“Now I already a good idea of how controlling he was, but I honestly thought it was an ego thing. That he didn’t want any reminder of the fact my mother had been married before. But this went deeper than that, and it scared me. She grabbed me by the shoulders and told me she loved me and that she never wanted not to be able to see me and for me not to be a part of her life. She said if having another child secured that option for her, then she’d do it without any reservations. I began to realize then just how my stepfather had gotten her to agree to have another child. He’d threatened her. With me. It made me sick.”
Donovan grimaced at the sadness and anger in her voice. He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly, a reminder that he was here and that she was safe. That her stepfather couldn’t harm her now.
“I had to promise her, even though it sickened me to have to swear that I wouldn’t stick up for her. That I wouldn’t help her or ever mention Walt’s treatment or unreasonable demands. But she was so upset. So terrified that I couldn’t do anything else.”
“So she got pregnant with Cammie,” Donovan said softly.
Eve nodded, unable to speak for a moment as tears knotted in her throat. After a minute or two, she cleared her throat and continued.
“Walt was thrilled with my mother’s pregnancy, and for a time, he was nice. Generous even. He allowed me to see my mother more. Even offered to help me through college, something he’d never offered before. I didn’t want to take it. I wanted nothing from him, but again, my mother begged me to make peace. Not to rock the boat. She was happier than I’d ever seen her. She seemed to shine. Her pregnancy was progressing well and, to Walt’s credit, not that he deserves any,” she said fiercely, “he treated her very well. Made sure she rested, didn’t lift a finger. He employed a full staff and they waited on her hand and foot. It was like Walt had a lobotomy or something. He was a different man, or at least that was the front he put on. So I capitulated. Allowed Walt to basically come in and take over my life. Later I realized that it was just his way of controlling not only my mother and Travis but me as well. And I knew. I mean, I’m not a complete idiot. I knew I shouldn’t allow him to make any decisions about my life or make me beholden to him in any way. But I was willing to do anything for my mother. I wanted her to be happy even if I knew in my heart that she’d never truly be happy with a man like Walt. I couldn’t tell her no when it was obvious that any refusal of Walt would bring down his wrath not only on me, but my mother and brother as well. He would have cut me out of my mother’s life. I wouldn’t have been allowed to see her or Travis and certainly not the new baby.”
“You were very likely right,” Donovan said quietly.
“A lot of good it did me,” Eve choked out, tears still straining at the corners of her eyes.
It was obvious she was holding very tightly to her control and that she could crack at any moment. Donovan was prepared. He’d hold her. Let her cry. Whatever she needed because it wasn’t likely she’d allowed herself to show any weakness in front of her brother and sister. She wouldn’t have wanted to make them more afraid than they already were.
Eve wiped at the corner of her eye, her jaw clenched tight as she took a brief moment to gather her composure before continuing her story.
“After Cammie was born, I was allowed to see them more often than I had in the past. When Walt began paying for my schooling—he chose the college. He chose everything. He even scheduled my classes. I hated it. I hated how he controlled every aspect of my life. He bought me an apartment closer to where he and Mom lived. All utilities were in his name. Everything was. The car I drove. And on the surface it looked like a stepfather being generous. Stepping up and taking on a daughter who wasn’t his responsibility. He liked looking good when it suited his purposes. Everything he did was carefully orchestrated.
“While I wasn’t a real member of the family—and he was always certain to be very clear about my role in the ‘family’—on paper it looked as though he had taken me in as his ‘own.’ Access to my mother and Travis and Cammie was strictly monitored. I was never to just come over. He told me when I could be there, and if I was even a minute late—he dictated the exact times I was to be there—he punished me by making it that much longer before I could see them again. My life was spiraling out of control, or rather becoming more firmly under his control, and I didn’t see a way out. There was too much at stake. I knew it was all wrong, but God, I didn’t know what to do! If I balked, my mother would suffer. I’d be cut out of her life and God only knew what he’d do to her or Travis and Cammie as a result.”