Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 189

Randal let out a sharp scoff, his eyebrow twitching slightly as he locked eyes with his father. "You mean, if my brother hadn't died, and the Yates family actually had a proper heir, you wouldn't even spare me a second glance. Isn't that right?"

It was as if all the energy had been drained from his body. His voice went horrifyingly hollow as he murmured to himself, "Actually, I agree with you. I wish I was the one who died that day, too."

That single sentence ripped the lid off the darkest, most untouchable taboo in the Yates family.

Aside from Willa, the faces of everyone in the room turned ashen.

"You ungrateful wretch! You're completely beyond saving!" Robert could no longer contain his fury. Abandoning all attempts at verbal reprimand, he instinctively fell back on his usual method: pure violence.

He grabbed a heavy wooden cane from nearby and swung it violently at Randal.

Randal took the hit with a muffled grunt, his body curling slightly from the pain as he stumbled backward.

But he quickly straightened up, staring directly at Robert, and broke into a deranged, chilling smile. "Hit me! Come on, keep hitting me! Ever since I was a kid, hitting me is the only thing you've ever known how to do!"

"Randal, stop! Just apologize to your father!" Eleanor sobbed, throwing herself between the two men. "Robert, please don't hit him! He hasn't even recovered from the last time!"

"Get out of the way!" Robert shoved Eleanor aside and delivered a brutal kick to the back of Randal's knee.

In that split second, a slender figure darted out from behind Randal. Throwing her entire body weight forward, Willa shoved him out of the way, losing her own balance in the process.

Willa felt something incredibly hard and heavy slam into her back. An agonizing wave of pain instantly engulfed her entire body.

She crashed onto the rug, curling into a tight ball. She was in so much agony that she couldn't even make a sound. Only one thought echoed through her mind.

So this is how much it hurts when he gets beaten.

Time seemed to freeze. Even Eleanor's frantic sobbing stopped dead.

"Willa!" Randal screamed, the sound tearing from his throat in pure agony.

He dropped to his knees like a madman, carefully gathering her into his arms, his entire body trembling violently.

"Dad," Randal spoke again, every word laced with a lethal threat. "I'm laying this out right now. If you ever come after her again, don't expect me to hold back just because we're blood."

"And I mean every word."

Robert's chest heaved violently with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at his son, speechless for several seconds before finally grinding out, "Fine! I'd love to see how tough you are when you don't have the Yates family backing you!"

He shot a furious glare at Eleanor. "Let's go! Take a good look at the wonderful son you raised. He's completely out of control!"

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out, radiating toxic anger.

Eleanor shot one last, heartbroken look at Randal before silently following her husband out.

Randal turned back to the bed. The violent madness in his eyes had yet to fade, but it was now mixed with a terrified, shattered vulnerability.

He walked slowly to the edge of the bed, his trembling hands finding hers. "Willa, don't be afraid. It's over."