Keep On Walking (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 3 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirty

❝fear (pronounced fɪə or feer), noun
an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.❞

There wasn't a single night without nightmares anymore.

She would wake up every night crying, and Hunter would stay up every night to comfort her. Both had bags growing under their eyes, and Hunter began drinking more and more coffee to try and stay awake. Only Elle really understood why.

"Mama?" she asked one day, while Phoenix was watching TV, and little Robin was playing with some random toy of hers in her high chair.

"Yes, darling?" she said tiredly.

"That man... who came a couple of weeks ago? Was that Markus?"

"Yes."

"Oh." She was quiet. "Did he hurt you a lot, Mama?"

"Yes."

"Were you really scared when he-"

"Elle, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh. Okay."

"Thank you." She cooked in silence a little longer.

"I still don't know what 'raped' means."

"You don't need to know."

"But he did it do you, right? He-"

"Enough, Elle!" snapped Ryan. "Let's- let's play a game, and we'll call it the quiet game, and whoever's quietest for the longest wins. Okay?"

"That doesn't sound like a very fun game."

"Well, this doesn't sound like a very fun conversation."

"Why are you being mean?"

"I'm not being mean! I just-" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose the way she did when she had a headache. "Ellie, honey... I can't talk about that, okay? It makes... it makes me sad. And scared. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It's okay. It's just... it's nothing."

Elle still looked upset, and Ryan tried to talk to her. "So, dancing? How's it going? Still top of the class?"

"Yeah. It's good."

Ryan sighed, sitting down. "Oh, Ellie. I'm sorry, my little swan. Really. I didn't mean to get angry at you. I'm not angry, I promise."

She looked up. "So why are you so sad?"

"I don't think you'd understand."

"I can try."

She sounded so much like Hunter in that moment that it was impossible for Ryan to believe that this wasn't really his biological daughter sitting there in front of her. She sighed. "Why don't I get you some hot chocolate, and I'll drink some tea?"

"Okay."

She made their drinks. "Mama?"

"Yes, darling?"

"You've been sad since Markus came back."

"Yes, my swan. I have."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

Elle narrowed her eyes carefully. "You're lying," she concluded.

"Elle-"

"He did something. I heard you scream."

"He didn't hurt me."

"But he did hurt someone."