The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 89

Xavier froze when I turned him to face Lorraine. The blood, the stark contrast of her pale skin against the dirt and grass—everything was finally sinking in. He waved his hand in front of his nose as if the smell of blood was the most offensive part.

"She... She's bleeding so much," he stammered, his voice wobbling.

Fear flickered across his face, but instead of owning up to his mistake, he tried to bolt. I caught him by the collar, lifting him just enough to stop him in his tracks.

"You're not going anywhere," I said, my voice sharp. "You wanted to prove you're not scared, right? Then stay here and look at what you've done."

I pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to stay put. He clearly knew what he had done was wrong, yet he still refused to admit it. This behavior was worse than lying.

"I don't know how your mother raised you, but how dare you harm someone?"

A flicker of disdain flashed through my eyes. As his father, I should be understanding and willing to listen to him, but his actions had pushed me to the brink.

"Let go of me! I didn't hurt anyone! Let go of me! Mommy, Mommy!"

Xavier struggled in my grip as I tightened it slightly. I could feel his trembling body. His cries grew louder, drawing the attention of Grandma and everyone else nearby.

"Cole! What are you doing?" Yvonne trailed behind Grandma, and the moment she saw Xavier's tear-streaked face, her eyes turned red.

"Cole, he's your son! What are you doing to him?"

Xavier's face was covered in dried and fresh tears, making him look utterly pitiful. He sniffled, his eyes tightly shut in fear. His face and neck were flushed bright red from crying and struggling, with a bruise forming on his neck. It looked like he'd been mistreated.

"Cole! How can you treat Xavier like this in front of so many people?" Yvonne cried as she rushed over and scooped him into her arms.

I shoved her aside with one hand, ignoring her accusations.

"Cole, are you even listening to me?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Grandma snapped, tearing her eyes away from Lorraine. "If you send my great-grandson away, I'll fight you to the end."

"Grandma, you can't keep coddling him like this," I said, feeling a headache coming on as I watched her stubbornly defend Xavier. This indulgence was exactly how his bad habits had been allowed to grow.

"Even so, this is no way to discipline him! Put Xavier down right now!" Grandma's voice was hoarse, likely from the strain of her earlier shouting.

"I'm handling this, and I won't back down," I said as I was determined to teach Xavier a lesson.

I couldn't let Xavier continue causing chaos unchecked. No matter where he was, he had to learn to behave.

"Lara," I called out to the maid standing nearby. "Clear out the storeroom."

That room, which I called the "dark room", was where I was locked up as a child whenever I misbehaved.