Chapter 28
Caydence
I watch the way the ring sparkles under the lights as Devon drives us home. I’ve never had anything this nice before in my life. I never imagined anyone wanting to marry me either.
And the fact that I said yes? I should be locked away somewhere, right? This can’t be happening, can it?
We pull up to the house, and Devon climbs out, coming to open my door. He helps me out with a smile on his face that says he’s happy he got what he wanted. Not that he doesn’t always. He holds my hand in his as we walk to the front door, and as soon as we step inside, I see it.
“Devon, No. You can’t.”
“Come on, Caydence. You don’t even know who it is,” he says as I look at someone with a bag over their head on their knees on the floor.
“It doesn’t matter! You can’t keep doing this!” I start to back up, but he stops me.
“This is it. I promise, this is it,” he tells me.
“Please, don’t.”
“You don’t know who it is, Caydence,” he snaps at me.
“It doesn’t fucking matter! You can’t do this again.”
“I don’t have a choice. Wyatt,” he says, and I watch as his friend walks around the corner and stands behind the person. “Pullthe hood off,” he orders. Wyatt does as he’s told and pulls the hood off, and I gasp in shock. I stumble back and hit the wall, confused.
“You get it now?” Devon asks me.
“Why is he here?”
“He’s your gift, baby. This is what I got you,” Devon tells me.
“Get him out of here,” I beg him. Devon laughs and shakes his head as I look at the asshole in front of me in the eyes. The asshole who abused me, used me, beat me, and tormented me.
“He can’t hurt you again, Caydence. In fact, he isn’t going to hurt anyone again.”
“Let him go.”
“No. Did you know you weren’t the only girl this piece of shit hurt? No. Come to find out, there have been many after you.”
“Stop,” I tell him, not wanting to hear it. My foster dad sits on his knees on the floor with a gag in his mouth, watching me, and it makes my stomach churn.
“Abused them. Broke their bones. Just like he did to you,” Devon reveals as my stomach drops. I shake my head as I look at him. He looks the same, only a little older, a little greyer.
“Devon, I can’t do this,” I tell him.
“This is it, Caydence. After him, that’s it.”
“There were others,” I tell him, knowing that he’ll go after anyone who hurt me, and I know it.
“Yeah, there were. But one died in a work accident and the other overdosed, so they took themselves out,” he informs me. I shake my head, not knowing what to do now. Devon walks over behind Tom and tugs at his hair so that he lifts his head further.
“I wanted to draw this one out, but seeing how we got engaged tonight, I’d much rather celebrate that.”
“Please, don’t. Not here,” I beg him. Devon doesn’t care that I’m begging. He’s doing this for me. Again.
“I’m sorry, Caydence. This has to be done. We have to be able to move forward from all this mess. You need to feel some sense of peace, and I’m going to make sure you get that.”
“We have to live here,” I tell him.