tore through me. Because beneath every cruel word, one truth remained sharp and unbearable Penny wanted me. And I wasn’t there.
I pulled back, wiping my swollen face. My voice cracked as I whispered, “I have to go home.”
Ruby jerked back, eyes wide. “No. Absolutely not. That’s exactly what he wants. He’ll crush you, Belle.”
My chest heaved. “Ruby, she needs me. She’s just a kid, stuck in that house with him. If I don’t go… she’ll think I don’t care. She’ll think I abandoned her too.”
Ruby gripped my hands tight. “You can’t walk back into his world justbecause he dangled her like bait. He’s using her to reel you in.”
“I don’t care!” The words ripped out of me, fierce and broken. “If there’s even a chance she’s crying for me, I can’t stay here. She’s my sister, Ruby. I can’t ignore her.”
Ruby’s face twisted, torn between anger and grief. Her voice cracked. “If you go back, I don’t know if you’ll come out.”
I squeezed her hands harder, desperate. “Then promise me you’ll be here if I do. Promise me you won’t let me vanish into him again.”
Her eyes glistened. “I’ll always be here. But, Belle… don’t let him convince you of anything. Not your dad, not Hunter. Nobody. Promise me.”
My throat burned, but I nodded. “I promise.”
Later, upstairs, I packed fast, clothes shoved into a bag with trembling hands. Ruby lingered in the doorway, arms crossed like she could hold me there with sheer will.
“When you come back,” she said firmly, “this house will be waiting. Clean, stocked, safe.”
Her words made my chest ache so hard I almost broke again. When I come back. But I knew better.
I wasn’t coming back. Not really. Because if I stepped onto that train, if I walked into my father’s world again, it wouldn’t spit me out whole. Maplewood had been a dream, but Penny was my reality. And if saving her meant sacrificing myself, then so be it.
I forced a smile for Ruby’s sake. “Thanks.”
She hugged me so tight it hurt. “A week. Then I expect to see your stubborn ass back here.”
“A week,” I echoed.
But as I zipped the bag and slid it onto my shoulder, the truth pressed sharp against my ribs. I was lying. Because I wasn’t planning to come back.
