Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Jessica’s POV

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She lounged on the sagging couch, a half-empty bottle dangling from her fingers, her eyes glassy but sharp with malice.

I swallowed hard, forcing steel into my voice.

“I’m not here for a reunion, Annie. What’s this about? Why the nonstop calls?”

She cackled, a wet, ugly sound. “Oh, listen to you-acting all high and mighty now that you’ve run off to Florida. Think you’re better than us?”

Footsteps thudded from the hall-my dad, Rose, and Gary emerging like a pack of wolves.

Dad’s face was flushed, while Rose smirked, her arms crossed, her makeup smudged from whatever party she’d stumbled out of.

Gary loomed behind, cracking his knuckles with a grin that made my skin crawl.

“Look at her,” Dad snarled, his voice thick with booze. “Thinks she can ignore us? After everything we’ve done?”

“Done?” I shot back, my voice steadier than I felt. The old naivety was gone; I’d grown spines in the past four years.

“You mean the beatings? The hand-me-downs? Making me beg for scraps? Yeah, thanks for that.”

Rose laughed, high and mocking. “Aw, poor Jess. Always the victim. But you owe us-family, right?”

“I owe you nothing,” I snapped, heat rising in my chest. “I left because I had to. And I’m only here because you wouldn’t stop harassing me.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here empty-handed, Jessica,” my father snarled.

He reached for the buckle of his belt, a reflex from my childhood that made my blood run cold.

“I see you’ve grown some wings out there in Florida. Think you’re too good for us now?”

“I came because you wouldn’t stop calling,” I retorted, my voice trembling but holding firm. “I’m not a naive girl anymore. You can’t just bully me into giving you money.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed, whipping the belt through the air with a snap.

“Oh, is that right? Maybe you need a reminder of where you came from.”

He raised the belt, and I flinched, instinctively turning my body and blocking my face with my arms. I waited for the sting, the familiar sharp pain of his temper, but it never came.

I opened my eyes to find Aaron standing in the doorway, his hand clamped firmly around my father’s wrist. His expression was cold, deadlier than I had ever seen it.

“Ow! Let me go!” my father cried out, but Aaron only twisted his wrist further, forcing him to drop the belt.

“Aaron? Aaron Tyrone?” Rose’s voice was high and shocked.

The recognition caused Aaron to finally let go, but not before he gave a hard shove that sent my father stumbling back until he landed hard on his butt.

Annie sneered, trying to regain her footing.

13:13 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 37

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“So this is why you left? You found yourself a meal ticket? I should have known. Aaron, you should be careful with this one She’s a gold digger, through and through. She’ll bleed you dry just like she did us.”

Aaron didn’t yell. He didn’t even look angry. He just looked disgusted.

“The only things bleeding here are the brain cells you’re losing to that bottle, Annie. Now, tell me why you harassed her to come back here.”

Rose stepped forward, trying to look sultry and failing miserably in the dingy light of the living room.

“It’s my twenty-second birthday tomorrow. We needed Jessica around to run the errands, organize the party, and well, she owes us the cash for it. It’s the least she can do after abandoning her family.”

Aaron let out a short, harsh laugh that made everyone’s mouth hang open.

“You want her to pay for your birthday? You people are pathetic. You’re not a family; you’re a group of parasites.”

Gary, who had been quiet in the corner, let out a scoff.

“Bro, her pussy can’t be that good. I remember how you used to bully her back in the day. Tha girl really did a number on your head if you’re out here playing hero for her now.”

The air in the room vanished. Before Gary could even finish his smirk, Aaron’s fist connected with his jaw. The sound was sickening.

Gary flew backward, and crashed into a side table.

“Gary!” Annie rushed to his side as he groaned on the floor.

Aaron stepped over the belt lying on the carpet, his eyes fixed on Gary.

“Talk about her like that one more time, and I’ll make sure you never see the daylight again. Do you understand me?”

No one moved. No one breathed. Aaron turned to me, his gaze softening just a fraction, and grabbed my wrist.

“We’re leaving, Jess.” He pulled me out of the house and back toward the car.

The second the door closed and the chauffeur pulled away, the adrenaline evaporated. I broke into a loud, racking sob, the years of suppressed fear and shame finally pouring out of me.

Aaron didn’t say a word. He just pulled me against his chest and hugged me tight, letting me cry into his chest while the city of New Orleans disappeared behind us.

“Shh, Jess. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” He held me tighter with every sob that escaped, his hand stroking my hair, the steady beat of his heart grounding me until the tears slowed to hiccups.

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13:13 Mon, Jan 125