He points his finger in the direction of the bed and my eyes follow.

              “You’re right.”

I stand tall and defiant. I do need to eat. I definitely don’t want him to put his hands on me ever again, and I need the strength to fight. Stepping aside so I can make my way past him, I plop my ass on the bed and cross my legs. I lift up the lid of the pizza box, and oh God, the smell of it makes me realize I am famished.

Not giving a shit, I pick up a piece and devour it like the starving woman I am. Opening one of the bottles of water that is lying next to the box of pizza, I down it and grab one more slice. I scooch my body back until I hit the headboard and then stretch my legs out in front of me. Like a good little girl obeying her parents, I finish off my pizza as I watch Trent grab the box and sit at the small table next to the window.

Within five minutes he has the rest of the pizza gone and tosses the box onto the floor. He slumps back in his chair. His body language gives away the fact that he is frustrated as he runs his hands down his face and then rubs the back of his neck. Welcome to the club, asshole.

Minutes tick by in this small, confined room and I start to shake my foot for no particular reason at all.

              “We need to talk about a few things I need from you, Clove.”

He breaks the spell of silence. What could he possibly need from me? This is the second time he has mentioned this. What could I possibly have to do with him getting his hands on all those stupid fucking millions of dollars he craves?

“I don’t know what I have that you need or how I can help you in any way.”

Truthfully I couldn’t care less what he thinks he needs from me, but then again, this isn’t about me. I need to get my head out of my ass and get it on straight to try and get to Turner, so I plaster on what has got to be the fakest smile in all of fake smile history as I turn and look at him.

“What is it you need?”

Good girl, Clove. You sounded strong and confident, and even though you are dying inside, do not look away from him. He already knows you’re scared to death of him and he could crush you completely again and leave you with absolutely nothing. With a will I didn’t even know I possessed, I hold his stare with icy, hate-filled eyes.

              “I need my brother’s signature on a few documents and he refuses. You are the only one who I believe can make him sign.”

His smug look and attitude have me laughing inside. I’ll be damned. Trent and his dear old dad can’t do a damn thing without Turner’s signature. If my husband has refused, then I need to play the rest of this game out right. There is no way in fucking hell I will make him sign a damn thing.

Until I see my husband, I am going to make a few demands of my own. This bastard is going to do exactly what I say. I muster my courage and swing my legs off of the side of the bed. When I turn and meet his gaze again, I enjoy seeing the wind taken out of his sails. I stick my hand out.

              “If you want me to help you, then let me talk to my husband.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me if you think I am handing over my phone to you and letting you talk to my brother. Are you entirely clueless as to how serious this is, Clove? Well, let me fill you in on just how severe and life threatening this whole situation is. Come sit.”

He twists in his chair and pats the bed directly in front of him.

              “I am not a damn dog so I would appreciate it if you would quit treating me like one and ordering me to sit. This room is like a jail cell, Trent. I can hear you just fine from right here.”

His head slowly goes down and he looks utterly defeated. I just stand there, lost. When he brings his gaze back up to mine, his eyes are full of unshed tears.

“Clove, I- I am sorry for what I did to you. I have no explanation for it. I did it, and I have to live with it. I am not going to ask you to forgive me because I know you won’t. I mean, how could you, right?” he scoffs. “Please sit down and let me explain things to you. Please.”

For the first time he is pleading with me. My legs move toward the bed and I sit at the edge as far away from him as possible. I have no choice but to listen to him, but no matter what he has to say to me, I will never forgive him for the brutal attack he forced me to endure.

So, he wants me to understand the reasons behind why he is doing all of this? I know I will never be able to understand, and I don’t really want to. He has taken a part of my soul and I will never get it back.

I keep trying to convince myself this was not my fault, but a part of me says it is. I will always think, ‘what if I did this?’ or ‘what if I did that?’ I will never be able to trust my own judgment again. My self-respect is destroyed beyond repair. I will never be my father’s little girl anymore or my brother’s little sister. I will always be Clove, the victim. Clove, the woman who slept with her husband’s brother. Clove, the woman who “allowed” herself to get raped.

I hate myself. Truly hate myself. The only thing I have to live for right now is making sure I do everything I possibly can to help Turner get out of this alive. So with this war currently waging inside my body, I steel myself and face the man who has won the battle.

              “I’m listening. Explain.”

Chapter Twenty

“You’ve shocked me, Clove.”

“And why is that?”

He props one of his arms on the table, his gaze drifting from me to the door and then back again.

“For as long as I can remember, my father has tainted my life against both my mother and my brother. I have always believed my mother didn’t want me. Dad used to always tell me she favored my brother over me and they would fight over it all the time until one day he got sick and tired of her smacking me around and packed up our bags and left.”

Brainwashed with a bunch of lies. I’m not surprised, considering what I know about his father. James would have done everything possible to ensure Trent’s unconditional loyalty. I don’t say anything, though. I just let him continue on with his story.

“I have tried and tried to remember my life when the four of us lived together. The very few memories I have are of my brother always being clumsy and me picking him up so we could continue doing whatever it was we were doing. I have tried more times than I can count to bring even the smallest details into my mind, and nothing. That’s it. I didn’t even remember what my mother looked like until a few years ago when Dad and I finally decided it was time to start putting this plan into motion.”

He’s like a small child sitting over there in the overstuffed chair as he mourns his lack of memories with grief written all over him. If I didn’t hate him as much as I do, I would actually feel sorry for him. All he knows is what he was told by his cruel father, and it is far from the truth, I know it is. Melody loved both of her sons more than life itself. She grieved every day for Trent. I continue to sit there in silence; saying nothing at this point is for the best.

“My dad was a good dad, except for when he would go on one of his drinking binges. Then all hell would break loose. Sometimes his spells would last for weeks at a time. He would bring countless whores over to our house and I would hear them in his room all times of the day and night. Shit . . . for my sixteenth birthday present, my dad arranged for one of his many sluts to wait for me in bed, naked and spread wide open. A teenage boy staring down at a piece of ass just waiting to be fucked? I was all over that shit. I thought I was living the good life, with pussy anytime I wanted waiting for me almost every day when I walked in from school.”