Chapter 95 A Child's Innocence and a Husband's Promise
Jonathan and Elizabeth arrived with Anthony at the apartment. He was already changed into pajamas. Elizabeth gave him a snack and then took him to the bedroom. She remembered when she took care of Adam. Even though her brother was only three years younger, they were close, and she liked taking care of him, just as he took care of her.
“Sleep well, dear…” Elizabeth said and gave Anthony a tight hug.
“Aunt, is everything okay?” the boy asked.
“Yes… It was just a tiring day. I’m going to sleep too.”
Elizabeth went to her own bedroom, took a shower accompanied by Jonathan, and put on pajamas. She didn’t want to risk Anthony seeing any detail of her body when he woke up. She suspected that not even James knew the real extent of her injuries and wouldn’t show them to a child.
“Eliz, are you okay? You’ve been quiet since that conversation…” Jonathan asked.
“Do you think I’m wrong? Do you think I should ask for my father’s death?” Elizabeth asked.
“My beautiful, your father hurt you more than he hurt anyone. You and Adam were the most affected by his cruelty. No one can decide for you. If you forgave him, I can’t interfere, but know this, Elizabeth: the mark on your back was the last time he hurt you. I make Uncle’s words my own—if he touches you again, he’ll be killed without warning.”
“Okay… Now let’s lie down.”
“Yes, but we’re not going to sleep.” Jonathan said with a mischievous smile. He pulled Elizabeth to him and lay down with her on the bed, kissing her and starting to unbutton the top of her pajamas.
They were lost in each other’s kisses when they heard knocks on the door.
Jonathan stopped and became serious. He took a deep breath and went to open the door. There stood Anthony at the door.
“Uncle, can Aunt sleep with me?”
“No way. I’m not sleeping without her, and as far as I know, you sleep alone.”
“Oh, uncle, come on…” Anthony was clever. He knew how to soften Jonathan.
“Come in, kid!”
Anthony entered and immediately climbed onto the bed. He lay down next to Elizabeth and received a smile from her.
“Are you going to stay with us?” she asked.
Anthony looked at Jonathan, and he nodded.
“Yes, uncle allowed…”
Jonathan lay down, and the three of them slept together. Jonathan didn’t want to admit it, but he thought life with children would be like this, and he liked the vision. He also thought that Anthony’s feeling made even more sense now. He was Elizabeth’s brother, of course he would love her the moment he saw her. He remembered Noah. He called his brother sometimes, but they weren’t that close. He thought he should change that, try to get to know his brother more and let him get closer.
The next day Jonathan got up and went to the kitchen. He would start breakfast until Elizabeth woke up. In bed, Elizabeth woke up and was sitting when Anthony opened his eyes.
“Good morning, Aunt.”
“Good morning, Anthony. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes…”
“What do you want to do today? You know you only go home tomorrow.”
“I want to go to the pool. Will you come with me?”
Elizabeth forced a smile. She never used the pool because she would have to wear short clothes that showed her marks, but she couldn’t explain that to the boy.
“Are you two going to stay there talking, or are you going to have breakfast?” Jonathan said from the door.
Anthony quickly got up. He would go to the other room, take a shower, and put on light clothes.
“Jonathan, Anthony wants me to go down to the pool with him,” Elizabeth said seriously.
“And what’s the problem? You have bikinis and swimsuits you bought when you went out with my mom and never used.”
“You know very well why…”
Jonathan approached and kissed her softly. He smiled and caressed her chin.
“I’ll finish setting up breakfast. At least try on the pieces you have. Maybe there’s one that makes you comfortable…” Jonathan said and left.
He continued setting up breakfast, and when he sat at the table, Anthony appeared.
“Uncle, isn’t Aunt having breakfast?” the boy asked.
“She is. She must be tidying the room. She always does that before leaving.”
“I’ll call her.” Anthony said and headed to the bedroom.
He opened the door all at once and widened his eyes.
“Geez…” The boy said and ran when Elizabeth turned.
She was trying to find something to wear to the pool. She was facing away, wearing a wider bikini top, almost like a top, and a short beach shorts. It wasn’t any type of clothing the boy couldn’t see, but having the marks visible was too intimate for her. Elizabeth put on a long dress and the jacket she always wore at home. She thought about leaving the room but preferred to lie down again.
Anthony went to the kitchen and sat at the table. He was trying to understand what he saw. He had always liked Elizabeth and found her extremely beautiful, but knowing she had scars all over her body left him intrigued.
Jonathan sat with him and poured juice for the boy.
“Anthony, you’re quiet. What happened?”
“I think I did something wrong…” The boy said and lowered his head.
“What did you do?”
“I entered Aunt’s room without knocking…”
Jonathan realized Elizabeth hadn’t appeared. Even though she had the habit of tidying the room before breakfast, she was taking too long. He got up from the table and went to the bedroom. He found Elizabeth lying in bed.
“My beautiful, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes…” she said shyly.
“What happened? You seem upset, and Anthony is in the kitchen saying he thinks he did something wrong.”
Elizabeth sat up in bed, and Jonathan sat next to her.
“I was trying on one of the bikinis when he came in. He got scared by the marks on my back.”
“Did he see you naked?” Jonathan wanted to know if he had seen anything inappropriate for his age. If so, he would have to talk to Lays and have her guide the boy.
“No, I was wearing shorts and the bikini top, but he saw the marks. I don’t know what he felt… But I got hurt. I’m silly, right? He’s a child…”
“A child you care about a lot. I know you don’t want to lose that with him.”
Jonathan kissed Elizabeth’s forehead and went back to the kitchen. He wasn’t very good with children, but he needed to know why two people were upset in the same house.
“Anthony, do you want to tell me or ask something?” Jonathan asked. He tried to look into the boy’s eyes, who had his head down.
“Uncle, how did she get like that?”
“Elizabeth was hurt many times by a bad person… But nothing hurts her as much as showing disgust or even some contempt for it.”
“Uncle, I just got scared. Do you think she misunderstood?”
“I think so… She’s upset. She thinks you don’t like her anymore.”
“Who did this to her?”
“Her father. Elizabeth’s father is that bad person.”
Anthony still felt guilty. He didn’t want to have reacted badly, but he couldn’t avoid the shock. He also thought that if he had a father like that, he’d prefer to have none. Little did he know that the same man who hurt Elizabeth was his father.
“Uncle, can I go home?”
“Don’t you want to talk to Elizabeth first?”
“I don’t want to hurt her more… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say goodbye to her. Don’t be afraid to hug her. That will be enough.”
Anthony got up and went to the bedroom. He climbed onto the bed and lay down next to her.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
“No, dear. I don’t feel anything…”
Anthony approached and hugged her. He didn’t say anything, but he was asking forgiveness for the reaction he had. When he let go of Elizabeth, he found a smile.
“Will you still be my friend?” Elizabeth asked.
“Of course! You’re still the prettiest girl I know.”
Anthony gave Elizabeth another hug and left the bedroom. He was smiling, and Jonathan understood—they had talked and resolved the matter.
“I’ll take you home, and you can’t tell Uncle James what you saw,” Jonathan said in the elevator.
“Why not?”
“He suspects, but he doesn’t know. He’s never seen it. It’s Elizabeth’s business, and if she doesn’t want to tell, we have to respect it.”
They arrived at the apartment, and James opened the door. He found it strange because the agreement was for Anthony to spend two days with Jonathan and Elizabeth.
“Jonathan, did something happen?” James asked.
“It’s Elizabeth’s business. It’s just better for him not to stay there for now… But don’t worry, they’re fine.”
They said goodbye, and Jonathan went back home. He would spend that Sunday with Elizabeth in his arms, kissing every mark on her body.