“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I say, then look at my father. “I meant what I said. She’s mine now. You fuck with her, and you are fucking with me.” He stands there with his shoulders square and his back straight. “You should also know I can play just as dirty as you, old man.” I grab the doorknob. “What was it you said? Chip off the old block?”

“You’ll regret this,” he says.

“I would hate to think that you just threatened me.” I wait for my father to say something else.

“Of course not,” my mother says. “He would never hurt you. You’re his son.”

I laugh bitterly. “Have a nice evening.” I walk out of my parents’ house and make my way back to my house. The whole time, my body shakes with rage and my hands have a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. When I pull up, I see that the house is pitch black, and I wonder if she left. Opening the door, I see that a little light is coming from the family room, so I walk back to the room, and I see that she is pacing the floor. She looks like she’s been crying.

“Where is Ethan?” I ask, and she looks over at me, putting a hand to her chest.

“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me,” she says. “He’s in bed.” She comes to me now. “Are you okay?”

Holding up my hand, I walk over to my whiskey and pour two fingers in a glass. Then I take it down in two huge gulps, and it burns all the way down to my stomach. “It was him,” I say the three words that I never thought I would say. Maybe I was naïve about it, or maybe I was just hopeful that he would be a decent human. I don’t know what it was but admitting it just … I pour another two fingers and look over at her.

She stands there, and I take her in. She put on one of my sweaters that is way too big for her. Tears roll down her cheeks as she clutches at her stomach. Her whole body shakes, and I rush to catch her right before she falls. I put one hand around her waist and another on the back of her head. She clings to me, her hands gripping my shirt while her tears soak through to my skin.

“He’s not going to hurt you,” I whisper to her. “I promise you that he will not hurt you.” She just sobs in my arms. “I got you, baby,” I say.

“I have to leave,” she says. The four words I never want to hear. “It’s not safe for Ethan or for you.”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” I say. “Not now, not ever. This is your home.”