C58 Can We See Mommy?

The soft light of the bedside lamp cast a warm glow over Cathy’s pale face, illuminating the tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.

Her voice was quiet, almost monotone, as she recounted what had happened to her.

But her words were like daggers, slicing through Annabelle’s heart with every syllable.

“They killed him with a knife,” Cathy repeated, her voice trembling but steady. “I know him. I have seen him talking to you before. His name is Jose, but he wouldn’t talk to me. I was so scared when his friend grabbed me. I couldn’t scream because he covered my mouth. But then I saw Jose, and he wouldn’t talk to me.”

She grew silent for a while and just when Annabelle was getting scared that she wouldn’t continue, she continued in a voice so low that Annabelle had to strain to hear her.

“Jose was calling someone when those men came. They said mean things. Jose tried to fight them, but they... they brought out the knife and stabbed him. Then they did it again and again. Only one of them. The others held him to the car.”

Cathy’s body shook visibly at this point and Annabelle drew her tighter to her side in an embrace.

She finally understood what happened to Jose and her heart grew heavy with the pain he must have gone through.

Maybe if she had not asked him to...

“ His friend ran away. He left his cousin's car and ran away,” Cathy interrupted Annabelle's thoughts as she continued, “I... I was still in the car. They told me to stay there. I was in the car and I saw them push his body away.”

Annabelle’s throat tightened, and she instinctively held her sister closer, burying her face in Cathy’s hair.

The faint scent of lavender from her shampoo did little to soothe the storm raging inside Annabelle.

She wished she could stop her sister from talking about what must be causing her terrible pain, but she knew Cathy needed this to heal.

So she bit her lips hard against the graphic images that her sister’s explanation was producing in her mind.

“They took me,” Cathy continued, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her blanket. “The first men... they sold me to other men. And then those men brought me to the warehouse.”

Her voice cracked slightly, but she kept talking, her tone eerily calm, as if she were reading from a book instead of recounting her own trauma.

“There were other kids there. Some of them were already there when I came, and others came after me. That’s where I met the twins.” Cathy’s voice softened. “One of them peed her pants because she was so scared. I helped them hide it. I didn’t want anyone to laugh at her or... or hurt her for it.”

Annabelle couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

They spilt over, streaking down her face as she rocked Cathy gently in her arms.

Her sister’s words were gut-wrenching, but the detached way she spoke, the way she referred to herself and the other children as “goods,” was what shattered Annabelle’s resolve.

“The buyers wanted the goods untouched,” Cathy said, her voice trembling now. “That’s what they said. One of the men wanted to... to do something, but the others said no. They said the buyers wouldn’t pay as much if we weren’t... if we weren’t perfect.”

Annabelle’s sobs broke free, and she clutched Cathy tighter, pressing trembling kisses to her temple.

Dr Olivia had carried out tests on Cathy before, but she was relieved when Cathy confirmed it again.

“Cathy,” she choked out, her voice hoarse with emotion. “I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t be angry with me. Please.”

Cathy pulled back slightly, her large brown eyes…so much like their mother’s…filled with confusion. “Angry? Why would I be angry?”

Annabelle’s guilt surged.

She smoothed her sister’s hair, trying to steady her voice. “Because I told Jose to take you. I thought he would get you safely to his sister until I came for you. I wanted to take you away, somewhere our…somewhere he couldn’t hurt you.”

Cathy tilted her head, her brows furrowed. “Safer? What do you mean?”

Annabelle froze.

She couldn’t tell Cathy.

Not now, not when her sister was already so fragile.

How could she explain that their so-called stepfather was a monster who would have destroyed her if given the chance?

Cathy didn’t know the danger that had loomed over her, the lengths Annabelle had gone to shield her from it.

Instead, Annabelle forced a small, trembling smile. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? For now, just try to sleep. I promise, Cathy. Nobody will take you away again. We’ll always be together. You’ll never have to do anything you don’t want to do again.”

Cathy stared at her for a moment before whispering, “I miss Mommy.”

Annabelle’s heart clenched.

“I want to see her,” Cathy said, her voice breaking. “Can we go see Mommy in the morning?”

Annabelle couldn’t promise her that.

She couldn’t even begin to process how she’d make it happen. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she said softly, stroking Cathy’s hair.

Cathy looked at her sceptically, her lips trembling. “Are you still angry with me?”

Annabelle broke.

She pulled Cathy close, burying her face in her sister’s shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“No, Cathy. Never. I love you more than anything in this world.”

Cathy nodded, her hand wiping Annabelle’s tears with tenderness. “I love you too, Anna,” she whispered.

She leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on Annabelle’s cheek before snuggling against her.

Annabelle held her tightly, listening to her breathing slowly as she drifted into sleep. But even as Cathy slept, Annabelle couldn’t.

Her mind churned with thoughts of their mother, of Tad, and how she was going to keep her sister happy and safe.

*********

Back in Stoneraine, Tad buckled his belt with a sneer, his face twisted in disgust as he looked at Mauve’s crumpled form on the floor.

“Useless hag,” he spat, his voice venomous.

Mauve lay motionless, her body curled in on itself like a broken doll.

Her faded nightgown was torn, and her face was streaked with tears and blood.

Tad didn’t care.

He stepped over her without a second glance, his boots leaving scuff marks on the hardwood floor.

The room reeked of alcohol, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of blood.

The air was heavy and oppressive, but Tad’s focus was elsewhere.

His mind wasn’t on the woman whimpering weakly behind him.

It was on Annabelle.

That little bitch.

Tad clenched his fists as he stalked into the parlour, rage simmering beneath his skin.

She had ruined everything!

When he’d had her, he could pretend with Mauve.

Pretend that the ageing, pathetic shell of a woman was worth touching.

But now?

Now he was stuck with her trashy mother while Annabelle was out there, no doubt giving what belonged to him to some other bastard.

The thought sent a surge of twisted lust through him.

His breathing grew heavy, his hand moving to the front of his pants as his imagination took over.

Annabelle’s face.

Her cries of pain.

The way she had squirmed beneath him.

He groaned, his free hand bracing against the wall as he stroked himself faster.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing coming in harsh pants as his body tensed.

Just as he was about to finish, his phone rang.

“Fuck!” he spat, grabbing the device angrily.

He glanced at the screen, ready to unleash his fury on whoever dared to interrupt him, but his scowl shifted into a twisted grin when he saw the name.

He answered immediately.

“I got something for you,” the voice on the other end said, cutting straight to the point.

Tad’s grin widened, his earlier frustration melting away as his mind shifted to thoughts of revenge.