บท 14: Chapter Five
A million thoughts ran through Corbin's mind at Ivan's question. Gripping tighter to Ivan, Corbin burrowed further into him. "I was gonna take a shower and I lifted my shirt...I saw...my brand..." He turned his face into Ivan's chest. "And it isn't like I don't see that mark every day...I don't know why I freaked out about it now. But I saw it...and I remembered..."
Sean screamed as his father and two other men held him down. A man he didn't know held a strange object in his hand. The object turned on and a feeling of dread flowed through his veins. As the needle touched his skin his throat produced the most horrific sound of pain as a child could make.
His brother and sister sat in a corner on the far side of the room, far from their father's main line of vision and away from his attentions.
"When it was done Father took me into his room and..." He couldn't finish. He couldn't say that word. "And I just...felt him all over. His hands...other things. And...I heard him...in my head I heard him...from this last time...from back then..."
Ivan's guilt intensified as his chest constricted. "I'm sorry, Cory," he said, his voice a mere whisper.
Corbin frowned at the pain shining in his eyes. "For what? You didn't do anything."
Ivan laughed bitterly. "Yeah, that's the problem. I didn't..." He stopped, clasping his hands into tight fists.
Corbin placed his hands gently over Ivan's. He noticed but didn't feel afraid right then on how Ivan's fists clenched. It did not frighten him as it would have even the year previous. He smoothed his thumbs over Ivan's knuckles. "Ivan, look at me please." He did. "If you want me to talk...to open up...it needs to be a two way street. Getting through this together means getting through it together. It can't be one sided. Please, Ivan, talk to me." Ivan let out the breath he'd been holding and with the rush of air came silent tears. "This affected you, too. In a different way, sure, but nonetheless important or real. Please, Ivan. Talk to me." Corbin placed his palm against Ivan's cheek, brushing away a stray tear that was making its decent.
Ivan squeezed his eyes shut, leaning into Corbin's touch. "I...failed you. I failed you in the worst way."
Corbin's heart broke at the intense guilt and pain he saw in his eyes. "What? Love, no. Why would you think that?"
"God Corbin, how can you not think that? How can you not think I failed you?"
"Baby, how do you think you failed me?" Corbin asked gently. Why hadn't he seen this brewing before now?
"I swore to you I'd protect you. That no one would get to you. That no one would hurt you. And they...they fucking..." Ivan found he couldn't say the word either. "They hurt you anyway. And if I'd have just..." He shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Just what?" Corbin urged him gently.
"Done something. I don't know. I should have been faster. I should have followed sooner. But I didn't. I didn't and they...hurt you in every way I swore you'd never be hurt again." Ivan blinked and tears fell onto his laced fingers, leaking down to slide against his palms.
"Ivan...you didn't fail me. Yes, my father and Anthony r..." Corbin pursed his lips together and took a deep breath. "Do you know what they were about to do? What they were going to do once they had their fun with me?" Ivan shook his head, though he didn't look up. "They were going to sell me. I heard my father talking to him on the phone. So while it did get bad at that house, Ivan, it was about to get so much worse. I'd have never seen you again. And...well, the assault did a number on me, I was so fucking scared of what was to come. I remember who he was talking to, Ivan. I was always his favorite toy as a child. And I was always so scared of him." Ivan looked up at him at the whispered confession. "You saved me from so much worse than my father and the men at that house. Please, Ivan, understand that. Understand that what was waiting for me was so much worse." Corbin's chest constricted and he found it hard to breathe.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save Devon, Cory. I tried...he just...pulled the trigger." Ivan glanced at him before looking back at his hands.
"She defied him. She tried to stop him from hurting me." Corbin let out a slow breath. "She wasn't a bad person, Iv...just lost and scared and brainwashed. When we ran away, I tried to get her to come with us. But she wouldn't go."
"Devon, come with us. Come with me, please. I need you. I don't want to be alone out there."
Devon sat with her back against the wall, knees drawn up. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "I can't. And besides, you'll have Marc."
"No, I won't. Devon, please. You're all I've ever really had. Come with me." Sean didn't bother acknowledging the tears that matched his sister's upon his own cheeks.
"Go, Sean. Go before he finds you. I'll keep him at bay from you as long as I can. I love you, little brother."
"I love you, too, Dev." With one last look he stood, wiped his eyes and left the room. He met Marc in the hall.
"Is she coming?" Marc asked glancing up and down the hallway.
"No, we're on our own. Let's go."
Corbin wiped his face. "She kept her promise for a long time. She knew where I was for a long time. She knew I was with you. She knew everything. And she never said anything until she had no choice..."
They weren't far from their destination when Devon broke the silence that had gathered. "I'm sorry, Sean. I really did keep you safe for as long as I could. He's had me looking for you for years. I've known where you are for three years. I found you by mistake. I saw you and him. You were walking down the road holding hands and laughing. I stayed out of sight, but I think you knew I was there anyway. There was a moment where you looked around and shook it off. But the way you looked at him...they way you smiled at him...you looked happy. We...we were never happy growing up and I just...walked away. I...Sean, I didn't tell him where you were. Anthony and Elija saw you and reported back to Father. He...made me go get you. He knew you'd come with me. I didn't want to do it, Sean." Her teary eyes pleaded with him. "Please, forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive. You were always the one person who looked out for me the most. As best you could given the circumstances. Thank you for giving me that much happiness. He did make me happy. He taught me what real love is." Corbin kissed her cheek as they pulled into the driveway. "I love you, Devon. Thank you for always loving me."
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง