Kings of War

"Not telling me was stupid. You were being an idiot to think that I wouldn't put an end to it and protect both you and Jason."

The words were just what she had expected. A deserved admonishment. How could Shaun understand what it had been like? He had always been able to fight and protect himself. He hadn't known what it was like to be a weak human woman who could only do so much to protect the one thing she she loved most. It had killed her inside to leave Shaun, but that was her secret and she wasn't going to admit that. It would make him too smug...to right.

She watched warily as Shaun approached her. She moved backwards until he had her pinned between himself and the wall. His arms caging her in. "Gina was different," His voice was a growl, low and serious. "She lied about shit all the time, I knew all along she wasn't telling the truth. I looked into it, I did, but there was abso-fucking-lutely nothing to back up her accusations. She made all that shit up, Eli. Have I ever been bad to you? Have I ever fucking hit you, or hurt you or Jason or made you think, for even one fucking second, that I would have done something like that? You're not my whore, nor have you ever been. Nothing Stephen said to you has a grain of truth, and I'm fucking furious you didn't tell me. If you would have, I would have dealt with it right then and there. You know I'd never let him hurt you like that. You fucking know it, Eli, don't stand there and tell me you don't."

She refused to look at him. She knew he was right. Not about Gina. She hadn't known that. Gina had been her friend after all and you don't doubt your friends. Shame washed over her in agonizing waves. She gulped and refused to cry. That would be the death of her if she broke down like that right now. "You should have known better than that. You should have known that if you'd told me, I would have protected you from that. Somebody's gotta clean this mess up. You come with me, we're goin' back to my room. We've got shit to sort out."

Eli shuddered. She knew she wasn't getting out of this conversation. "Please Shaun...not in front of Jase. Hasn't he been through enough? Forcefully relocated. Seen and heard what he did....I'll tell you anything you want just please...can we have this conversation anywhere but with my...our son around?" She asked hugging her middle. She hugged a little too tightly and flinched. She had forgotten about her bruise. She knew that her make-up was going to give away eventually a reveal her puffy lower lip and it's red cut not to mention the hand shaped bruise on her cheek. She wanted that conversation over before that happened though. Things like that didn't earn sympathy from Shaun after all. Usually they just pissed him off.