/Amber’s pov/
"Can you tell me the name of the baby?" Amber inquired of her mother with a puzzled expression on her face. She was exuding such composure about the situation. I knew this was probably hurting her on the inside, but she was putting on a show most likely for Jake's benefit-so I stayed away. Her eyes were closed, and her hand was gripping mine a bit too firm for her to feel completely at ease.
"Stanley," Sarah said, her expression dejected.
Amber cracked a grin. Well, I suppose there's not much we can do about it at this point. Just wait and see what this Josh person has to say about himself tomorrow. Nevertheless, she said, as if it didn't matter that the guy who beat her and sexually tortured her for years before eventually attempting to rape her was returning and wanted to see her again, she had no intention of seeing him again. She rose up and released her grip on my hand.
I, too, instantly sprang to my feet. Jake was still enraged; I knew he would never intentionally harm Amber, but if he went out on one, she might get hurt, and I wanted to be there just in case. “I’m going to take a break," Amber whispered under her breath as she walked away without shedding a tear. This was bad; I could tell she was serious and was about to freak out any minute by the way her shoulders were hunched slightly.
I reached out and took her hand in mine. Would you want some company? I inquired, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't reject me outright.
"All right, that's OK." She gave me a small snack before walking away without waiting for me.
It was necessary for me to talk with Jake first, to ensure that he was not planning on going around there without me or anything like that. In a minute, I'll be back. " Nodding my head at the splinters of wood strewn across the floor, I pretended that I was simply going to assist Jake to clean up after himself. She gave a short nod before walking away. Before turning to face Jake, I stood there watching her move up the hall. Don't even think of going there by yourself. Jake, I'm not kidding. Then I'll accomраny you if you decide to go,
"I murmured to him, a threat in his ear.
He bowed his head, but only grudgingly. "I'm not going to go until it's really necessary." As long as he doesn't come anywhere near us, I'm not interested in having anything to do with him. However, should he come anywhere near her, "he will be killed by me," he said.
I nodded because I could see from his expression that he would. The reason that Stephen Walker was in such trouble was due to the fact that if Jake didn't murder him, I would have if he got anywhere near my ngel. Listen, I have to go inside the room to make sure she's okay. In the meantime, I'll talk to you about it later.
Do not make any snap decisions, Jake, "I warned him severely. I practically sped down the corridor to meet her after his head nodded. I entered her room and found her curled up in a ball on her bed, weeping. Seeing her like this brought back memories of when I used to watch her like this every night since she was eight years old, and it made me angry. My heart was aching at the sight of it right now.
I sank to the ground and wrapped my arms securely round her, сrоssing one knee оvеr the other and drawing her closer to me as I put my chin on the top of her head. His tongue on her would be my death sentence if he did it again. I will not allow her to spend her life in fear of a guy. I couldn't care less if I ended up in prison for it; all that mattered to me was that she was safe.
After approximately half an hour of furious weeping, her breathing became more regular and deep. I took a few steps back and looked her in the eyes. She was totally asleep when I arrived. Her cheeks were red and swollen, and her eyes were stained with tears, but she managed to keep her appearance as the most beautiful girl on the planet. Then I tenderly kissed her forehead and carefully wiped away her tears, attempting to extricate myself from her in the most gentle manner possible.
My mother was in the kitchen preparing a snack when I crept out of her room and saw Jake reclining on the couch. Then I took a seat next to Jake and let my gaze travel over his features. He seemed to be in a lot of pain; I hadn't seen him in this state in a couple of years. He looked like this the last time I saw him, which was approximately two years ago when his father got into contact with me when we were sixteen.
That was approximately a year after we had beaten the living daylights out of him and thrown him out of the house. At last, Stephen wanted to visit them again in order to make an announcement, or at least, that's what he said. Jake became enraged and, in no uncertain terms, threatened his father, telling him that if he ever got close to mber again, he would tear him to shreds. Because of the nature of the conversation, it was fortunate that it happened over the phone; otherwise, the аs**оle would be festering in some unmarked grave right now.
"Are you ready, Jake?" I inquired, my hand resting on his shoulder and squeezing it tenderly.
He gave a sigh and a nod. Does she seem to be all right? He said calmly.
With my head, I made a shaky motion. “I’m sorry," I confessed, my voice breaking with sadness. I watched as Jake’s expression became more agitated; I hated seeing Jake in such a bad mood. “She’s sound asleep at the moment.
With his eyes closed, he mumbled, "You need to help me, Mike."
"Of course," I said, quickly nodding in agreement. I'd do anything in the world to keep my inner self safe, even if it meant risking my life.
"I don't want her to be all by herself. One of us needs to be with her at all times, and that person is me. " Would you please look after her while I am at work during the week? "he inquired, a hopeful expression on his face.
I smiled a little smugly at myself. It's something I usually do, Jake. Don't be concerned. Everything is going to be alright. I assure you, "She'll be alright." I wore a contented grin. I promised myself that I would never let anything happen to her again. I'd allowed it to continue when they were little, and I'd never forgiven myself for it. Things were possible that if I'd merely said anything to my mother or father, it would have come to a halt before it got out of hand.
He smiled and nodded. Yeah, I understand. Let me tell you something: I'm not sure how she'll respond to this Josh baby when she sees him tomorrow. While I get that he doesn't know anything, what if he begins interrogating her about why we haven't seen him yet? He had the potential to make her feel uncomfortable at school. That would irritate her. "She'll be dealing with this for years now," he lamented.
Jake, we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays. It was only after I took a big breath that I decided to tell him what I had been thinking about since his mother informed me that as**ole had returned to town. I wasn't sure how Jake would respond to my idea, but I hoped he'd see that I was thinking about her and take it positively.
You're aware that I'll be heading off to college in a few months. Well, I was planning on turning down my scholarship to Boston in order to attend a college convocation, so that I could still be with her, but if the worst came to worst, I'd bring her with me to Boston instead. She has the option of transferring schools, "I said, shrugging and waiting for his response."
My thoughts about this have been swirling around in my head ever since I got my offer letter a few months ago. That college presented a fantastic opportunity for my future profession, but I was adamant about not attending. I didn't want to leave mber even before we started dating, and I don't think I'll be able to now that I've finally found her to be my lady.
I was debating whether or not to enroll in a local institution, or whether or not to invite her to accompany me to Boston. The only problem was that I was just sixteen years old, so I was certain that I would choose the first choice and remain here with her. Now that this situation had arisen, though, I was back to my original idea of asking her to accompany me to the airport. The only way I could save her was to remove her from the situation; we could start over with a clean slate where she wouldn't be reminded of him every day and wouldn't have to worry about running into him every time she left the house.
I was fully anticipating I expected Jake to lose his mind over the mere suggestion that I take her away from him; thus, it was a pleasant surprise when he didn't. He did nothing, except nothing. "Thank you, sir," he murmured with a sigh.
I said this as I stood up and walked to the kitchen. “Thank you," I replied. Sarai was still in a foul mood, and her eyes were swollen from tears.
When she saw me, she had a sorrowful expression on her face. Does she seem to be okay, Mike? She said, her gaze fixed on the corridor as if waiting for her to emerge.
I smiled and nodded. She's agitated, but she's now sleeping. What do you think of my staying at Angel's house tonight, Sarah? We're not going to do anything, I promise you. All I could think about was being there for her when she woke up. The fact that I was going to be in her room regardless of what happened made me think it would be simpler if everyone knew I was in there.
She came over and wrapped her arms tightly around me. As she stated this, she remarked, a tear in her eye.