Forever With My Children

g of rough concrete scr

n't in the hospital. I was outside, in what looked

falling, soaking my

ing pain. I pushed myself up on

when I s

spiration." They were on their knees in a line, their faces bruised and bleeding. O

e just taking it, groaning in pain. It w

re? Why were the

me by the arms and dragged me over to the line of kneel

" one of t

pped. The guards stepped b

umbrella held over her head by a servant. She was no lon

ms. The child was burying his face in his fat

king on the wet pavement. They stopped a few fe

cold, filled with a

hear the words, but I saw the effect they had. Olivia' s gaze s

ice cutting through the quiet driz

nfused. "What are

d me everything! You hired these men to attack us! To

I could only stare at her in disbelief. I had be

voice shaking with a mixture of pain

k and clutching Lucas tighter. "Olivia, please, d

assion only st

uses. "You!" she commanded. "He was your employer

their faces a mixture

one of the

calm. "Beat him. Or the beating you just rece

afraid of her, but the idea of turning

and kicked the nearest muse hard in the

sage wa

e looked at me, his eyes filled with apology. "I' m sor

forced to become my torturers to save themselves. I curled into a ball on the groun

ked up at Olivia. She was watch

changed everything. The words t

d hear it over the sounds of the beating. "You thought you could come back and fix things. But you'

sto

e blows faded in

echoed i

nd c

t l

ts axis. It wasn't ju

kn

d been re