Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 106754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
"Will you be happy then?" I ask Parker. "If you get to keep June here... and kill me. Will you finally be happy?"
"Happiness is for the weak." Parker smirks at me. "Haven't you learned that by now?"
I shake my head in disbelief. I never did realize just how far gone he is already. "Aren't you going to kill me already?"
"Not yet," he replies lazily. "I want June to see."
"You're sick," I spit out. "You just want to hurt her. Punish her for not giving you what you want. You don't love her."
"Of course I do," he snaps. “Now get on the fucking ground before I change my goddamn mind."
I kneel. He approaches me, and I pray he won't notice the weapon I have concealed in my pocket. Luckily, he doesn't. He brings out some zip ties and binds my hands behind my back. I glare at him as he does so, knowing I'm merely biding my time. He steps back to admire his handiwork.
"June will never love you." I can't fucking help myself—I want to hurt him. But Parker doesn't even flinch at the words. "She never will. If you hurt me, you lose her forever."
"She has your kid." He shrugs. "That'll have to be enough because I'm not letting her have anything else from you."
How I ever could have trusted this monster is beyond me. And the fact that he's brought my son into this makes me fucking sick. I'll be damned if I let him lay a single finger on my kid.
Then Parker does something that makes me think I really could kill him right here and right now if I wasn't tied the fuck up. He walks up to June's barely moving body, kneels next to her, and envelops her parted lips in a twisted kiss. I grunt when I see what he's doing. I fucking hate the bastard. He's just lost all mercy I ever had for him. Our bond as brothers—as twins—is instantly broken as he gropes my wife through the flimsy dress she's got on. I'm going to fucking kill him for this myself if I have to.
With a smirk, he climbs the stairs and watches me from the top. "I'll leave the light on so you can get a good fucking look at your wife before you lose her. It's the least I can do."
I don't reply, just stare back with pure rage registering on my face.
"Was it true?" I finally ask. "What you told June about Dad."
He stares at me, hard and unrelenting. "You still don't believe me."
"You never said anything," I argue. "And as far as I know, it might as well be fucking fiction. Why would Dad hurt you?"
"Because he knew," Parker hisses. "He knew I was as sick as he was. He was the same as you, Kade. He fought the darkness, kept it at bay until it came roaring back with a fucking vengeance. Trust me, it'll happen to you as well."
"No, it won't," I reply. "I have a hold on myself, unlike you."
"That's what you think in here." He taps his temples. "But you won't be able to help yourself when the time comes. Especially with June around. She brings it out in both of us."
He turns around to leave, stopping on second thought and turning to face me again. He lifts his shirt, showing me the scars I've seen a thousand times.
"This is what happens when you hold back," he tells me darkly. "I just hope your kid won't bear the same scars I do."
"You're sick," I hiss. "My kid is nothing like you. Nothing."
"We're all like this," Parker replies firmly. "All of us Millers. It runs in our blood. The more you try to outrun it, the worse it'll get for you."
"I'd never hurt my son."
"I'm sure Dad thought the same until he saw me do something he didn't agree with." He sighs. "And then he decided to punish me for it, day after day. Little did he know, he wasn't beating the darkness out of me. He was just making it fucking grow. Stop fighting it, Kade. You're killing yourself."
"The only person I'm going to fucking kill is you," I grunt.
"We'll see." He smiles, but there's a hint of sadness in it. "It's sad, you know. We could've done this together. We could've both had her." He laughs out loud then. "Well, that's not fucking true. I'd never let you have June in the end. You don't even know how to treat a woman like her right."
"Hurting her isn't treating her right," I spit out.
"Ask her." Parker smirks. "Maybe she can enlighten you if she ever wakes up."
"At least bring down something to eat. How long has it been since she’s eaten or had something to drink?"
My twin shrugs carelessly. He doesn't give a shit, and I hiss, "For someone who claims to love her, you sure as fuck don't show it."