God of Pain novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: Pancakes

I found him at one in the morning on the back stairs of the Dorchester house, sitting in the cold with his jacket off.

He had come home in the borrowed black suit.

The jacket lay folded on the step beside him, and his tie hung from his pocket.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs in a red dress, with my father's coat over my shoulders, and looked up at him.

"You left," I said.

"Yes."

"You didn't say a word."

"I'd said it already. In front of everybody."

"You walked out on me."

"They were all looking at me." His voice was rough. "Two hundred people, with that look.

"I've been looked at like a thing in a ring for years, and I could stand that.

"I couldn't stand them looking at me kindly."

I climbed the stairs.

I sat down on the step below his, and took his hand, and put it against my cheek.

He had no tape left on his knuckles.

His skin was split and swollen, and beautiful.

"Come inside," I said. "You're freezing."

"I'm not going to..."

"Cormac."

"Livia, I don't have anything. I don't have school, or a job, or a name that doesn't come with a number on it."

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