Six Years: A Betrayal Reborn

't alone. He was holding the hands of his two children.

ed. This was a ne

kids," Mark said with a

, Leo, stepped forward. He had Chloe's eyes. He

oy said, his voice small but clear. "Sh

ing my skin. It wasn't the boy's fault. He w

ue," I said, m

sked, keeping my voice lo

u're trying to destroy," Mark said, a smirk playing on

ook another step forward. "Mommy says you w

olent way, but in a quiet, final way. I

him to be like yo

e took a step back. I didn't move, didn't r

suddenly defensive. He shoved his

clumsy shove. I stumbled back against the coffee table, my se

and went down, making it look

ooking at his son. "You saw it

wide. The little g

miliation. He wasn't a fighter. He was a coward, an

s time he connected, his fist

nt of my shirt, his face close to mine.

You have no idea what we went through to clean up this mess. We paid them to g

sto

twisted face, his hateful

em to get

bandonment. It w

had hired criminals to abduct me and, apparently, to kill me. The plan had only half-worked

. The betrayal was so absolute, so monstro

what he'd said. Panic flashed in his eyes.

hildren. "Let's go, kids

later, one of the guards came in. He didn't

the floor i

over pasta salad from a cheap con

hungry," the guard sai

d left, lock

pasta, the bits of cheap ham

y hadn't just stolen my life. Now they were try

their betrayal a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs. T