Butchered Beasts 1: Darren & EJ

Chapter 4

EJ POV

Driving home after seeing more houses, I was determined to figure all of this out. When did things start to go downhill? Was it right after Em was born? Was she a few months old? Was it when we found out she was a girl? He didn't seem as affectionate as he did when we knew we were having Cal. That's been...almost two years ago. Holy. Shit. Is that when this started? Is that when my marriage started to go downhill? I know the pregnancy was a lot, and I was sick for a good part of it. But that happens with pregnancies. Was it the stress of that? Did he only want Cal and just give me Em to make me happy? What the fuck happened?! And when?!

We had a fucking five-year plan!

A Mother. Fucking. Five. Year. Plan!

We were supposed to fix up the house to sell it. We were going to move to a new city, closer to my family, so they could help us while we went and finished our schooling and made the best out of life with a little more land. We wanted to make a better life for our kids. We wanted to give them better than divorced parents because that's what we had! Our parents were divorced. Mine wasn't such a bad childhood, I just hated having to shuffle from one house to another. His...his wasn't the greatest. He promised we'd never have that happen to us. He promised to work hard to be there for me.

I was full-on crying now, driving down the highway. Thankfully, the rest stop was about halfway between our house and my family. I pulled over, just letting the tears fall and flow freely. I heard my phone ringing 'Take On Me' and I knew Hunter was calling.

"Hey," I said, sniffling and trying to get it together. I'd been so strong today. I'd been strong since I found out. But it was starting to wear on me. I was starting to crumble.

"Hey. Listen, you need to get home. Now."

"Why?" I asked, tears stopping immediately  and on alert about the kids. Did something happen? Is everything okay?" Backing out of the parking space, wiping my face as I went. Something was wrong at home. My sister and babies needed me. I looked over my shoulder, signal on, and merged into traffic. I hit the gas going nine over. Because what's the saying?

'Nine you're fine, ten you're mine'? Or something like that?

"What's wrong? What's happening?" I feel the overprotective, rip apart the world, mama bear coming out of me. Someone was fucking with her cubs. Hearing them screaming and crying over the phone was making me press harder on the gas. 

"It's Patrick. He's drunk and trying to bring a woman into the house. She's currently screaming at him because he lied about having kids and thinks I'm his woman. She's yelling at him right now." My breathing hitched, my kids were scared, but I needed more proof. Solid, can't be faked type of proof. 

"Get footage of it! Why are you calling me?!" I need proof! I need to be able to burn this SOB's reputation once the divorce is over!

"The doorbell is recording all of it. I'm uploading to the cloud as we speak. And by cloud, I mean mine. No way is he getting his hands on this. But the kids are freaking out."

I heard my phone beep and pulled it away from my face, a picture of my stepdad on the screen.

"Dad's calling. I'll call you back. Get kids downstairs, away from that shit. And try to get all the footage you can!" I shouted quickly as I hung up with her and answered my stepdad's call, "Dad! What've you got for me?" I asked eagerly.

"Already heard back from, Beastly Builds. They're a good company and give reasonable estimates. They said they can get started once it's approved through zoning for that first house if you'd like. I know you liked that one most." I could hear the smile in his voice.