Chapter 14

The dull thud of fists pounding into flesh echoed through the living room. Maya's screams grew weaker, fractured into sobs. She convulsed like a fish gasping for air, and her face was streaked with snot and tears. "I-I'm sorry, Christopher… I… I'm just an orphan, a nobody. I only wanted a family so badly—that's why I lied…" Suddenly, she clutched the hem of Christopher's pants, pressing her bruised forehead against the cold floor. "Please… Spare me. I won't lie again, I swear… Just please, forgive me." Christopher's bloodshot eyes bore down on her. His response to her was another brutal swing of his fist. When he finally stopped, Maya lay motionless on the ground, barely breathing. "Dad." Gabriel's voice cut through the suffocating air like an icicle. "That night… The car accident… Who really gave me their blood?" Christopher's body jerked violently. Then, he slapped himself again and again in a frenzy. "It was Gianna!" He clawed at his own hair. "I-I was out of my mind! I wante