Victor hummed along to Silent Night as he finished preparing the dinner table, the warm smile still on his face as his son shined the last fork.
Manipulating the boy was even easier than he'd imagined. All he had to do was give him a little positive attention and take his side when his sister gave him a hard time.
With a little more time, he could mold Vincent into the perfect son. The kind of son who never talked back, and who would do anything for his father.
He went back into the kitchen removed the fifteen pound ham from the oven, placing it in the center of the table. "Would you like me to teach you how to carve a ham, son?" He asked, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I believe you're ready."
Vincent's eyes lit up and he stepped closer to his father. "Yeah! That would be great!" He exclaimed, so excited that he'd already forgotten everything that happened earlier with his sister.
Victor handed his son a large fork and knife to cut the ham with. "The trick is to keep the ham nice and steady with the fork." He explained, "Take your time and be sure to cut all the way down to the bone."
The ham was beautifully carved ten minutes later, and the doorbell rang soon after. Victor opened the door and greeted his guests by chanting, "Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas to you beautiful young ladies!"
"Merry Christmas, Santa!" Molly laughed, "I hope we're not too late for dinner."
"Not at all! You're just in time."
Victor called his children into the dining room and everyone took their places at the table. He removed his hat and began saying grace. "Heavenly Father, I thank you for this beautiful meal you have provided for us. Bless it to the nourishment of our bodies, and bless our wonderful guests as they eat with us. In Your name we pray, amen."
"Amen." Everyone, but Katherine, said. She was too busy glaring at their obnoxious dinner host, wishing that she was anywhere else but there.
No one seemed to notice her disdain though, as they were far too consumed with the delicious food in front of them. She sighed and took a large chunk of ham on her fork, rolling her eyes as Victor began telling humorous stories about some of the crazy people that he had arrested over the years.
She was able to drown him out for a few minutes, then the sound of silver tapping against glass pulled her out of her thoughts. Victor was holding his wine glass in the air with a wide grin on his face. "Now, I would like to propose a toast to Katherine and Molly, who have been a such wonderful friends to us in the last few months, even in our darkest times."
"Oh, Victor-" Molly protested playfully, until he held a hand in the air.
"Please, let me finish." He pleaded, the smile fading from his face. "Your friendship has helped us in ways that you cannot even imagine, and I never want that beautiful relationship to end."
He rose from his chair and sank down to one knee, causing everyone to gasp. He pulled a small black box out of his shirt pocket and opened it to display a diamond ring.
The same ring that once belonged to his late wife, Vera.
"Molly Austin," He said, "Would you do me the honor of taking me as your husband?"
The room became as still as a frightened deer caught in headlights. Molly covered her mouth with a trembling hand for a moment, then she shook her head. "Victor, I...I-" She stammered for the right words. "This is just so sudden."
"No, Molly." Victor said, "This is the perfect time."
Molly picked up her wine glass and chugged the rest of what was inside. She looked over at her daughter, who was absolutely horrified by the proposal, then returned her attention to Victor.
"Can we talk about this alone in the kitchen?"
Victor's face fell and he stood up, shoving the ring back into his shirt pocket. He went into the kitchen without saying a word and leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest.
Molly followed him and looked down at the floor. "I can't marry you, Victor." She waited for a response, but he remained stone cold silent. "Katherine and I are moving back to Rhode Island."
"Are you serious?" Victor asked, unfolding his arms and taking a step towards her. "When exactly were you planning on telling me?"
"I was going to tell you tonight."
"You had no right to keep this from me, Molly." He stepped even closer to her, his fists clenched by his side. She had made a fool of him in front of his children, and that was unacceptable.
His eyebrows furrowed in anger and Molly's heart began slamming against her chest. The look in his eyes made her feel like a terrified child. She averted her gaze from his and said, "I wasn't trying to keep it from you, Victor. My old boss called and offered me a higher position, one that would pay triple what I'm making now. It's a great opportunity, and it's only a seven year contract. I'll be back before you know it."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Plus, I had no idea that you felt that way. I thought we were just having fun."
Victor glared at her in silence before turning his back to her. "Do you really think I'm the kind of man that only wants sex?"
"No, but-"
"I really thought we had something special, but I guess I was wrong." He threw his hand over his eyes and forced tears to come out. "I was such a fool."
Molly gently placed her hands on his shoulders, even though she was still shaken up by his angry gaze. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Victor."
"It's fine." Victor sniffled, "I'll just tell the kids that it wasn't meant to be. I'm sure they'll understand."
"Victor-"
"No, no. You don't have to say another word. Just take Katherine and go before you see me cry."
Molly started to say something else to try and comfort him, but she decided against it. She went into the dining room and looked at her daughter with a sad expression on her face. "Tell Vincent and Violet goodbye, honey. It's time for us to go."
Relief washed over Katherine when she realized that her mother had not accepted the proposal. She said her goodbyes and followed her out to their car, only looking back once more at her best friend's house.
She knew she would miss Vincent greatly when they moved, but she was so happy to be getting away from his father. She would no longer have to worry about the many unwanted touches from him, or his threats to kill her mother if she breathed a word of what he did. She would be rid of him forever.
Or so she thought.....
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AN: I know this chapter was a little different, but it's leading up to something major. And forgive me if there are any typos! It's late and my eyes are tired lol! 😆