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The clank of forks against fragile glass plates and the muffled sounds of conversation reached my ears as I savored the taste of seafood pasta. The dish was so good that I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes into the back of my head. Whatever conversation my family was having wasn't important to me; I had always been the outsider, the black sheep, the weird one. It had been years since I had been in the house, and I could say that this was never a home to me.
I could feel eyes on me—eyes that refused to look away. When I glanced up, his eyes were planted on me; his gaze was almost predatory, and I was his prey. He licked his thick lips, and I could've thrown up days' worth of food at the disgusting gesture. When my mom brought him around to meet us for the first time, my chakra just couldn't vibe with him—call it a gut feeling. I was sixteen at the time, and when his eyes, filled with sin, found mine, I didn't miss the way he eyed me as if I were his favorite dessert.
He was with my mom for her fame and fortune; he was like a leech that wouldn't go away. My mom, naive and foolish as always, refused to see his motive. One night, he and I were alone; my siblings were out partying as usual, and my mom was at a business meeting. When I finally left the comfort of my room to fix myself something to eat, there he was—shirtless, tattoos on display, and his pants hung low on his hips. He stood behind me and didn't say a word. When I was done fixing dinner, I was heading upstairs, but he had other plans. He caught my arm with a strong and almost painful grip.
"I see the way you look at me, lil' Beth," he said, calling me by my mother's nickname.
"What?" I asked, confused, trying to free myself from his strong grip.
"Man, come on now—you want me," he smirked; I swear I saw the devil in his eyes.
"Can you please let me go?" I asked, my voice growing shakier.
He didn't respond; instead, he began to pull me into him. The sound of the door opening caused him to push me away from him with such force that I fell to the cold ground, nearly hitting my head.
"Hey, baby, what you got that's smelling so good in here?" she asked, her voice seductive and curious.
Once her eyes met mine, I could see her gaze was accusatory, her face scrunched up.
