Chapter 150 CHAPTER 151

Chapter 150 CHAPTER 151
CHAPTER 151
KNOX
The next day I went to the police station early in the morning. I had a thick folder with me — all the evidence I had collected over the years against my father. Medical records from when he beat my mom, old police reports that were never followed up on, photos of her bruises, bank statements showing how he controlled the money, and voice recordings I had secretly taken when I was younger. I had kept everything, waiting for the right moment.

I handed the folder to the detective in charge.

“This is everything I have,” I said. “He’s been abusing my mother for years. He almost hurt her again yesterday. I want him to stay in jail. Permanently.”

The detective looked through the files, his eyebrows raising. “This is very thorough. We’ll go through all of it. We already have the report from yesterday’s incident. With this, we can build a much stronger case.”

They asked me a lot of questions. I answered every single one honestly. They took photos of my split knuckles from the fight and documented everything. After a few hours, the lead detective shook my hand.

“Thank you, Knox. This evidence is going to help a lot. We’ll make sure he faces the full extent of what he’s done.”

I nodded. “I just want my mom safe. That’s all.”

I left the station feeling drained but lighter. For the first time, I felt like justice might actually happen.

I drove straight to Yael’s dorm. When I walked in, she was sitting on the bed reading a book. The second she saw me, she put the book down and opened her arms.

I went to her without a word and climbed onto the bed, pulling her into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck. She held me tight, rubbing my back slowly.

“How did it go?” she asked softly.

I sighed. “It went okay. I gave them everything I had. All the old records, photos, everything. They said it will help build a stronger case. They thanked me for coming in.”

Yael kissed my temple. “I’m proud of you. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t,” I admitted. “But it needed to be done. He can’t keep getting away with it.”

We stayed like that for a long time, just cuddling. She ran her fingers through my hair and I held her close, breathing in her scent. It calmed me down more than anything else could.

After a while, I pulled back a little and looked at her. “There’s something I haven’t told you much about. About my dad. About what it was really like growing up.”

Yael’s eyes were soft and patient. “You can tell me anything. I’m here.”

I took a deep breath. “He started abusing my mom when I was really small. I was maybe five or six the first time I saw him hit her. I didn’t understand what was happening. I just knew Mom was crying and Dad was yelling. After that, it became normal. The yelling. The hitting. The bruises she tried to hide with makeup.”

Yael held my hand tightly. “I’m so sorry, Knox.”

I continued, my voice low. “He would get drunk and take it out on her. Sometimes on me too if I tried to stop him. He would say things like ‘You’re just like your mother’ or ‘You’ll never amount to anything.’ I learned to stay quiet and protect Mom as best as I could. That’s why I started recording things when I was older. I wanted proof one day.”

Yael’s eyes filled with tears. “You were just a little boy. You shouldn’t have had to protect her. That was never your job.”

“I know,” I said. “But it felt like it was. I hated seeing her hurt. I hated feeling helpless. When I got bigger, I started standing up to him more. That’s when he started hitting me too. But I could take it. I didn’t want him touching Mom anymore.”

Yael cupped my face with both hands. “You are so strong, Knox. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”

I shrugged a little. “It made me who I am. It made me want to protect the people I love. That’s why I’m so protective of you. I never want you to feel what my mom felt.”

She nodded and kissed me gently. “I know. But you don’t have to carry it all alone anymore. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I leaned into her touch. “Thank you. It feels good to talk about it. I’ve kept a lot of it inside for so long.”

We cuddled closer. She rested her head on my chest and I stroked her hair.

“You’re safe now,” I whispered. “Both you and my mom. He’s not going to hurt anyone again.”

Yael nodded. “I know. And you’re safe too. You don’t have to be the strong one all the time. You can l
ean on me.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”