"Have fun at your parents though," Jon said just as she was about to hang up the phone. Ella rolled her eyes.
"That's becoming increasingly difficult."
"I'm really sorry I couldn't come tonight."
Ella laughed. "No, you aren't."
Jon laughed. "I'm only half sorry. I don't like leaving you alone there. No offence."
"None taken. I'll be fine," Ella replied. "I've been with them my whole life and I know how to handle them."
"If you say so, babe."
"I do, plus Ken will be there. My mom is a little scared of Ken." Ella told him. "She thinks he's a barbarian."
Jon laughed. "He kind of is," he said.
"I know." She went into Josh's room to see if he was done getting dressed. "Have fun with your family."
"I will. They're a crazy bunch. I can't wait for you to meet them."
"I can't wait to meet the entire Reeves clan. I hope they're not all like Jude."
Jon laughed. "Actually, he's the anomaly."
"That's good to hear."
"He's better when you get to know him," Jon defended his older brother.
"I don't have a problem with getting to know him. He's the mean one," Ella teased.
"Hearing you say that will probably put a smile on his face."
"I know," Ella said. "I have to go now."
They said their goodbyes and hung up.
Ella turned to her son who was, instead of putting on his shoes, laying down and flipping through a book. He was so engrossed that he hadn't even heard her come in.
"Hey," she summoned. He looked up at her. When he saw that she was all dressed up, his eyes widened and he jumped off the bed. She nodded satisfactorily and walked out of the room.
"So, Ella. Tell me how things are going at the bakery," Ken said, one again trying to calm Ella down. He had been doing that for the past half hour since Ella had walked into her parents' and seeing her entire family. And Caleb. Once again.
"Things are going good," she said through clenched teeth. Then she turned to Ken, and told herself to calm down. She, however, couldn't resist throwing him one last glare. "I've recently hired a new baker. She's a good baker, just a little clumsy at times. But she's improving."
"That's really nice," her brother said. "I hope your workload has lightened up a bit."
"Yeah, it has."
"Caleb here was just telling us about some huge contract he just got," her mother piped up.
"Mother," Ella started. "I do not care in the least about Caleb and his new contracts."
"Ella. Do not be abrasive," her mother scolded. "Caleb here is our guest."
"Your guest, mother. Not mine."
"Come on, Ella." The bastard actually started speaking. "I've apologized. Why can't we just let bygones be bygones?"
Ella took in a very deep breath, hoping to calm herself. As deep as the breath was, it did nothing to calm her down.
She turned to Caleb. "Bygones?" she heard herself shout. "Does Josh look like a fucking bygone to you?" The deep anger she felt needed to be released somehow.
"Ella, mind your language!" her mother shouted.
"My language is not the problem here," she said, not recognizing the hard voice she heard. "This bastard is." She pointed at Caleb. He had the nerve to look uncomfortable, he looked around the table and shrunk back into his chair.
"Enough!" Her father's voice rang loud and clear.
Everybody at the table shut up and tried to eat the elaborate meal that had been placed in front of them even though it was clear that all their appetites had disappeared.
Claudia's soft voice was the next thing that they heard after about ten minutes of silence had passed. "So, Caleb. You were talking about your new contract?"
Caleb looked around the table before he started talking. "Yeah. It's for this new restaurant. It's owned by this really rich family," he continued rambling on, but Ella tuned him out. The sound of his voice was enough to take her back to that dark place. So she went to her happy place, it was garden where cake grew on trees and Josh was there and so was Jon and –
"Ella."
She looked up when she heard her mother say her name.
"Caleb was asking you a question and you weren't even listening. That is rude."
"What part of "I don't care what Caleb has to say" is extremely difficult to comprehend?" she asked. She knew that that one was rude, but she couldn't be bothered anymore.
Her mother threw down the fork and the knife that were already vibrating in her grasp and they hit the expensive ceramic with a loud "klang" and stood up. "What did I ever do to deserve a daughter as crude and abrasive as you?"
"I'm crude and abrasive just because I choose not to put up with this bastard?" Ella replied. She could feel her anger again and it was bubbling just beneath the surface.
"Call him a bastard all you want, he's still the father of your child." Her mother's voice was increasing in pitch and volume.
"You think that this fact does not haunt me every day of my life?"
Everybody else at the table just sat and watched the show down that was taking place.
"What more do you want from him? He has apologized and is trying to take responsibility. Why else would he be back here?"
"He's back here because he is a sick sadistic bastard," Ella fired back.
"But you dated him, and you liked him enough to bump uglies with him. Why can't you just stop being so bullheaded and just give him another chance?"
Ella was losing control. She dragged in a huge breath, but it was shaky and only served to aggravate the burning sensation in her chest. She felt the hot tears burning her eyes and she let them flow. She was done protecting him. She had no idea why she had in the first place.
"Because he raped me, mother!" She shouted, her voice cracking.
"Oh my goodness!" She heard her sister exclaim. But she wasn't done. It was finally out. She might as well tell them the story.
"We went on one date," she said, her voice deepening due to the fact that she was crying. She turned and looked at the bastard in question. He was looking down at his hands. "He was obnoxious and so self-absorbed that I refused to go on another date with him. He got so mad when I told him and he said I wouldn't get away with it so easily. I thought he was bluffing. But then, he started to stalk me. Everywhere I looked, he was there. And then one night, at a party, he found me alone in the garden. I had gone there to get some fresh air. That was when it happened." She broke down then, falling back into her chair because her knees gave way.
Claudia rushed to her side and pulled her into her arms. Her mother was still standing there with wide eyes and a frozen gasp. Ella forced herself to continue so that they could fully understand the beast that was in their midst parading as a repentant sinner.
"I shouted and struggled at first, but when I saw that he was a whole lot stronger than me, I started to beg him. I begged and begged until my throat was sore. It didn't stop him. Instead, he smiled and told me that he would show me what a useless bitch I was. He told me that I was only good for one thing, and that was to be fucked like the whore I was," she described as the tears flowed freely from her eyes.
"You bastard!" Ken growled as he put his hands around Caleb's neck and pulled him up from his chair. Caleb struggled and shook like a fish out of water but he was no match for Ken's strength.
Ken backed him up against the wall and held him there by the neck with one hand while the other one swung back and came back to hit him square in the face. Then before he could recover, Ken's leg came up and hit him in the groin. Ella watched in shock as Caleb crumpled to the ground.
Finally, Benjamin moved forward and pulled Ken away. Ken came away struggling.
As calmly as you please, her father got up and announced, "I'm calling the police. This animal deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life and I'll see to it that that happens."
"Dad, no!" Ella shouted as her father was leaving the room. He turned back to her and looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Please, don't get the police involved."
"Why would you try to protect him?" Her father asked.
"I'm not protecting him. I'm protecting me. That night was the worst nigh of my life and I have never told anyone what happened before tonight and I don't want to have to ever again."
"This makes no sense," her father said.
Claudia helped her. "Please, dad. Besides, because of Ken, I don't think he's going to be a threat to anyone ever again."
Her father just nodded. "Get him out my house," he said before leaving the room.
****
Hey guys. It's been a hot minute. But I hope you'll forgive me after you've read this chapter.
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See ya.