Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Please, don't forget to leave me a review after you've read. They keep me going.

Nothing But A Lie

Chapter 19

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. She had to be dreaming, or imagining, or maybe she had finally gone completely insane and all of this was happening inside her head. But no, no…

He has a daughter.

How many times had Christine's world shattered in her time with Sky? Countless times, surely, so much so that she should probably be used to it by now. But this? This seemed like the worst, most seemingly impossible discovery she could make. Sky had a daughter.

And what he was doing to Christine seemed so much worse now. What kind of monster would…?

She watched in open-mouthed horror as Sky embraced the little girl tightly, spinning her around in his arms, both of them clearly emotional by the reunion. Her mind swirled with questions. How long had they been apart? Where was the girl's mother? Who was the girl's mother? Why wasn't Sky with her? Why would he wait to put this on her out of nowhere, and at the worst possible time? How was she supposed to act like everything was fine and dandy after learning this?

She couldn't do this. She couldn't. She had to get out of here.

But before she could even move, a bunch of small people began to swarm her like bees.

"Who're you?"

"Are you a grown up?"

"She can't be!"

"Why're you so small?"

"She's a fairy, stupid."

"I'm Twinity! Can I be a faiwy too?"

Countless childlike voices bombarded her with questions, and she felt dazed as she forced herself to smile at the kids. "Heh…hi. I'm Christine. No, not a fairy, just…small, I guess. Ouch!" For one of the children had begun tugging on her hair.

They continued to invade her personal space and ask countless questions when Sky eventually crossed over to them, still holding Peyton and murmuring sweetly to her, whose full focus was on only him. He finally turned his attention back to Christine.

"Baby, that's Anson and Emmett, my sister Lacey's boys," he explained, pointing out the two boys in the group who had to be identical twins. She would guess they were about five. "And then there's Hazel, who is also Lacey's," he pointed her out next; she looked to be six or seven, and much shyer than the others. She stood far behind them with her arms crossed. "And that's Annalise and Trinity, my other sister Serena's daughters," he pointed out the other girls who had been all over Christine from the start. Trinity couldn't have been older than four, while Annalise looked to be the same age as Hazel.

Christine doubted she could remember everything, already way over stimulated and it had barely been two minutes.

"Come here, sweetheart," Sky commanded, managing to grasp Christine's arm with his free hand amidst all of the children, pulling her toward him. "And…most importantly, this is Peyton. My daughter."

She tried her very hardest not to give Sky the death glare that she so wanted to give him, instead making herself smile at the beautiful little girl, who finally broke her gaze from Sky to look down at Christine.

"Peyton, this is my girlfriend Christine."

"Girlfriend?" the little girl repeated, her dark brows furrowing. "You like her? What about Mommy?"

Christine pressed her lips together. Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing, kid.

"Mommy and I don't like each other that way anymore. We just like each other as friends now." His voice was tight.

"Ohh, okay Daddy. Your girlfriend is pretty. Is she a princess?"

"She sure is," he said fondly, looking at Christine in a way that made her uncomfortable. She pointedly looked away, and could still feel his dark eyes on her.

"Heh," Christine started. "No, I'm not a princess. I am just a normal girl like you, Peyton. I think you are pretty." She couldn't resist brushing a stray curl behind Peyton's ear, causing the little girl to laugh bashfully and bury her face into Sky's shoulder.

Christine's heart ached. She didn't understand. She glared at Sky, unable to stop herself, and his smile fell when he noticed, his eyes turning hard and questioning.

She looked away, crossing her arms.

"Alright, sweetie, go play some more," Sky sighed, putting Peyton down despite the protests she whined. "We'll be back, I promise. I just need to show Christine around, okay?"

Peyton pouted her full lips, but reluctantly agreed and stomped back to the other kids and their toys. They'd seemed to lose interest in Christine rather fast.

Sky chuckled as he took Christine's hand and began leading her out of the playroom, stopping short when she yanked it away as soon as they were back in the hallway. He stared down at her. She looked…pissed off. Very pissed off. More so than he'd ever seen from her. She was fuming. It was shocking, but was nothing compared to how he felt when he reached for her again and she hissed her next words to him, glaring straight into his eyes and not trembling the least bit.

"I swear on my parents' graves that I will scream at the top of my lungs if you touch me again."

He barked out a laugh, sure for a second that she had to be joking, but quickly became outraged when he realized she was dead serious. Her face was disgusted, and she proceeded to stalk away from him hastily without waiting for a reply. His teeth clenched, and he fought the urge to forcefully pull her back, a little nervous deep down that she would actually scream. And that infuriated him even more.

Instead, he followed close behind. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"Getting the fuck away from you," she spat, uncaring how angry he sounded and quickening her pace. She'd never said a curse word a day in her life. It felt good.

Christine was just about to reach the first decent of stairs when he jumped, and then she couldn't breathe.

Sky grasped her from behind in a tight chokehold, dragging her—kicking in panic now that her airflow was stolen—into the closest bedroom. It took some effort, but he managed to lock the door behind them and bring her even farther until they were in the walk-in closet. And he had done it all without Christine making a sound louder than her desperate choking gasps.

He was proud of himself.

Christine saw nothing but black spots when Sky finally released her, throwing her down onto carpeted floor. She fell hard, coughing and gulping down the air.

Until Sky did something he had never done before, cutting off her air flow all over again.

He would be lying to himself if he thought he didn't want to do it, that he only did it because he had to, but there was some deep satisfaction in the hard blow he kicked into her side, her startled cry of pain muffled by the carpeted floor as she clutched at her stomach.

Christine had never been so blatantly disrespectful to him. And when his daughter was around? Her ass was lucky Peyton didn't see. His blood was boiling. He almost wanted to hit her again, but knew it would take her long enough to recover from just one as it was.

The pain was horrible, much worse than the knife had ever been. The heated attack knocked all of the remaining air out of her, left nothing but agonizing pain and nausea, and she feared she might throw up. All the courage that had surfaced in her moments before pathetically crumbled into nothing as she writhed on the floor—gasping and coughing—wondering why she had to be so stupid. Hadn't she learned by now that Sky would never let her get away with anything, let alone disrespecting him and threatening him? She couldn't believe she had actually done that.

For some reason, her mind immediately went to Erik. She wished he were here. Would he protect her if he were? He was very thin, yes, but not weak. No, she could tell there was menacing strength in that man, could see it in the power he exuded when playing music. Would he care enough to fight for her, render Sky unconscious or paralyzed and take her away, help her heal? It was a hopeless fantasy, and she scoffed inwardly. Why would he ever think about her in that way? She was his pathetic little student, after all, nothing more.

Before she could recover, Sky bent down and grabbed a fistful of her hair at the base of her scalp, forcing her to look up at him and ignoring her cry of pain. "Are you done being stupid? Or do you need another reminder of how this works?" he said through his teeth, cocking his fist.

She flinched, sobbing, "No, please no! I'm done being stupid, I swear. Don't hurt me, pl—" she'd tried to shield herself with her hands, resulting in the screaming protest of her injured side, and she hissed a breath through her teeth, trying not to cry too hard. It made her hurt worse.

Sky released her and straightened, huffing out a frustrated sigh. "Wait here," he instructed. "I'll be back in a second."

"Okay," she whispered, lying back down on the floor and curling up. It seemed to make the pain a little more bearable.

Though Sky was almost positive she wouldn't try to escape again, he still put the empty bedroom's desk chair underneath the doorknob of the closet, just in case. Luckily this room didn't seem to be occupied by anyone, no evidence of suitcases or bags of any kind. Even if it was, he doubted his sisters would be home for a while still, and his dad and the other guys had just left. Still, he was cautious as he snuck onto the second floor for ice and a quick raid of his mother's medicine cabinet. The poor woman wouldn't miss them with how stocked up she kept the pills for her chronic pain.

Sky didn't feel the least bit guilty, even after seeing Christine cry and flinch away from him. She really knew how to kill a good mood, didn't she? He wondered why she had been so angry with him, having expected her to be surprised, yes, but happy that she would get to have his sweet little girl in her life.

It seems they had a long talk to have. She had better straighten up, or she would deeply regret it.

When he returned to the closet Christine was right where he had left her; curled up on the floor, hiccoughing quietly. He helped her sit up, and gave her enough painkillers that she would feel perfect in no time. He lifted her shirt to inspect the wound despite her protests, finding a huge, fresh bruise that almost made him whistle. She sure scarred easy.

Or maybe he had kicked her harder than he thought. Either way, he felt she deserved it.

He pressed the cold towel full of ice to her bruise, ignoring her wince. "You have no one to blame but yourself," he scolded her. "I thought you were finally getting smarter than this, Christine."

She sniffled. "I know. I'm s-sorry. I was stupid."

"What the hell was your problem? You know better than to speak to me like that."

"I…I just don't know why you would spring this kind of thing on me so suddenly..."

"Do you think I'm stupid, Christine?" he threatened, grasping one of her wrists in a tight grip.

"N-no!"

"Then you better tell me the truth. That is not enough reason for you to do something so idiotic. You were livid."

"Well I—ouch! Please let go," Christine sobbed, relieved when he reluctantly released her wrist, and she rubbed it with her free hand. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a convincing enough lie. "I just…I had no clue that you had a daughter, and the fact that I'm supposed to take in all this new information and pretend like I've known all along and am all fine and happy with it…it's just too much. I don't know why I have to keep lying—I don't know how I can be who you want me to be, Sky. I don't know what you want from me…" her voice broke, choking on another sob. "This is just too much. I can't do it anymore. I want to go home."

Christine's face crumpled and she cried into her hands. Though she didn't mention how disgusting he was for doing all of this in the first place, and that she felt it was even worse now that she knew he had a little girl—what if something like this happened to her? How would he feel about that?—she had been more honest than she'd intended. It could only lead to more punishment. She braced herself, hoping whatever it was that it would be over soon and wouldn't be too painful.

Sky let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, swearing quietly to himself. She did have a point, as much as he hated to admit it. He guessed he could have prepared her a little better for all of this, but he honestly hadn't even considered her reaction. He definitely hadn't expected for her to be such a baby about everything. It was so frustrating.

"Well guess what? You don't have a home anymore," he reminded her harshly, and she flinched. "I'm your home now. And need I remind you how much worse things could be, princess? Have I ever been unnecessarily abusive or neglectful to you?"

Keeping her face in her hands she shook her head fast, knowing it was the smart thing to do.

"Have I ever kept you locked up for longer than I had to? Have I ever fucked you when I know that you're terrified of it, no matter how fucking badly I want to?" he growled at her, and she whimpered as she shook her head. "Exactly. You need to stop this shit and realize just how good I am to you. Because believe me, sweetheart, it could be a lot worse. I could make you wish that you were dead. And I will if you don't get your act together in the next five minutes. Am I clear?"

"Yes," she gasped, swallowing the rest of her tears. "I'll try to be better. Please don't make it worse…I'm sorry, S-sky."

"Good," he huffed. "You better be. Now, are you still in pain?" He moved the icy compress to examine her bruise again.

"Not as much," she rasped. "I think the medicine is helping. And the ice."

"Wait here," he ordered, rising from the floor. "I'm gonna get you some more water."

Christine curled up again when he left, resting her chin on her knees as she sniffled, resisting the desire to cry some more. She thought about Erik again, wishing she could hear his voice, wishing it would wrap around her in a safe, warm cocoon, where she didn't have to worry about the horror she was constantly in. She always felt so safe with him.

It was pretty sad and pathetic of her; she'd come to realize, to have developed this delusional crush on her voice teacher. It was his job to teach her, not his desire. It wasn't as if he wanted to spend time with her; he had to.

Still, she often daydreamed about him, silently wishing he'd reciprocate her unexplainable feelings and take her away from all of this. Ever since that first dream she'd had, that desire for him had never gone away. It was torturous, but she preferred that pain and hopelessness over this any day.

She chewed on her lip, quivering at the thought of Sky's return and the threats he'd made. He could make things much worse, she decided, considering the things he's pointed out. He did let her go to school—let her be with Erik—and she didn't know how she could survive if she at least didn't have that. He hadn't forced himself on her in the worst way—yet—though she did have to deal with everything else he'd done to her already. It was awful, but it could be worse. I could make you wish that you were dead. She shuddered.

But how could she just put all of this anger and confusion and disgust away like it was nothing? How could she smile and be pleasant and polite like everything in her life was perfect?

On the bright side, whatever drugs he'd given her had worked wonders. She barely felt the pain of his blow now, and had no more need for the ice. So at least she wouldn't have to try so hard to hide that she had been assaulted by her so called "boyfriend". She was still surprised that he had actually gone that far…he was so mad at her…

She jumped at the turn of the doorknob, swallowing hard and wiping her wet face with her hands as Sky came back in. He still looked mad, and she avoided his hard eyes, thanking him quietly when he handed her the glass of water, hoping he didn't see how it trembled in her hand. She sipped it slowly.

Sky could see how terrified she was of him now, and he knew that it was time to switch roles. Pushing his remaining anger aside, he reminded himself of how much he loved her, how much she had already changed things for him and how she could change even more. He slowly sat down in front of her, offering a small smile as she drank, gently combing through her messy hair with his fingers. Her astonishing eyes were surprised, but they screamed relief as well.

"Come here," he invited quietly, opening his arms. Just as he guessed she would, she set the glass aside and threw herself into him, her breath shaky as well as her body. He held onto her tightly, stroking her hair. "It's going to be okay, baby," he crooned. "You're going to be amazing. I promise, if you play your part right for me today, I will give you whatever you want after it's over. Okay? And you won't have to worry about any of the bad stuff. Just be the perfectly sweet, convincing girl I know you are…"

He went on like that for a while, and Christine nodded along to everything he said, took the comfort he offered greedily. Where else would she find it? She didn't even expect it from him now, but she sure was thankful for it. Sky was always easier to comply with when he was like this: sweet and encouraging and comforting. Not hungry or angry or level headedly threatening…

"Now, Christine," he broached, his tone becoming serious, but still gentle. He pulled her away to arms length, staring intensely into her eyes and rubbing circles into her collarbone. "You're going to be meeting Peyton's mother today. My ex-girlfriend. She is the one you will need to be the most convincing to, do you hear me?"

She nodded slowly, not knowing how but vowing to do so anyway.

He went on seriously, "Because if you do, she might let Peyton be back in my life permanently. And that is the most important thing to me. Do you understand me?"

Christine nodded, but her brows came together, unable to stop herself from asking. "Why…doesn't she allow you to be in Peyton's life now?"

Sky's teeth clenched. "I'm sure she'll tell you herself," he muttered. "But just know that no matter what she tells you, I never once treated Peyton wrong. I was the perfect father to that girl and that's all you need to know. Got it?"

"Okay…but…"

"Look," he huffed. "I just need you to convince her that I've changed since we were together, okay? Talk about how sweet and gentle and trusting I am. No matter what she says to you, you have to convince her that I'm different now and the best boyfriend you've ever had."

Christine stared in a daze. He really couldn't be serious…

"Remember what we talked about? If you do this for me, things will get even better for us, okay? But if you mess this up for me, Christine, there will be a lot of consequences."

She swallowed. He was dead serious. There was no hope. "I…I'll try my best."

He grinned. "That's my girl."

Sky kissed her then, and she froze. A sudden realization crept into her mind, and she had to know…

"Sky, wait," she stopped him gently. "Is this…is this the reason for…everything?"

"What do you mean, baby?" he moved his lips to her neck, pulling her closer to him.

Christine gulped, her throat going tight again. She chose her words carefully, wary of his temper, keeping her tone gentle and curious, though all she wanted to do was scream and cry. "Is this why you…chose me? Why I'm here? So I could help you get your daughter back?"

Sky pulled back, blinking at her innocently. "Of course not, baby. You're here because I love you. I love my daughter too, and want her in my life, of course. But I'm not just using you for that. I need you every bit as much as I need her. Do you hear me?"

She couldn't tell whether his answer made her feel worse or better. All she felt was…emptiness. Still, she nodded slowly. "Yes," she breathed.

"We're going to be so happy together," he said, kissing her again. "I promise."