God of War: Chapter 42

I recognized my life wouldn’t be peaceful the moment this motherfucking twat walked up to my eldest daughter the day she was born and kissed her on the mouth.

That was when he was a six-year-old twat.

At the time, my life flashed before my eyes and I swear I saw myself slicing his throat with a blunt knife—so it’d hurt more and he’d die slowly—then breaking his legs and burying him in a ditch.

Without his organs.

Those would be sold on the black market for an average price because they’d surely be rejected by their host, considering he’s a toxic parasite.

Unfortunately, I missed a few chances to execute my murder plan, mainly because the twat’s twatty father has been accompanying him at all times as if he caught a whiff of what I’d do to his son if I ever found him alone.

Before I knew it, he’d grown up into a man who was able to fight me off. But I have people looking into autopsy-proof poison. Sure, it’s not as gory or glamorous as my original plan, but it’d do to eradicate him from my eldest princess’s life.

For good.

However, he came to his senses and granted her a divorce and even revoked guardianship rights, so I thought, great. Now, I’m finally rid of the twat.

Time to celebrate.

Alas, that hasn’t been the end of him.

For two months, Eli ‘Parasite’ King has been dropping by the institute during Ava’s sleep time and spends the entire night watching her through the door like a fucking creep.

No kidding. I watched him once as he stood there, both hands in his pockets, for seven fucking hours.

A few weeks ago, the doctor allowed him to sit by her bedside and he started holding her hand. He also reads her these ridiculous romance novels that he doesn’t look to be enjoying one bit, but he keeps buying them because she likes them—her mother’s influence. He bought an out-of-print version for over two thousand quid just because.

He times himself and always leaves half an hour before she usually wakes up. Then he comes back the next day for the same routine. He’s never missed a night. Not even when he has dark circles and looks like he could use some sleep.

Or an early introduction to his grave.

Not even when I tried to kick him out. Not only did he refuse to comply, but he also tried to turn both my wife and younger daughter against me.

Silver and Ari said things like, “Well, they’re not officially divorced.”

“You can’t file a restraining order on Eli, Cole.”

“He only visits when she’s sleeping, Papa. Can’t you be nice? He tried his best, he clearly misses her, and he’s lost weight.”

“Once again, you can’t file for a restraining order, Cole.”

Sure I can, but I’m afraid that won’t be enough to stop him.

I swear his brain could be studied to gain insight into psychopaths who don’t bat an eye after offing their victims.

He’s too cold, too calculative, too unruffled for my liking. If I hadn’t seen the footage where he let Ava stab him, then tried to save her from falling, I would’ve thrown him in a grave and relieved humanity of his existence a long time ago.

It doesn’t help that my daughter has always looked at him with heart eyes as if he’s the only man in the world for her.

I love Ava and would give her the moon and the stars if she ever asked for them, but her taste in men is depressingly mediocre.

Why did it have to be that twat of all twats?

Granted, I probably wouldn’t like any of the other twats either since no one is worthy of my princess, but I could at least tolerate them.

Eli, though, has his father’s face. Which means it’s often begging to be punched.

I tighten my fist as I stride toward him and Aiden, my feet sinking into the plush carpeting of the reception area. Velvet sofas line the walls and the air is heavy with their rotten existence.

Father and son stand near the front desk, their voices low as they discuss something.

“What are you doing here during the day?” I grit out and point at Aiden. “And why is he here?”

“He wanted to visit,” Eli says, his gaze flitting behind me as if he can see her in the hallway. “Today is the last day of the first phase of the new therapy. Is she more lethargic than usual?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Just stop being a petty little bitch and answer the question, Nash,” Aiden says. “He’s being respectful, and if you don’t appreciate the effort he’s exercising to put up with your obnoxiousness, I’ll knock your teeth out.”

I stand toe-to-toe with him. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Please stop.” Eli releases a long sigh. “I’m not in the mood for your usual bickering and would rather talk about my wife.”

“Ex-wife.”

“The divorce isn’t processed yet,” he says point-blank.

“It will be soon.”

“Until then, she’s my wife.”

“I wonder where he learned this level of delusion.” I glare at Aiden. “It’s your obnoxious influence again.”

“Thank fuck for that.”

“Uncle Cole,” Eli says. “Please.”

“Don’t Uncle me. And Dr. Blaine said she’s better than she initially anticipated.”

“I already spoke to Dr. Blaine. I don’t care for the technical side of things and would rather know how she’s doing in real life.”

I can tell he hates that he lost control over her state and that he can’t monitor her at all times like he did before. I can also tell it’s taking all his restraint not to force himself into her life again so he won’t hurt her.

I respect that about him. I also respect that he always puts her well-being before his.

Ultimately, though, I still despise the twat from the bottom of my heart. He can blame his father for it.

I release a long sigh. “She’s slowly recovering. She hasn’t had an episode in three weeks and the lower dose of medicine has helped reduce the level of lethargic phases. Silver and Cecily are with her, talking about a nonsensical film. Ari will probably join them after uni. Now, you’d better leave before she sees you.”

He nods. “I’ll be back later.”

“I’d rather you weren’t.”

“I will be.” He casts a glance at his father. “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t stay long, as it’s best she doesn’t see you either.”

Aiden and I watch as his son walks out with that edge of infuriating arrogance both father and son excel at.

If I didn’t know Eli was suffering, I’d think he was completely normal with the level of calm he projects onto the outside world.

“Stop thinking about ways to eliminate my son.” Aiden stands in front of me, effectively blocking my view. “And no, you can’t poison him.”

“You should’ve kept him far away from my daughter like I asked twenty-three years ago. This whole mess is because of you.”

“Nonsense. This whole mess happened because you refuse to admit your daughter is a grown-up who can make her own decisions, and if that means tying her life with Eli’s, so be it.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Can be arranged for my son’s happiness.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Maybe.”

We glare at each other for a long beat before he releases a strained breath. “Listen, wanker, I don’t give a fuck about your edgy attempts to threaten him every time you see him, but it’s different now. He’s lost weight. He barely eats, sleeps, or functions properly. Creighton flew back from the States to stay with him and Elsa has been worried sick about him. I am worried about him. Every day, he comes to work, looking like a functional zombie who’s susceptible to undergo cardiac arrest at any given moment. The only thing that’s pushing him to survive is Ava. So if I can overlook the fact that she stabbed him, you can also overlook your nonsensical bias.”

I narrow my eyes. “He told you about the stabbing?”

“He went the extra mile so I wouldn’t know, and I let him believe I was in the dark. You and I both recognize he did that to protect Ava from my wrath and to avoid any tarnishing of our relationship, so stop being a bastard and let the kids be, would you?”

That would be possible if Aiden hadn’t stolen Silver’s first waltz from me. Or if the fact that he was her first fiancé, even if it was fake, didn’t exist.

And no, I still haven’t forgotten about that, and I never will.

“Don’t give my son a hard time or I’ll come for you, Nash,” Aiden says in a dark tone.

“Then come for me, King.”

We glare at each other for a few more moments. The only reason he disengages is because his precious son is calling him.

“We’ll be in-laws for life, Nash. I hope you’re also mentally prepared for Remi and Ari, because they’re already happening in the background.”

Aiden walks away before I can shove him against the wall and choke him to death. The prick loves antagonizing me, so the last bit is not true.

I’m struggling as it is with the first part.

And no, I still don’t accept Eli. Even if he’s a bit more tolerable than his father.

After fetching some ridiculously-named coffees from the local shop, I walk back to Ava’s room.

My steps come to a halt when I hear laughter. Good God. It’s been a long time since I heard my daughter laugh so freely and sound so happy.

She’s been a little social butterfly since she was born, but her light has been stripped away by the abnormal neurons in her head.

Neurons she has because I was selfish enough to procreate and pass down faulty genes to her.

But Silver is right. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We would’ve loved our little miracle no matter what.

Ava, however, struggled so much, especially during her teenage years and beyond, and my sweet girl tried her best to hide and was in denial for far too long.

She’s slowly healing now. Ava doesn’t seem to care about the pain that comes with this loathsome therapy method. If anything, she goes in with a blinding amount of hope that puts me to shame for ever opposing the experiment in the first place.

My daughter is much stronger than me and her mother combined. She might have fallen into black holes in the past, but right now, not only does she want to get better, but she’s also working hard for it.

“By the way, Cecy,” Ava says. “I started reading this book you brought me the other time, but it’s like I’ve read it before. But I don’t remember.”

There’s a pause and I curse. That bastard Eli must’ve read it for her.

“Oh, who knows?” Cecily laughs awkwardly. She’s as honest and as caring as her mother, Kim, and that makes her shit at lying.

“Am I losing time again?” Ava asks in a spooked voice. “Please tell me if I am.”

“No, no,” Silver says. “I might have read the book aloud while you were sleeping.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” She puffs out a small sigh. “Hey, Mum?”

“Yes?”

“Has…uh…Eli ever asked about me?”

I peek through the ajar door and the hopeful expression on Ava’s face nearly gives me a stroke.

Jesus Christ.

She really loves the twat, doesn’t she? I should’ve believed her tears when she signed those divorce papers—they were more honest than her words or the multiple injuries slashed along her body.

“Yes, he has.” Silver smiles. “Constantly.”

“Still bugging me and also Ari,” Cecily offers needlessly.

“But he hasn’t visited once.” Ava stabs the whisps of candy floss in the bucket, her lips pushing into a pout as if she were a child.

“I thought you didn’t want to see him?” Silver asks.

“I don’t. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t visit at all.”

“You’re such a contradiction, Ava.” Cecily laughs. “Would you meet him if he comes by?”

“Nope.”

I open the door and she looks up with renewed hope. Her expression falls a little upon seeing me, but then she smiles. “Papa, where have you been?”

“Getting you girls coffee.” I pass her a cup. “Your favorite hot chocolate with marshmallows.”

“Thanks, Papa.” She grabs the cup between both hands. “For everything. Mama and Cecy, too. Ari as well. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your support.”

“You’ll never get rid of me.” Cecily hugs her.

“Pretty sure Jer will get rid of me if you keep taking these constant trips to the UK.”

Cecily laughs. “He’ll survive. Besides, he’d do the same for his friends, so he gets it. Truly.”

As they keep talking back and forth, I sit down on the sofa beside my wife and she interlinks her arm with mine as she leans her head on my shoulder.

“Is everything okay, handsome?” she asks in a low voice.

I love how Silver can gauge my mood without my having to say anything. How she figured out my tells and uses them to soothe me and console me.

This woman has been my everything since I was eight years old. Over four decades later and she’s still my safe space just like I’m hers.

She still stirs the hot-blooded need to be with her at all times. People say marriage gets monotonous or dull with time, but that’s because they never experienced marriage or parenthood the way we did. If anything, it made us stronger and closer.

Ava was our miracle. The child we had after a false start and a long relationship, so the fact that she’s suffering has hurt us more than anything, and we might have argued about some things, but ultimately, it’s brought us together as a family.

Even Ari has matured exponentially in the past few months. Like her sister, though, she has horrible taste in men.

I stare down at Silver’s bright eyes, turned deeper and wiser with age. “I’m coming to frightening realizations about our girls.”

“Like?”

“Like I have to let them go.”

“Aww, bless you.” She strokes my arm. “I’m surprised you only just figured this out now.”

“This isn’t funny. I think I’m having a midlife crisis, butterfly.”

“Then we’ll get through it together, like we have with everything else.”

“That we will. Have I told you how much I love you today?”

“Doesn’t hurt to hear it again. Love you, too.” She kisses me softly.

“Get a room, guys,” Ava says, and then I hear her and Cecily giggling.

But I don’t stop kissing my wife.

We’ve been in the dark for so long, I refuse to ever shove us into the darkness again.

And she’s right. We’ll get through this.

I don’t doubt that I can go to hell and back as long as Silver is by my side.

Even if that means making hard decisions such as aborting my murder plans concerning Eli.

For my daughter’s happiness.