Page 10 of Bound By Threads
“No. You just traded hers for ten grand,” I sneer.
Tracey looks away, her eyes avoiding mine. “Don’t be mad. I did what I had to. It was the only way, okay? I cleared the debt, and we’re safe.”
“Safe?” I exclaim, “You think she’ll be safe when she’s marrying that monster?”
Tracey scoffs. “She’s broken, Peter. Who on earth would love a girl who doesn’t talk? He wants her, so he can have her, and we don’t have to pay back the money…” She blows out smoke, “They even threw in an extra twenty.”
I stare at the woman I once loved, who I would have died for, and all I can see is a stranger.
“You sold out our daughter for thirty thousand?” I choke out. I stare at her as she drags another lungful of smoke, holding her breath as the drugs hit her system, and lazily drags her eyes to mine, praying that I’ll see a hint of remorse.
I search her face as she smiles at me. “It’s better her than us,” she murmurs. “You’ll hate me for a few days, but you’ll come around just like you did last time. Now, come take a hit before I smoke it all.”
She holds out the stained pipe to me, but I shake my head and step back, not wanting to touch the drug that’s robbed my daughter of so much. “I’m good for now.”
Tracey rolls her eyes, “You’re so dramatic, Peter. You didn’t care all that much the last time...” she trails off as I rapidly shake my head at her.
“I did care!” I shout, stepping closer. “I watchedourdaughter walk through that door,” I point my finger shakily to the front door, “a wreck. She could barely hold herself up from the pain...” My throat closes, the words refusing to form.
“Honestly, Peter. It happens to every girl.”
“No.That’s not what that was. That was revenge — a price to pay that she ended up paying for us!” I can feel my anger bubbling, my voice rising with every word. I know that Scarlett will wake up if we continue, but I can’t allow her to get away with this without taking accountability.
Scarlett won’t survive this. We’ve already taken so much from her. Things we should have protected her from and been her parents for once, instead of losing ourselves to drugs.
“We’re meant to protect her,” I plead, desperate to get through to the woman I call my wife.
I once would have laid down my life for her, worshipped the ground she walked on, but now…
“We need to protect ourselves first,” she retorts defensively, her voice daring me to challenge her. “We were running out of options, and they were going to kill one of us… Most likely me. Do you want that?”
“I’m not going to let you do this, Tracey. Not again.”
“It’s done, Peter. Let it go,” she says.
I let out a heavy sigh, feeling defeated that this is the person my wife has become, and I turn away, heading towards our bedroom. Her voice calls out to me, pleading for me to return, but I ignore her, unable to look at her right now.
She’s sacrificed Scarlett for her own gain, and I can’t stand here and let it happen. I won’t let that monster get his hands on her again.
I lean down,grab the stuffed duffle from under the bed, and roll my eyes at how predictable Tracey has become. Sure enough, twenty grand in cash is stuffed inside—blood money.
Knowing what I have to do, I grab half of the stacks of bills. Ten thousand will get her far enough from here that she’ll be safe, far from the chaos that has engulfed our lives.
I know it’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best I can do without someone finding her. She deserves a new beginning, away from the shadows of our mistakes hanging over her.
I linger outside Scarlett’s bedroom door. A wave of sadness washes over me, knowing that this will be the last moment I ever share with her. Countless thoughts race through my mind — words I want to say to her, long overdue apologies — but deep down, I know I don’t have the right to voice them. Not to her.
I can hear her bed creak as she shifts, followed by the sound of a sniffle, letting me know she’s awake.
I push her door open, and Scar’s eyes slam shut just like they always did when she was a child, pretending to be asleep.
“Scar.” I shake her shoulder gently. “Baby, wake up.”
She opens her eyes slowly and pushes herself to sit up. Her hand forms a Y and pushes it under her chin.“What’s wrong?”
I pull her school bag off the floor and stuff the money into it. “Scar, I… I need you to pack some stuff in this bag.”
“Why?”she motions, her brow furrows, and I can see the terror in her eyes.
