Alexis
Valen’s little hands gripped my leg as he looked up, worry etched across his innocent face. “Daddy, why are you making Mommy cry?”
I couldn’t bear to meet his eyes. My lips quivered, holding back sobs so fierce that I tasted the faint tang of blood from biting down. I wanted so badly to shield him from this nightmare, to keep him from seeing the ugly truth of his ‘father’s’ cruelty. But the pain ran deep, and my tears betrayed me, falling in streams I couldn’t control.
“Mommy, talk to me,” he pleaded. “Why are you crying? Why did Daddy hit you?” His little hands trembled, his eyes filled with confusion. “My teacher says it’s not okay to hit people.”
I tried to steady myself, but my whole body shook like a leaf caught in a storm. Byron’s face looked pale as a sheet like he’d bee
