A Twist Of Magic

Chapter Twenty Six

I quickly followed Daniel out of the bathroom, terrified that he might do something stupid that he would live to regret. In all the years that I'd known Daniel I'd never seen him so angry. I wasn't entirely sure what he was capable of.

"You need to leave now." Daniel stated menacingly, glaring at Graham.

"Why does he need to leave?" Violet asked.

"Because he's a disgusting human being, you shouldn't marry him!" Daniel spat.

"What are you talking about?" she frowned.

"Didn't he tell you about the skeletons in his closet?!" Daniel exclaimed. As the conversation progressed, I could see that Daniel was becoming more and more angry.

"I know everything about him, there's no need to be so obstinate Daniel, you're not a child." she said sternly. I winced at her words. She assumed that Daniel's motivation was jealousy but she couldn't be further from the truth. I knew her words were likely to inflame Daniel even more.

"Even what he did six years ago?" Daniel argued.

"Danny stop!" I sobbed. He was about to tell his Mum and Joanne my secret, and I couldn't bear for anybody else to know. But he seemed in to much of a rage to hear me.

"Yes, I know that he slept with one of his students." she sighed.

"It was a mistake, but she tempted me." Graham piped up.

"You didn't sleep with her...you raped her!" Daniel shouted.

"Where on earth did you get that from?!" Violet exclaimed.

"Mia was abused by a teacher, I just didn't realise until today that it was him!" Daniel cried.

"That's not true, it was consensual, she just told you it wasn't because she didn't want you to know that she cheated on you." Graham argued.

My eyes snapped to Violet as she gasped and turned to face me, clearly believing what Graham had just said.

"Don't you dare!" Daniel spat menacingly.

"I'm telling you the truth Daniel." Graham insisted.

I watched in horror as Daniel roughly pushed Graham against the wall and pinned him there.

"Get that smug smile off your face." Daniel warned him.

"Daniel, what the hell are you doing?!" Violet exclaimed.

I quickly walked over to where Daniel was standing and tried in vain to pull him away from Graham.

"Danny please stop." I pleaded. He sighed and gently pushed me off him, clearly trying to keep me out of harms way. As I staggered backwards, I tripped and fell, wincing slightly as my cheek made contact with the coffee table. The sound of me falling seemed to finally snap Daniel out of his rage. He quickly stepped back and took deep breaths, still looking daggers at Graham.

"You need to leave now." Daniel stated, clearly trying to keep his temper under control. To my relief Graham sighed and picked up his jacket.

"Let's go Joanne." Violet called as she followed Graham.

"I'll catch you up." she replied.

As soon as Violet and Graham left the room Daniel picked up a mug from the coffee table and angrily threw it against the wall. He let out a scream of rage and threw himself onto the sofa as the cup shattered.

"Was all that stuff true?" Joanne asked me.

I nodded slowly and watched the colour drain from her face.

"We can't let her marry him." she said quietly.

"If she doesn't believe me then that's her problem." Daniel said quietly.

I watched Daniel closely as he sat quietly.

"I so badly want to kill him." he muttered.

He ran his hands through his hair angrily and I watched horrified as tears rolled down his cheeks. I glanced at Joanne for a moment who gazed back at me, neither of us sure what to do to help. I quickly stood up and perched on the sofa next to him.

"I'm so sorry I didn't stop this from happening to you." he said quietly.

"You can't blame yourself." I replied.

"Yes I can; but I promise that no one will ever hurt you again." he whispered.

He sighed and curled up on the sofa, gently resting his head on my lap. Joanne quickly left the room, clearly realising that we needed some time alone. Daniel sighed as I gently stroked his hair.

"I think about what happened to you all the time." he admitted.

"Don't torture yourself, it was a long time ago." I told him.

"I hate the thought of you trying to get away and calling out for me but I'm not there." he sighed.

"Danny." I whispered.

"What?" he asked, sitting up and gazing at me.

"We both have to learn to come to terms with it, but we can't let it effect the rest of our lives." I pointed out.

He nodded and sighed.

"What's wrong with your cheek?" he asked, causing me to wince as he brushed it with his thumb.

"I hit it on the corner of the table." I told him.

As soon as I said those words I instantly regretted it. The guilty expression on his face told me that he blamed himself for that too. He stood up and walked into the bathroom before quickly returning with a damp towel. He watched me closely as he gently applied the towel to the swelling.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you, I just didn't want you to get to close to him." he said gently.

"It's okay, it was an accident." I reassured him.

"I love that you want to protect me." I told him impulsively.

He smiled slightly and slowly leaned his face towards mine. Our lips were virtually touching when we both jumped as the door opened.

"Daniel, we need to go, the show starts soon." Merritt called from the doorway.

Daniel nodded, quickly stood up and offered me his hand.

"Are you coming to watch?" he asked hopefully.

I nodded and took his hand.

AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I hope it was worth the wait.