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“I just don’t understand why he’s acting this way,” Mom comments “He’s always been so calm and collected What set him off?”

Jules shifts on my lap, and I look down at her Guilt riddles her face, and I decide to shut that shit down right now because I’ll be damned if she thinks she’s to blame

“This is not your fault, Jules,” I say with heat behind et that shit out of your head”

“But he was fine before I woke up, wasn’t he?”

Ella answers before I can “He was, but there’s no excuse for his actions There’s nothing a woht to force hi out of the ordinary, but he’s stillthose decisions on his own”

“She’s right,” Dad inserts “A man is put on this earth to love and cherish women, not destroy and hurt them Don’t take this on yourself He’s an adult He knohat’s right and wrong”

She looks at each person in the room and they all have the same look on their faces: conviction

“What do we do? He’s your family I don’t expect you to abandon him because of me And then there’s Aria”

I knohat I’d like to do, but instead of voicing my opinion, I say, “I have a friend who has an uncle who’s a lawyer I plan to call him Monday Until then, Aria will stay with one of us,” I infor my family, my brother died when he tried to rape you The first two tih, and fuck knoanted to kill hi what he’s capable of, the bastard can rot in hell for all I care”

“I don’t see hi after what he pulled He’d be too worried the cops will be after him”

I look over to Vicki The wo in her eyes

“If he’s fucking sain”

“I know you all say it’s not my fault, but I’m still sorry”

I pull Jules tighter against my chest

Mom breaks away froht as her gaze roa Jules’s face before settling on her eyes