I vaguely heard a scream, but it was blurred with the way my head smacked the ground, and Daniel climbed on top of me. This—This was why I never wanted him to find out outside of my control.
I did the best I could to protect any vital organs, but not fighting back.
“How could you?” Daniel roared inches from my face. “How could you rape her—my fucking niece.”
As if I was expecting a bucket of hot water and was instead doused with ice, my body jerked in surprise. “What? No.”
The words didn’t even register to Daniel before his fist landed hard on my cheek. Fuck, that hurt.
He gripped my shirt and lifted me up before slamming me back down. Then another slam. “I fucking trusted you.”
“I didn’t.” I tried to say the words, but things were getting fuzzy after so many blows. “Daniel, I didn’t.”
“Shut up! I saw you. I called you my brother, and I fucking saw you.”
“I didn’t—”
Another hit and then one more. I was sure I was about to blackout when Olivia’s screams finally registered.
“Stop! Just stop. Please, Uncle Daniel. I love him.”
The room fell to a hushed silence, and Daniel looked over his shoulder, his fist still raised, and the other clenched tight to my shirt.
“What?”
“I love him. I love him,” Olivia said again and again through her tears. Her mascara smeared down her cheeks, and she clutched her dress to her chest, holding up where I tore the strap.
“What he’s done to you, Olivia…” He stopped as if he couldn’t get the words out. “I don’t know what he said to y—”
“He didn’t say anything. He didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to.”
Daniel’s fist dropped, but he still rested all his weight on my stomach, making it hard to breathe. “But you were crying? He-he—”
“I was crying because we aren’t together anymore. I’m losing him, and I love him.”
My chest ached with each sob that broke free from the beautiful woman who deserved better than this. I went to push up on my elbows to try and go to her when Daniel used both hands to jerk me up close to his face.
“What did you do to her?”
“Daniel, I—” I tried to defend myself.
“You don’t even believe in love, and you let it get this far? What the fuck is wrong with you? She’s twenty-one-years-old, of course, she’d think she’s in love with you. How could you take advantage of her?”
“He didn’t do anything. I did. I did it all. I chased him even when he didn’t. It was all me.”
Daniel slowly lowered me to the floor, the look on his face morphing to confusion and disbelief like he couldn’t mesh the Olivia he’d placed on a pedestal and the one admitting she’d chased an older man.
The way she was laying it all out there like she forced herself on me.
I watched his face shift, and I wanted to yank him back to stare at me because as soon as he looked at her, I knew what she’d think. She’d see that look, and every fear would lock into place in her mind.
Regret slammed into me that it got to this point. I knew it was her biggest fear, and I knew, for her, it was about to come true. I needed to get his attention, hit him, and bring it back to me.
But Daniel used my body to adjust himself to face her, and it was too late. Her shoulders dropped, and her arms curled around herself. It was like watching a blossoming flower wilt within seconds.
“Olivia…why?” he breathed.
“Because I’m stupid.”
“You’re not—” I tried to interrupt.
“Because I wanted him, and I didn’t want to be denied. Because he made me happy and excited, and I love him.”
Daniel’s jaw dropped as he fell to the side, thankfully, off my chest giving me room to breathe.
“Because I’m just some stupid girl.”
And with that, she ran. I tried to get up, but my ribs screamed in protest. By the time I was sitting, Daniel was still leaning against the couch, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
“What the fuck, man?” Slowly, his head turned to me. “You’re fucking my niece?”
I winced. When he put it like that, it sounded bad.
“I love her, Daniel.”
“So, you—you weren’t…”
“God, no. I can’t believe you’d think that.” I said with a little anger of my own.
He dragged his hands through his hair, tugging on the ends. “Fuck.”
“Listen, man, you need to go to her. The reason we were breaking up was because I wanted to tell you, and she was too scared you’d hate her. She needs you more than me. I need you to go to her.”
“She what?”
It was good to see he thought it was just as crazy as I knew it was.
“Go. We can talk later.”
“You okay,” he asked once he was back on his feet.