Parish: Killing Me Slowly

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

“Leigh.” someone says and I spin around, all too familiar with that deep, scratchy voice.

“What do you want?” I ask harshly.

“I want what all dads want, to see their daughter happy. Why are you unhappy, Leigh?” he asks. He’s mocking me.

“You know damn well why I’m not happy, and it’s not just because Blade left. It’s because of you, of everything you’ve done to me. Honestly, what did I ever do to you to deserve this? To deserve being beaten every chance you get.”

He smiles wickedly and then sneers at me. “You’re such a stupid, ignorant girl, you know that? You killed your mother. When she was pregnant with you, there were complications. Either the baby would die, or she would. I guess we both know how that turned out. At first, I tried to be the loving father and it came naturally, but I couldn’t shake the hatred I felt for you deep down. You were possibly the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I was fine with just having Greg, a son, but she wanted a daughter and then you came along. I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out sooner.”

Inside, I feel my heart break all over again. I’m the reason mom’s dead? Because she couldn’t handle giving birth to me?

I sway on my feet and feel more than a little light-headed. I think I’m going to be sick.

“Oh, Leigh, don’t blame yourself. You have me for that.” he walks closer, still talking in that sickly sweet voice of his. I cringe when he reaches out and touches my shoulder, then gasp when he grabs me and pulls me against him, hard. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “But don’t you worry your pretty little head off, I’ll be sure to take care of you.”

He picks me up and carries me away, towards… somewhere. By now I’ve lost track of where I am. I’m completely lost.

When I finally understand what he means when he said he’ll “take care of me” I start to scream and kick and lash out at him any way I can, trying to make him let go of me. When I land a lucky punch to his nose, he cries out and drops me, reaching up to cradle his broken nose. Serves him right.

The second my feet touch the ground I sprint away, as fast as I can. I’m desperate to make sure this isn’t my last day on this Earth, I’m not sure how lucky I am.

An arm snakes around my waist and pulls me to a halt. The force of it knocks the wind out of me and I’m left gasping for air. He picks me up again and quickly walks to his house, which is now just in front of us. I was running home subconsciously. Somehow, I still needed to be near it. Stupid, stupid!

“Let’s go, Leigh. I promise, I won’t hurt you.” Lies. It’s all lies.

When we get inside, he shuts the door and locks it behind him. He throws me onto the floor and walks closer to me, disgust marring his features.

“You know, when you were born I figured I would love you unconditionally since you’re my only daughter, but oh, how I was wrong. So very wrong."

He raises his hand and brings it down on my cheek. It stings and I’m sure he left a handprint. I back up and he walks closer. When I hit the wall, he stops walking, only inches from me. “You’re out of luck this time, Leigh. There’s no Greg to save you. What’s going to happen now?”

A single tear spills over my cheek and he brings his hand up and gently wipes it away. I flinch and anger crosses his face. He slaps me again, only harder this time.

“When will you do as your told? How many times have I said to not show weakness!” he shouts. “You filthy little slut.”

He hits me again. And again. When he finally stops, his breathing is ragged and I can no longer feel my face. “You stupid, little girl. I’ll show you what I’m really made of. Then let’s see if you flinch.”