Sadie
I’d never seen Cyrus so furious before, and honestly, it frightened me. I knew as he charged forward that he’d likely kill Ralph if he got his hands on him.
There was a part of me that might not have minded that, but there was enough reason left within me to know it would not end well for any of us if Cyrus actually hurt Ralph. It would put everything in jeopardy, and Megan would possibly be taken away from us.
I couldn’t let that happen. As much as would have liked to see Ralph beaten and bloody for causing Megan so much harm, I didn’t want to see Cyrus behind bars for an assault charge.
I also didn’t think it would be good for Megan to watch her uncle beat her father right in front of her.
Before Cyrus reached Ralph, I shouted, “Cyrus, don’t! Not in front of Megan!”
To my relief, he came to an immediate stop, his fist still raised. Ralph had thrown his arms over his face to protect himself from the blow that had been coming. He trembled in obvious fear and even released a little whimper. Cyrus held his fist in midair, his jaw clenched as he clearly struggled to decide what he should do.
I cautiously moved forward and laid my hand on his shoulder.
“Cyrus, please,” I murmured in a gentle tone. “He’s not worth it. Don’t risk our family because of him.”
There was a moment of silence before Cyrus released a long breath and lowered his fist with a nod.
“You’re right,” he growled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you or Megan.”
I sighed with relief. “It’s all right. You didn’t frighten us. Let’s just de-escalate this, all right? Just get him out of here.”
“I will,” he assured me.
He glared at Ralph, who’d lowered his arms and was watching us with a curious, confused expression.
Taking a step closer to his ex-brother-in-law, Cyrus raised himself to his full height and stared down at the smaller man.
“Get off my property, or I’ll call the cops,” he demanded in an icy tone.
In the face of such an intimidating figure, I would have expected anyone to cut and run. To my surprise, though, Ralph didn’t. He stayed put, though he looked terrified. Still, he gazed up at Cyrus and didn’t back away.
“Cyrus, I’m not the man I was,” he insisted in a shaky voice. “I’ve changed. I want to be a father to Megan.”
“I’ve told you, I won’t let you hurt Megan like you hurt Kate,” Cyrus growled.
Ralph’s brow furrowed. “I would never hurt Megan!”
“You’ve done nothing but hurt her,” Cyrus hissed. “Do you really think beating and killing her mother hasn’t left a mark on her?”
Megan released a little sob and clung to my legs. She was shaking so badly that she nearly made my knees buckle. She was obviously terrified, and I couldn’t imagine how awful this conversation sounded to her. Turning, I bent down and picked Megan up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and started to quietly cry against my neck. I rubbed her back, my heart aching. Spinning back around, I glared at the men.
“I’m taking Megan inside,” I snapped. “She shouldn’t have to witness this.”
Ralph whipped his gaze toward me, and his eyes went wide with sudden panic.
“You can’t leave!” he insisted. “You can’t take her!”
He took a step toward me, but Cyrus moved to stand between us.
“Back off,” he growled.
Ralph came to a stop, but he tried to look around Cyrus at me. I hugged Megan tighter to me. He could try all he wanted, but he wasn’t getting that little girl away from me.
“She can’t take her,” he snapped at Cyrus.
“She can, and she will,” Cyrus replied coldly. “If you make any move toward her, or put your hands on her again, I’ll make sure you’re locked away for the rest of your miserable life.”
That was definitely no empty threat, and Ralph knew it. Bowing his head and curling his hands into fists at his sides, he didn’t say another word or even look my way.
Cyrus turned to me, his expression softening.
“Go on up to the house,” he murmured. “Do what you can to calm Megan down. I’ll take care of this.”
“Please don’t do anything that could come back to bite us,” I replied softly. “Nothing that puts us at risk.”
He nodded, his eyes flickering down to Megan, still trembling and crying softly in my arms.
His gaze hardened with determination and resolve, and he swallowed, his throat bobbing with the effort.
“I promise, I’ll keep you and Megan safe, no matter what,” he said at length. “Even if that means somehow keeping you safe from me and my decisions.”
“Just be rational,” I insisted. “Make him leave, then come back to the house and reassure me that our family is safe then.”
I froze, the words that I’d just spoken shocking me. Our family? What was I saying? How could I presume…?
I watched Cyrus, almost afraid of what he might say in response. Had I just overstepped? Made an unwarranted assumption about what was between us? I held my breath as I waited for him to reply.
To my surprise and delight, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“I promise,” he said softly. “I’ll keep us all safe.”
My heart raced, and I bit my lip to hide my smile of relief. Hugging Megan tight to me, I turned and hurried out of the maze and toward the house, trusting that Cyrus would protect us and that we’d all still be together once this was over.
Chapter 57
Cyrus
I waited until Sadie and Megan were out of the maze and out of sight before I turned back to Ralph. He hadn’t moved, which was smart of him. If he’d tried to go after them, things would have gotten bloody. I didn’t want to break my promise to Sadie, though. She’d been right about needing to keep my temper in check and not attack Ralph. I couldn’t risk Megan’s wellbeing or her placement with me.
I also didn’t want Sadie to look at me like I was a monster. I didn’t want to disappoint her. She was counting on me to take care of this matter and protect our…family.
Our family.
I couldn’t believe she’d said that. It made my chest swell with eagerness, pride, and hope. She wanted us all to be together. She was staking her claim on me and Megan, and it made me happier than I could have imagined. However, that happiness was overshadowed by my anger toward Ralph, who appeared as the only remaining obstacle in the way of the happy and whole life that I knew I could have with Sadie and Megan.
Slowly, I released a long breath before saying, “I’m only going to say this one more time, Ralph. Get off my property. You’re not welcome here.”
I expected him to argue with me. To be defiant and insist on his rights to Megan, of which he had none. However, he surprised me by dropping to his knees and letting out a sob.
“Cyrus, please,” he cried. “Let me be with my daughter! She belongs with me. I’m her father! I’m begging you…”
I glared at him, grinding my teeth and opening and closing my hands into fists. What a manipulative, worthless piece of filth.
“No,” I snapped.
“Why are you being so cruel?” he demanded to know, looking up at me, his face streaked with tears. “You’re only hurting Megan by keeping her from me.”
There was no greater test to my control than that very moment. I could have killed him right then and there, and I wouldn’t have blinked an eye. It was only Sadie’s words in my head that held me back.
Still, I wasn’t going to let him get away with saying something so ridiculous and idiotic.
“Do you really think I’d let the man who killed my sister have my niece?” I snarled.
“Cyrus, it was an accident,” Ralph insisted with a whimper. “I would never have intentionally hurt Kate!”
I let out a snort of disbelief. “That’s a bald-faced lie. All you did was hurt her, you asshole. It’s not such a stretch for you to go from beating her to killing her. It’s far too common for abusive assholes like you to cross that line.”
“I swear to you, Cyrus, I am haunted by that night,” he declared. “It was an accident, though. I lost control. I was going too fast, I was…”
“Wasted,” I snapped. “You were wasted and angry that Kate was finally getting away from you after years of putting up with your bullshit. You didn’t want to lose your control over her, but she was standing up for herself and taking charge of her life. She was turning things around, finally, and you couldn’t stand it. Admit it, Ralph, there’s a part of you that wanted to hurt her that night. There’s a part of you that doesn’t regret what you did.”
I had no idea if that was true, but I was angry and all the thoughts and feelings I’d harbored since Kate’s death came pouring out of me. At that moment, it didn’t matter to me if he actually loved my sister in his own twisted way or that he might truly regret what happened that terrible night. All that mattered was that he knew how furious I was. How much agony I still suffered whenever I thought of Kate and how much I missed her.
Ralph stared up at me, horrified. “You…you can’t really believe that, can you? I’m not a monster, Cyrus. I’m not!”
I shook my head. “No matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise, Ralph, you are a piece of shit. You took Megan’s mother from her. You almost killed Megan, too! I don’t care if it was an accident. You killed Kate. You hurt her and Megan.”
“I loved her,” Ralph sobbed. “I loved her so much that it feels like a part of me died with her!”