Chapter 9
The hidden copies were worse than the group chat.
Marcus had kept raw footage.
No reactions.
No edited captions.
No laughing emojis to soften what was happening.
Just Ellie.
Victor.
Lucas.
And adults standing nearby.
In one video, Ellie asked for water.
Victor told her she could drink after Lucas finished his “ride.”
In another, she tried to sit.
He removed the bench cushion.
In another, Lucas looked uncomfortable and said he wanted to stop.
Victor told him Caruso boys did not quit because girls cried.
I stopped the video.
That mattered.
Lucas had not always been laughing.
He had been trained too.
Different role.
Same poison.
I asked for him.
His mother brought him into the library.
He looked terrified.
Not of me.
Of doing something wrong.
I crouched.
“Did Grandpa tell you to sit on Ellie?”
He nodded.
“Did you want to?”
He hesitated.
Sometimes.
Honest.
“Did you ever want to stop?”
Another nod.
“What happened?”
His eyes filled.
“Grandpa said Ellie would think I was weak.”
I looked away for a second.
Victor had been shaping both children.
Ellie into submission.
Lucas into cruelty.
One taught to endure.
One taught to enjoy domination.
I hated that almost more.
“What did Grandpa tell you about girls?”
Lucas swallowed.
“That they cry to control boys.”
My jaw tightened.
“And Ellie?”
“She’s supposed to listen because I’m older.”
Only three years older.
Already enough for Victor to build hierarchy.
Lucas looked at me.
“Am I bad?”
That question broke something.
“No.”
He started crying.
“I laughed.”
“I know.”
“Ellie cried.”
“I know.”
He covered his face.
I pulled his hands down gently.
“You did something wrong.”
His lip trembled.
“That is not the same as being bad.”
Behind him, his mother began crying too.
I looked at her.
She had watched some videos.
Reacted to two.
Her shame was visible.
Good.
Shame could be useful if it led somewhere.
May you like
Victor had tried to create another version of himself.
I was not going to let him finish.
