The thought of the money in the bag gave her renewed strength. ‘I’m sorry my actions upset you.’
‘What’s in that bag?’
Her knees turned to water. ‘Clothes.’
He grabbed it. Wrenched it from her fingers so hard that he tore the skin.
Selene put her hand to her mouth and tasted blood. Inside that bag were her hopes for the future and she held her breath as he wrenched open the zip and dragged out the contents without care or respect, forcing her to watch as every one of her dreams was slaughtered in front of her.
First to fall was the red dress. That beautiful red dress she’d stuffed into her bag in a gesture of defiance against Stefan. She wished she’d left it. If ever she’d needed proof that hope was ephemeral she had it now as her father took that dress and wrenched it from neck to hem. She couldn’t even pretend that he didn’t know what it meant to her because he watched her face the whole time, and with every rip as she flinched a little more his mouth grew more grim. When the dress was nothing more than torn strips at her feet he kicked the pile of belongings and found her candles.
Selene didn’t realise she’d made a sound but she must have done because he glanced towards her swiftly, eyes narrowed, assessing the significance of what was in his hand.
‘This is it? This is your business idea? Did he laugh at you?’
‘No.’ Her lips felt numb. ‘He thought it was a good idea.’
‘Because he thought he could make a fool of me, not because your business venture has any merit. Is that it? Candles? I’m almost embarrassed a daughter of mine couldn’t have been more creative.’
He picked up the apparently empty bag and her heart stopped because she knew it wasn’t an empty bag and that if he looked there...if he found...
‘That’s it,’ she muttered. ‘There’s nothing else there.’ And of course by saying that she pronounced herself guilty.
He stared at her for a long moment and then took another look at the bag. With those fat, muscular hands that had turned her mother from vivacious to victim he patted it down and unzipped pockets. And she wished she’d worked harder to hide what was hidden there. Because he found it, of course, under the false bottom she’d created—the thick wedge of money tied with a thong because she hadn’t been able to think how else to keep so much cash together.
Her father untied the sexy thong and dropped it to the floor with revulsion. ‘You wore that and he paid you in cash?’
‘No. I mean...’ She floundered. ‘The cash was just an advance to—to—’
‘To pay for sex.’ He put the bag down slowly, his eyes glassy with rage. ‘You disgust me.’
‘I’ll leave. I’ll leave and you’ll never have to see me again.’
‘Leave?’ His smile was ugly. ‘Oh, no. You don’t get to leave. You’re part of this family, Selene, and that isn’t going to change. This is where you belong and you’re lucky I’m prepared to have you back under my roof when you’ve been with him.’
‘I don’t—’
The blow was unexpected. Because she wasn’t prepared, the force of it banged her head against the wall and pain exploded through her skull.
Selene crumpled to the floor, tasting blood. She was so shocked she couldn’t move and she fought waves of sickness as his words pelted her like stones.
‘Your mother must have known about this.’
Your wife, Selene thought dizzily. She’s your wife. ‘She didn’t know. I didn’t tell her.’ Touching her mouth with the tips of her fingers, she realised she’d bitten her lip. She tried to stumble back to her feet but her legs wouldn’t hold her and she stayed on all fours like an animal, wishing she’d made different decisions, trying not to feel because feeling was agony.
‘When I’ve finished with you I’ll talk to her and she will tell me the truth.’
The implied threat brought her up onto her knees. ‘You stay away from her! You touch her again and I’ll—’ she swayed ‘—I’ll call the police.’
He laughed. ‘We both remember what happened the last time you did that.’
Numb, Selene stared at the floor, knowing it was hopeless.
They hadn’t believed her. Or if they’d believed her they’d refused to act. Her father was charming, powerful and able to buy his way out of trouble. At first her sense of justice had been shaken. She’d realised that she had no one until one night, lying in the darkness, she’d realised that she didn’t need anyone. Maybe no one else could solve this for her, but she could solve it for herself. Which made it doubly frustrating that she’d blown her chance.
He prowled around her and she knew from the look in his eyes that the moment he’d finished with her he would start on her mother.
Something sharp pressed into her hand and she looked down and saw that she’d fallen onto one of the jagged remnants of all that was left of a glass candle-holder.