Billy's POV

Thursday, December 20, 1984

It was obvious that this dinner idea was a stupid one. More like a horrible one. I have no idea what made Susan think it was a good plan. I couldn't stand being in the same room as Harrington for more than five minutes without wanting to punch him in the face. How the hell was I supposed to survive an entire dinner?

Though, honestly, Harrington and Maddie probably hated the idea of this dinner as much as I did, considering they both knew exactly what Neil was like. It made no sense to go through with it, especially when we'd all have to put up with my idiot of a father.

The only one blissfully unaware of all the crap in my house was poor Sandra. I had never told her what it was really like to live under the same roof as my dad, and I could only hope that tonight he'd manage to behave somewhat decently. For once.

If not for me, then at least for Sandra. She didn't deserve to have her night ruined or to be subjected to the full weight of his toxicity. She was the last person who should have to endure a bad experience because of my father.

After that night when I had to take Maddie to the hospital, and everything that happened at the bowling alley, I realized that what I felt for Maddie wasn't just about sex. I knew it was something stronger—something I shouldn't feel, considering I was supposed to hate her and she was my stepsister.

From that day on, I decided to try to keep my distance from her as much as possible. Living in the same house made that more challenging than I wanted, but I needed to avoid falling back into the cycle of hating her one day and wanting to love her the next. If I kept going like that, I was going to drive myself insane.

Besides, I was determined to give my relationship with Sandra a real chance—at least until I left Hawkins. So, from that day on, I spent most of my time with her.

Once I put that distance between Maddie and me, my relationship with Sandra improved noticeably. Things between us became much better.

But even so, a small part of me stayed on edge every time I saw Maddie with Harrington. Maybe I was fooling myself into thinking I was forgetting her, because those sharp stabs of jealousy told me the exact opposite.

Surely, it was selfish of me to be with Sandra while not wanting Maddie to be with anyone else.

I didn't know what the hell was going through my head; I only knew that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't control it. The only thing that gave me some consolation was that Maddie wasn't always with Steve. She also often hung out with Wheeler.

Although, I wasn't an idiot. Many times when she said she was meeting up with Wheeler, I knew she was actually heading to Munson's house to smoke.

I hoped she was only going there to smoke—and it probably was just that. Munson wasn't Maddie's type at all. At least, that's what I wanted to believe.

Thinking otherwise only stirred my jealousy again. No matter how hard I tried to make things work with Sandra, I couldn't fool myself. The thought of never kissing Maddie again, never touching her, never running my hands over every inch of her skin... It drove me crazier than I cared to admit.

                            ***************

With the excuse of exams, we managed to keep postponing the dinner. It was probably one of the few times Maddie and I agreed on something.

We both wanted to avoid that dinner at all costs, but despite our efforts, we couldn't. And today was the dreaded D-Day.

I was just praying that this damn dinner would pass as quickly as possible and without any incidents. Most of all, I hoped Sandra wouldn't leave this house of horrors terrified.

Today marked the end of exams and the last day of school. One of the good things about Sandra was that she was incredibly smart—and thanks to her stubbornness in forcing me to study, I'd managed to pass all my classes.

That meant I was one step closer to getting out of this town.

Luckily, since it was the last day of school, classes ended early, and we were able to return home sooner. Lunch passed without any issues, mostly because my father hadn't come home yet and Susan was completely absorbed in preparing dinner for tonight.

After eating, I went out for a drink with my "friends," the ones Sandra insisted I hang out with. I didn't feel like going, but it would do me good to stop obsessing over the damn dinner for a couple of hours. Of course, I promised Susan I'd be back on time. I could see the fear in her eyes at the mere thought of me being late. I didn't blame her—honestly, the idea terrified me too.

After spending a couple of hours with the guys, having one or two beers, I decided to head home since dinner time was approaching, and I didn't want to push my luck. As soon as I parked my car in front of the porch, I noticed Maddie's bike was missing.

Damn woman, she was definitely running late.

I didn't even bother getting out of the car before heading straight to Wheeler's house to see if she was there. Naively, I thought she might be. But as soon as Nancy said no, I knew there was only one other place to look: the freak's trailer.

I parked in front of his trailer, and there they were, each sitting on a chair under the porch, smoking what was undoubtedly a shared joint.

For a second, I got lost in thought, staring at Maddie as she smoked, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Even disheveled, she was stunning. With the last rays of sunlight hitting her eyes... Damn, I could watch this scene for hours. She was breathtakingly beautiful, effortlessly sexy.

But my thoughts evaporated instantly as I remembered why I was there in the first place. I shook my head to snap out of it, forcing myself to stop staring only at her and to take in the scene before me. Not only was Maddie irresponsibly smoking a joint, but now their faces were dangerously close—too close.

Without thinking twice, I jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut in frustration. I stormed toward them, furious for too many reasons at once: the dinner, their closeness, and the fact that Maddie was playing with fire when she knew full well what was waiting for us tonight.

"Munson! Hands where I can see them!" I barked as soon as I was standing in front of them.

"Calm down, man!" Munson instantly stood up, raising his hands in surrender. I could clearly see the fear in his eyes. "I haven't touched a single hair on her !"

"You better not, freak!" I snarled, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer.

I glared at him with barely restrained fury, letting him know that if he so much as laid a finger on Maddie, he'd have to deal with me. It was already hard enough watching her cozy up to Harrington day in and day out without having to worry about her fooling around with this idiot too.

"Let him go, William!" Maddie suddenly intervened, stepping between us in defense of Munson. "Just because you sleep with anything that wears a skirt doesn't mean I do the same,"

"You don't even believe that yourself, redhead. You're just as bad as me, if not worse," I spat back, letting go of Eddie and turning my glare toward her. "What the hell do you think you're doing, smoking before the damn dinner?"

"Well..." the freak muttered awkwardly, clearing his throat, "Actually, I'm the one who smoked,"

Oh, great. Another idiot willing to let me tear him apart just for a chance to sleep with my sister. When would they learn?

"You better shut your mouth. You've already gotten lucky that I didn't break your legs. Don't tempt fate," I growled, shooting him a glare that made my intentions clear. Next time, my fist would land on his face.

"Later," was the last thing Munson said before retreating into his trailer. He got the message loud and clear.

"You're such a damn idiot, Billy. You've ignored me all week. What the hell is wrong with you? Why don't you just keep ignoring me?" she snapped, clearly pissed off.

"Because it's almost time for the damn dinner, Madeleine!" I shot back, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward my Camaro. "And not only are you missing in action, but I find you smoking with that idiot Munson."

"To you, everyone I hang out with is an idiot," she laughed. Damn it, that laugh. The damn joint was clearly kicking in.

" It isn't funny, Madeleine," I snarled, letting go of her arm when we reached the car.

"A little bit," she kept giggling as she opened the passenger door. "You can't stand the idea of anyone touching me but you, my dear blondie," she teased as she slid into the seat and closed the door.

That word. "Blondie." Every time she called me that, I felt the same sharp little pang in my chest.

"You're unbearable, redhead," I growled, sliding into the driver's seat and slamming my door shut. "Seriously, Maddie. I hate this dinner as much as you do, but don't do anything that will piss off my dad. Let's just try to get it over with as quickly as possible. And I remind you, we're in this situation because of one of his tantrums," I turned to her, narrowing my eyes, "Because of you, for not shutting your mouth."

"Keep telling yourself it's my fault if that makes you feel better," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "But yeah, for once, I agree with you. The faster the dinner's over, the better."

She glanced at me, and for the first time tonight, I felt myself relax a little. At least she was willing to cooperate and help make this nightmare pass as smoothly and quickly as possible.

"By the way," I raised an eyebrow, amused. This was my chance to get back at her for all the times she criticized me for sleeping with her while I was with Sandra. "Does your boyfriend know you're cheating on him with that geek? In the end, you're just as bad as me."

"Idiot. Shut the hell up and let's go already," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That means he doesn't know. Poor Harrington, he's still a loser," I laughed triumphantly.

In the end, we were cut from the same cloth: selfish, broken inside, and incapable of loving anyone truly and unconditionally. We didn't say another word.

I focused my eyes on the road, started the car, turned on the radio, and sped toward home. I needed the drive to be as smooth and calm as possible, considering we were heading straight into the lion's den. I popped in my favorite Scorpions cassette. I liked hard rock, but their ballads relaxed me, and that's exactly what I needed right now.

As soon as Maddie arrived, she remained silent and went straight to the bathroom. I assumed she was just trying to splash some water on her face to sober up a bit. In the meantime, I asked Susan if she needed any help with anything. She declined, but not because she didn't need it—she simply didn't want my father to insult me. She knew all too well that if I helped set the table or did anything like that, my father would call me all kinds of derogatory names.

So, I decided to head to my room to change, put on some perfume, and comb my hair while waiting for 7:00 PM, the time when Sandra and that idiot Harrington would finally arrive home.

Around that time, I left my room and, just down the hall, I ran into Maxine and Susan. The little brat was excitedly telling her mother that Steve had brought Maddie a bouquet of roses. Hearing that made me clench my fists, and I walked with purpose toward the door where Harrington and Maddie were talking. Just as I arrived, Steve kissed her on the cheek, which only made me angrier.

"Harrington," I said in a gruff voice, interrupting them.

"Hargrove," I tensed my jaw, just like him, as our gazes locked.

"Seriously, you brought red roses?" I glanced at the bouquet. The idiot had no idea Maddie's favorite flowers were white tulips. "What an idiot, you have no idea about..."

"No idea about what?" Harrington had the audacity to interrupt me. "I was just telling her I'm going to put them in water. And by the way, I'm the one dating your sister. I may not know a lot of things, but you didn't get your way, did you? How does that feel? Not getting your way?"

"Look, don't mess with me, Harrington," I stepped closer to him, trying to contain with all my strength the urge to punch him in the face. "You're still an idiot if you think you have any chance with Maddie."

"I thought so too, but it suits you like crap," He laughed. "Who looks like an idiot now?"

"Looks like you don't appreciate your life, Harrington," I said, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, intending to throw him to the ground and kick his ass.

"Enough, both of you!" Maddie stepped in between us and separated us. Billy, Sandra is arriving. Let go of Steve right now or you'll ruin everything. Plus, you yourself told me earlier not to do anything that would piss off Neil. What do you think will happen if he sees you already fighting with Steve as soon as he arrives?" she demanded.

Damn it, she was right. That would only mess things up.

"Shit, damn it. I hate that you're right," I said, letting go of Harrington and stepping back.

"And you, Steve, please try to get along with him. I know it's complicated—but it's just for tonight."

"Fine," he said, stepping back as well, narrowing his eyes.

"Good. It's just one damn dinner. We'll pretend like we all get along and then each of us can go our separate ways," he concluded.

"Hey! Glad I'm not late!" Sandra arrived with her usual cheerful smile. "My parents told me to bring this bottle of wine, hope it's okay," she said with a grin.

"Perfect, Sandra. Let's get it chilled," Maddie replied with a smile. I still couldn't understand how two people so different could get along so well.

Maddie walked over to Sandra and took her by the arm, and the two of them headed inside the house together, putting some distance between themselves and us.

Harrington and I followed in silence, both visibly tense and clearly not thrilled about being near each other.

When we arrived in the kitchen, Maddie put the wine Sandra had brought in the fridge and placed Harrington's flowers in a vase with water.

Probably trying to ease the tension a bit, the redhead made the proper introductions to Susan and Max, though I knew full well that the latter already knew Harrington far too well—so much so that she was overly delighted about him being Madeleine's supposed boyfriend.

Of course, everything went smoothly. Sandra was so sweet that it was impossible for things not to go well, and Harrington... well, everyone already knew that idiot, and he was good at keeping up appearances.

But now the worst part was coming: meeting my asshole of a father. We all headed to the living room, where the table was already set, and my father was waiting for us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandra. Finally, Billy brings someone decent home after all those... sluts he's had," my father said, shaking Sandra's hand.

Hearing that, Sandra looked visibly unsettled—understandably so, considering how she was and hearing such a comment. It was at that very moment I realized my suspicions were correct: this dinner was a terrible idea.

"Uh... a pleasure as well," Sandra murmured, shaking his hand.

"Here we go again." I couldn't help but mutter.

"Calm down, William," Maddie whispered, squeezing my hand to try and soothe me. To be honest, feeling her hand intertwined with mine calmed me more than I'd like to admit. "He'll drink a couple of beers during dinner, he'll get sleepy, and it'll all be over soon." she whispered. I nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go.

"And you must be the famous Harrington," my father said, looking at him sternly and extending his hand as soon as he was in front of him.

"Yes, Mr. Hargrove. I'm Steve. Nice to meet you," Harrington said, shaking his hand.

"You better not lay a finger on Madeleine. I hope you're not like my idiot son and using her just for fun,"

Son of a bitch, son of a bitch. How I hate him. I wish he weren't my father.

"I would never do that, Mr. Hargrove,"Harrington managed to keep his composure. I, on the other hand, felt like the vein in my neck was about to burst from the frustration.

"Well, what do you think about sitting down at the table? We can all get to know each other a little better." Susan interrupted, noticing the tense atmosphere that had settled around us.

Maddie nodded and went to sit down. My father sat next to Susan, with Maxine sitting beside her. Maddie and Harrington sat next to Maxine, while Sandra sat next to Steve, and I sat beside my girlfriend. Susan served dinner and took out the wine that Sandra had brought.

Obviously, we weren't supposed to drink alcohol, but according to her, it was a special night since both Maddie and I had brought our partners, and she let us have a glass. Of course, Susan wasn't stupid; she knew very well that at our age, we were already starting to drink.

To my relief, the dinner was fairly calm, as calm as it could be. We talked about school, classmates, future plans, and other trivial matters. Although there were moments of tension whenever my father tried to cross the line, Susan would subtly try to stop it whenever that happened.

That worked until we finished the dinner. At that point, my disgrace of a father had drunk a bit too much and was becoming harder to control. So began the round of "let's see which one of my sons I can mess with the most."

It was at that point that even Susan couldn't shut him up.

Sandra was really uncomfortable, which I hated, and I could feel my anger building up, ready to explode at any moment. It didn't escape my notice that Harrington was squeezing my redhead's hand to try and calm her down every time my father said something out of line.

Everyone there, even Max, was hoping Neil would get up from the table and leave so we could end the dinner and get rid of the discomfort.

"So, Steve," my father placed his empty beer can on the table and looked directly at him. "When you finish the school year, even if you don't go to college, you'll stay working at your dad's company, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Harrington shrugged.

"So, Steve," my father placed the empty beer can on the table and looked directly at him. "When you finish the school year, even if you don't go to university, you'll stay working at your father's company, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Harrington shrugged.

"Well, that's fine. At least you're a focused man with plans for the future. Which brings me to the next question..." He rested an elbow on the table and pointed at Maddie.

Oh, shit. This was going to go really bad.

"How could someone with such a clear future end up with the lost cause of my stepdaughter? Because, let's be honest, no matter how pretty she is, she has no future."

"Are you serious, Dad? With her too?" I clenched my fists tightly on the table. I didn't like where this was going at all.

Luckily, Maddie didn't say anything that could make the situation worse.

"Don't get involved, I'm not talking to you," my father spat with the typical disdain he always used when speaking to me.

"Well, Mr. Hargrove," Steve coughed, "With all due respect, I don't think Maddie has no future.In fact, there are many things she's good at. The problem is whether you appreciate that."

"If you say so..." My father leaned back in his chair. "But, from what you've told me, you could aim for something better. Like Sandra, for example."

That was it—no more.

"Enough, Dad!" I shouted angrily. Maddie gave me a look to let it go.

Maybe she was right, but I wasn't sure how much more of my father's nonsense I could take.

"Sandra is my friend. And she's just as valuable as Maddie, Mr. Hargrove," Harrington tried to ease the tension. And, for once, I felt a bit of peace knowing that idiot was willing to stand up for Maddie. Maybe...

"That's true, Mr. Hargrove. Madeleine doesn't deserve you saying those things. She's just a normal teenager, about to graduate. Of course, she has a future," Sandra's voice defending Maddie interrupted my thoughts.

"It's true, Mr. Hargrove. Madeleine doesn't deserve to be spoken to like that. She's a normal teenager, about to graduate. Of course, she has a future," Sandra's voice defending Maddie interrupted my thoughts.

"If you say so..." my father repeated again, uninterested. "And as for you, Sandra, it's clear you could aim for something much better than my miserable son. He'll never be a real man. You should find someone better; he's not aware of how lucky he is."

"I... Well..." Sandra looked down, not knowing what to say.

Damn bastard, if anyone didn't deserve to be treated like that, it was Sandra. I was about to confront him, but Maddie beat me to it.

"You should be asking yourself those questions, Neil," she growled without even looking at him.

"Madeleine, stop," Susan tensed up, and I shook my head, signaling for her to stay quiet.

"What the hell are you saying? Ungrateful brat..." Neil replied with disdain.

"Billy, at only 18 years old, is way more of a man than you'll ever be!"  She slammed her fist on the table and stood up. "Unlike you, he would never lay a hand on a woman! Not even a child! And that makes him way more of a man than you, asshole!" My heart swelled with a little happiness hearing her words. Did my redhead really think that of me?

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE  BITCH?!" My father also stood up. His eyes were bloodshot, and he clearly intended to lunge at Maddie.

That snapped me back to reality, and all my senses went on high alert. I wasn't going to let him lay a finger on Madeleine.

"SHIT, DAMN IT!" I jumped up like a spring.

I ran toward her, grabbing her and intending to drag her outside to distance her from Neil, praying that the others would manage to calm my father down. I walked with firm steps, not looking back, wrapping my arm around her waist to pull her along the hallway that led to the porch.

Meanwhile, she kept kicking and cursing.

"Let go of me, Billy! Let go of me, I'll kill him!" She struggled once we were outside, trying to break free and probably planning to confront my father again.

"Don't you see he's the one who could kill you, you idiot?" I gripped her more tightly so she couldn't escape.

"The hell he will! LET ME GO!" She kept kicking, but she was crazy if she thought I was going to let her get anywhere near him.

"I don't want him to lay a finger on you,
Madeleine!" I let go of her and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, standing right in front of her. "What part of 'that man is a fucking psychopath who doesn't care about smashing your face in' don't you understand?! CALM DOWN, DAMN IT!" I looked at her firmly, trying to get her to listen to me for once.

"The hell I will calm down!" She looked at me, filled with contained fury. "I'm so fed up with how he talks about you! I'm sick and tired of him hitting you! I'm not putting up with it for one more second!" She furrowed her brow, and I felt myself soften a little at what she said.

"Do you think I liked everything he said about you?" I growled, tightening my hands on her arms.

"You don't care. You hate me. What I said is true, you're nothing like your father. But that doesn't change the fact that you couldn't care less about me because you hate me," She huffed, not breaking eye contact with me.

"So what? You hate me too, but you still just risked your neck for me," I relaxed a bit, letting the tension in my muscles ease, and lifted my hands to cradle her face between them. "If he had dared to cross the line with you, I would've smashed his head in right there. Even if you hate me and I hate you," I noticed my eyes burning. Damn it, why did I feel like crying?

"Billy... I—" She swallowed, placing her hands on mine, which were still cupping her cheeks. I felt a slight chill at the touch. "Maybe I do hate you. But... maybe, just maybe, I've started to hate you a little less."

"What?" Her words, though they made me incredibly happy, completely caught me off guard. "What did you say, Madeleine?" I stepped closer to her.

"I'm not saying it again, Billy," she replied calmly, gently stroking my hands. "Billy, this doesn't change anything."

"What do you mean, this doesn't change..."

"YOU! YOU INSOLENT, UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" A sharp, shrill shout from my father interrupted our conversation, startling us.

"Get behind me and don't say a word," I said, my voice firm.

That man was the only person on this planet who truly scared me. Still, I hid Maddie behind me to block his path, determined not to let him lay a finger on her.

But it didn't matter. As soon as he was in front of me, he punched me in the face and shoved me aside, sending me crashing to the ground. For a few moments, I was disoriented—my muscles wouldn't respond, and I couldn't get up. I could only hear what was going on around me.

"Say it again if you've got the guts!" Neil yelled, and I fought with everything I had to get back on my feet.

"Let me go, you bastard!" This time it was Maddie I heard screaming. It was at that moment that I finally managed to get up.

"Let her go right now!" Harrington yelled, panic in his voice, while Sandra watched the scene in horror.

"What did you say? Are you sure you want to go down this road?" My father tightened his grip around Madeleine's delicate neck, and I was consumed by a wave of dread. I couldn't understand why I couldn't react.

"You..." Two tears fell from her eyes. She could barely breathe. "Let....me....go..." Maddie was kicking her legs in the air, barely able to move, her eyes red.

"I'LL LET YOU GO WHEN YOU START ACTING LIKE THE LADY YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE!" My father shouted, his eyes bloodshot. "TAKE IT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"LET HER GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed frantically, moving closer to him.

"N... no..." That was all Maddie could say before her beautiful eyes closed, and she stopped struggling.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I managed to make him let go of Maddie, and Sandra rushed to her side.

"Do you think you can do anything against me?! I'M YOUR FATHER, YOU LITTLE FUCK!" My father grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, looking at me threateningly. But this time, I wasn't going to back down.

"If anything happens to her..." I squeezed one of my hands around his neck, letting the rage take over. "IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY REDHEAD, I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" A tear rolled down my cheek.

"My redhead? Since when do you cry? YOU'RE A FUCKING PUSSY!" He laughed cynically, even though I was choking him.

"Billy, stop! Let him go!" Harrington appeared and stepped in between us, making me release my father.

"Don't get involved, Harrington!" I growled, not taking my eyes off Neil, still intent on going after him, even though Susan and Maxine were trying to pull him inside to separate us.

"It's not worth it, Billy. And you know it. Right now, the only thing that matters is helping your sister!" He said nervously, and I realized he was right.

"Ma... Maddie..." I turned and saw Sandra lying her down on the ground, holding her head in her lap. "Shit, Madeleine!" I crouched down next to Sandra, seeing how Maddie was barely breathing.

"We need to get her to the hospital, Billy. She's breathing, but her pulse is really weak." Sandra stroked my arm, trying to comfort me.

"NO!" I replied, my voice shaking.

"But Billy, it could be..."

"We can't," I interrupted her. "If we take her, they'll ask questions, and if they find out this was my father's fault..."

"Is it going to make things worse, right?" Harrington shot back. I looked up at him and nodded. "In my place, there's no one. We can take her there and try something to see if she reacts."

"But if it doesn't work, we'll have to take her to the hospital, okay?" I didn't answer, just furrowed my brow.

"Billy, I'm serious," Sandra called my attention. "If Maddie doesn't react at Steve's house, promise me we'll take her to the hospital," she said, looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Fine..." I sighed in resignation.

"Thanks, babe." Sandra smiled before giving me a brief kiss on the lips.

We didn't waste any more time. I took Maddie in my arms and laid her in the back seat of my Camaro. Harrington and Sandra left ahead of me in his car, and I followed them with mine to their house.

We didn't waste any more time. I took Maddie in my arms and laid her in the back seat of my Camaro. Harrington and Sandra left ahead of me in his car, and I followed them with mine to his house.

I'd never felt this way before, my driving was almost desperate. I kept checking Maddie every second in the rearview mirror; she still had her eyes closed and was breathing very weakly.

Suddenly, a flood of tears started streaming down my face. The only things that had ever made me cry were my father's abuse and the abandonment of my mother. After that, I promised myself I wouldn't cry for anyone else. Until now.

The thought of Maddie stopping breathing overwhelmed me. The mere idea that she might never open her eyes again felt like something was tearing me apart from the inside. It burned. It was suffocating. I hated her, but in that moment, I realized that, no matter how much I hated her, my life without her would never be the same.

I needed her to breathe again. I needed her to insult me again, to confront me, to steal my cigarettes, to drive me crazy, to smile again, to walk into my room without knocking... I needed her with all my being.

Almost without realizing it, we arrived at Harrington's house. I carefully lifted Maddie in my arms and the three of us rushed inside.

Steve pointed me towards the room at the end of the hallway while he and Sandra went to prepare some cold and hot compresses to wrap around her reddened neck.

"Open your eyes, beautiful. Please, open them." I whispered, shedding one last tear as I carried her into the room Harrington had directed me to. "I need you to be as stubborn as always and open them, redhead."

When I reached the room, I laid her on the bed and just stared at her. That bastard had left her neck completely bruised. Still, I couldn't help but realize, in that exact moment, that despite everything, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

Harrington and Sandra arrived with the wet cloths and placed the cold one on her neck.

After they did that, I sat at the edge of the bed next to Maddie while they stood beside me. I took Maddie's hand and started gently stroking it, hoping she would open her eyes once and for all.

After a long, agonizing wait, her eyes finally snapped open, filled with panic and helplessness. Seeing all of us surrounding her, she immediately tried to sit up, but I quickly placed my hand on her chest to stop her.

"Take it easy, redhead," I murmured, still sitting beside her.

"We don't want you to pass out again," Harrington added.

"What...?" she murmured with a hoarse voice. It was clear that my father had really messed up her neck.

"Get up slowly," Sandra said as she approached her and removed the cold compress from her neck. "I'll bring it back, but this time soaked in hot water. It'll help with the redness."

"Th... thank you," Maddie whispered before Sandra left the room.

"Try not to talk, Maddie. I'm going to bring you a hot tea to soothe the pain in your throat," Steve kissed her forehead, and she nodded.

I didn't even get mad at the kiss. I was so relieved that Maddie had opened her eyes, everything else seemed irrelevant.

Harrington left the room, leaving her and me alone. She slowly started to sit up, and I gave her some space so she could do so. I also extended my hand to help her, making sure she didn't get dizzy or anything like that.

She sat on the edge of the bed next to me, both of us in silence. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As if instinctively, she brought her hand to her neck and squeezed her eyes shut in pain. It hurt. I was sure it hurt terribly, and all I could think about was how much I wanted my father to pay for what he had done to her.