Daisy Jonas didn't think she had ever broken the speed limit in her life. It wasn't her car that she drove, it was her parents and she knew that her father would have a fit if he so much as even spotted a scratch on his prized navy-blue Mercedes. Daisy had been sitting in the lounge, holding a pen in her hand as she tried to do her homework. She had a date that afternoon with Jacob Pemberly and her mind was focused on that. It was their fifth date and he was taking her to the cinema before she had to go to her aunt's for some family dinner. Daisy didn't entirely know what to wear and her mind had been in her closet, mentally going through all the clothes she owned.
That was until she heard Violet's name on the news. She'd tossed her book and pen to the side and dived for the remote that permanently lived on her father's armchair. He asked her what she was doing, but she turned the volume up and knelt in front of the screen, listening intently and then shrieking loudly. Her mother came in and asked what all the commotion was about, but Daisy was already running to the hall and pulling her sneakers onto her feet and reaching for her dad's car keys. He yelled at her to be careful as she ran out the door.
Driving to Violet's house, she saw that her friend's car was in the driveway. She parked haphazardly next to it and jumped out the vehicle, not bothering to lock it. Running up the porch, she began banging on the door quickly.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Donnie Mattheson's voice sounded from the other side of the door. His car must be in the garage considering she hadn't seen it. "Daisy, what the hell is wrong?" He asked as soon as he opened the door and saw her stood there with cheeks puffed out and a bead of sweat on her forehead.
"Is she in?" Daisy asked.
"She's just getting changed after practice," Donnie said and stepped aside to let Daisy into the house. He shut the door behind her and turned to glance at her with an almost amused expression. "Are you alright?"
"I heard on the news," Daisy said. "Why didn't she tell me? It's amazing. I can't believe it…it's mad…I mean…she's actually going!"
"It's on the news?" Donnie checked.
"Heard it just before I drove here."
"I didn't know it had been made public just yet," Donnie said to her and Daisy nodded. "Well, she had to keep it quiet until it came out. There's a high degree of secrecy before the announcement in case things change."
"So…she wasn't in Chicago the other week?" Daisy checked.
"She was in New York talking to officials," Donnie admitted. "The only people who have known have been me and her. She didn't want to keep you in the dark…she wittered the entire flight home about telling you…but she couldn't."
"I can accept that, I guess," Daisy said.
It was then when Violet came down the stairs. She was dressed in a short skirt with a sweatshirt. Her hair was damp and tucked behind her ears, feet covered in ankle socks. Her face was red after showering and practice. She narrowed her eyes and looked between her father and best friend, eyeing them suspiciously.
"What's going on?" she wondered.
"News is out," Donnie said to her.
"Already?"
"Yeah, and while I am slightly aggrieved at not finding out before Hawkin's Weekly, your dad told me you had to keep it a secret," Daisy said to her. "But I can't believe it. This is amazing! I need to know when and how it happened!"
Violet wasn't prepared for Daisy to launch herself at her. She hugged her tightly and Violet wrapped her arms around her friend, looking at her father from over her shoulder. Donnie just shrugged, but the smirk remained on his face. He rolled up the sleeves to his sweatshirt and folded his arms over his chest. He couldn't explain the pride he felt for his daughter at that moment in time. She didn't truly understand how incredible it was for her to be given this chance, but she would in time. She would look back at this moment and see how proud she should be.
"I'm going to make some calls," Donnie excused himself. "Try to keep the noise down. Apparently, your mother has a headache." He rolled his eyes at that and Violet noticed it, but didn't comment.
"Bye, Mr Mattheson," Daisy said, pulling back from her friend and he just waved as he walked away to his office.
"Come on, let's go for a walk," Violet urged from her.
The two of them left the house after Violet had tugged her sneakers onto her feet. Heading down the street together, Violet didn't look at Steve's house as they walked by it.
"So, I need all the details," Daisy demanded from her.
"It's all been a bit of a whirlwind," Violet confessed to her friend. "After I won the challenger, things started to escalate. I mean…I'm not even a seeded player, but we started having talks with people like management companies…sports brands…tennis club officials trying to get me to compete in their events. I don't know how it happened, but dad got a call from London about me playing a wildcard. I mean…a part of me wanted to say no because I was terrified of what might happen. It's one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world."
"It's Wimbledon, for God's sake, Vi!" Daisy almost shrieked. "You're playing in Wimbledon!"
Violet didn't entirely believe it herself. She wanted to keep smiling and pinching herself. She nodded her head, almost like she was trying to convince herself that it was real and it was happening. "I'm going to Wimbledon," she said and Daisy shrieked again, hugging her best friend tighter to her as they ambled down the sidewalk together.
…
"I take it you've seen the news."
Steve knew what was coming. It was all anyone in Hawkins could talk about. Somehow, Violet Mattheson had gotten a wildcard entry to play at Wimbledon. Steve had been on his way out to congratulate her, but he'd seen her walking down the street with Daisy, the two of them laughing and shrieking. He didn't want to get in the way of that. Instead, he had just stood on the porch and watched the back of them, a stupid smile on his face as he thought about what she would be feeling. He knew that she would be overjoyed. She deserved it too. He was talented at some sport and he knew it, but he wasn't as talented as she was, nor was he as driven.
He'd gone back inside and finished his homework before his mother called him to dinner. Sitting around the large mahogany table, Steve nodded his head as his father spoke.
"I almost feel for the girl," John Harrington spoke.
Donna Harrington frowned at her husband. "Why so?" she wondered and Steve picked at the chicken his mother had cooked. It was slightly overdone, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He just chewed down on his food and ate as quickly as he could so that he could leave the dinner table.
"Well, she's going to be destroyed," John said and Steve frowned, shooting a dark look at his father. Not that he noticed. He was too self-absorbed to notice anything going on around him. "The poor girl thinks she's talented, but winning a few challengers doesn't make her grand-slam material. She'll be knocked out in the first round and her confidence crushed."
"You don't know that," Steve said to him, speaking up and not scared of the consequences.
"But we do," John said. "That girl might be good, but I've seen her practice in the yard. If I was her then I wouldn't pin her hopes on becoming a tennis star. She needs a back-up plan. She needs an actual career in her mind."
"You've never seen her play," Steve said. "She's…there's something inside of her whenever she plays…I can't explain it, but she's good. She's better than you're giving her credit for."
John looked annoyed at his son's outburst. His wife just sat there silently, not daring to say anything and go against her husband. John eyed Steve with suspicion, but he didn't bother to retaliate at his son's words. He knew that there was something going on between him and the Mattheson girl. He knew that his son was dating Nancy Wheeler, but he'd seen Steve and Violet sneak out numerous times in the past to the woods. He also knew about the jewellery he was hiding in his bedroom.
"Well, we will just have to wait and see," John said and he picked up his glass of whiskey. "Either way, she has a purpose."
Steve rolled his eyes and dropped his knife and fork onto his plate. "Not this again," he complained to his father. "How many times do I need to say that I'm keeping my options open?"
"You have one year left in school. Come September, you'll need to start writing your college application," John said. "Do you think that will come easy if you keep flunking at school? You need some aspirations, Steve. You need a plan. All I see you doing is taking that Wheeler girl on dates and pining after the girl next door."
Steve's eyes widened. "I am not pining after her."
"Please. You think I don't see you watching her practice from the dining room window?" John replied with a scoff. "I'm just saying, Steve, if you spend your life chasing girls then you'll never make something of yourself. You're a Harrington. You need to start acting like one."
"Oh yeah? Well maybe I don't want to be like you dad, you ever think of that, huh?"
"Come on now," Donna said, trying to calm the situation. She wasn't sure if that was possible. She knew that her son was not like his father, but he did have the Harrington temper when he was riled up and the pair of them knew how to rile each other up.
"No, he needs to hear it," John said to her firmly.
"I've heard it so many times that it's becoming boring," Steve complained to his dad. "I'm working on my future. I'm actually doing homework and I'm not failing anything. I'm trying…I just don't know what I want to do…it's not like I'm not trying because I am…"
Donna felt her heart ache for her son, but she didn't get involved. She knew better than to get in between the two of them. She knew how it felt to feel lost because that was how she felt. She felt lost and like she wasn't sure what was going on in her life. Before they could continue their argument, a loud shriek came from outside. The three of them almost jumped out of their skin. John frowned and stood up, heading to the window and looking outside. There were six people stood in a circle outside the Mattheson house, smoking something and laughing loudly.
"Looks like Mariana Mattheson is hosting another party," John commented with a roll of his eyes and the brewing argument was long forgotten.
…
Violet had let Daisy give her another hug before she climbed into her car and drove home. She let herself back into her house and found a note on the table. Her dad had gone out and wouldn't be back until late. He said there was something at the office that needed sorting. He'd actually signed the note dad as opposed to leaving it blank. Violet smiled at it and left it on the table in the entrance hall.
"The phone has constantly been ringing," Mariana's voice entered the hall. She was wearing a silk robe over a strappy black nightgown. Her feet were bare and her hair was piled into rollers. "I didn't know you were so popular."
"Who was it?" Violet wondered from her mother.
"I don't know…some girl…Natasha…"
"Nancy?" Violet asked.
"I am not your messenger, Violet," Mariana said sharply. "I've been trying to sleep this migraine off in time for the party tonight and it's been constant phone calls…I told them that you weren't in and to call back another time. What could they all want with you?"
Violet shrugged. "They might've heard the news," she said to her mother.
Mariana rolled her eyes and Violet swore she felt like crying as she saw her mother's expression. She hadn't expected fanfare or a brass band, but she had maybe expected her mother to be proud of her. She just didn't think that anything she ever did would make her mother proud of her.
"You're going to a tennis tournament. You haven't cured cancer," Mariana said and her words stung harder than Violet had anticipated. "Besides, how much is this going to set me back? Sending you and your father to London will cost a fortune…and for what? You're going to be playing much more experienced players than you're used to."
Violet knew the implication behind her words. She had no chance. She wouldn't get far. Violet suspected as much, but it still hurt to hear from her own mother. "You're not coming?" Violet asked her.
"Tennis bores me, darling, you know that," Mariana said to her. "Now, are you going to Daisy's tonight?"
"Daisy is going to her aunt's for the night," Violet said.
"You have no Saturday night plans?"
"I rarely do," Violet said.
"Well, I'm having some friends round…and your father has done a disappearing act," Mariana said, hand going to rub at her neck, feeling some cream that she hadn't rubbed fully into her skin. "It might be best if you just stay in your room, okay?"
"Yeah, I can do that," Violet agreed and Mariana smiled, but there was no warmth to it.
"Good girl," she said. "Now, I need to go and get in the bath before the water goes cold…and if that blasted phone rings again then answer it in your room."
Violet watched her mother glide back up the stairs, dressing gown trailing behind her and an air of elegance surrounding her. Violet waited until she heard her parent's bedroom door close before she climbed the steps to her room and shut the door, not sure how she went from being ecstatic to crying into a pillow on her bed.
…
Violet knew that her mother's parties never ended up just being a few friends. She rarely held them at her house anymore, preferring to get out of town and spend time in hotels, holed up with whichever man had taken her fancy at the time. Donnie had told Violet that he hated the mess that her mother left behind. The two of them were always left to clean up and Mariana would spend the next day in bed, either hungover or ignoring her husband's disapproving looks.
Staying in her room, Violet had listened as music began playing. The familiar noise of Duran Duran rang out, echoing through the house and making the floorboards vibrate. Violet had considered trying to get some work done, but that became impossible as the noise kept on going. There were screams and laughs, plus Violet could smell smoke. She heard footsteps creak past her door, people looking for the bathroom no doubt. As the clock struck eleven, Violet considered going out and seeing if she could sneak into Harrington's summer house by the pool. She might be able to sleep if she did.
"Oh…sorry…I didn't realise this wasn't the bathroom."
Violet had been hanging her clothes away in her wardrobe after leaving them on her chair for far too long. Looking to the door, she saw a man in a white shirt with a blue tie step into her bedroom, hand on the door handle. He had dark blonde hair that was slicked back on top of his head. He seemed drunk judging by the way he could hardly stand up straight.
"Next door on the right," Violet said to him.
"And what're you doing hiding in here?" the man questioned and Violet closed the door to her wardrobe.
"I kind of live here," Violet said.
The man didn't get the hint and stepped into the room, hands going to his hips and Violet saw the sweat patches under his arm. "Marie's daughter, right?" he checked with her. "Last time I saw you…you were…I don't know…"
Violet just tried to smile politely. She had no idea who this man was.
"And now you're what…sixteen?"
"Seventeen," Violet replied.
"And the tennis prodigy, right?" he said.
"I wouldn't say that," Violet said. "Anyway, bathroom is just down there," she reiterated, trying to get rid of him.
"Why don't you come down and join the party? You're seventeen. When I was seventeen I was getting up to all sorts…sneaking into parties…drinking…thank God I stayed on the art scene. So many parties. You'll know all about those though. Your mother is quite the party animal."
"Yeah, I don't really do parties," Violet said, still trying to be polite. She wanted him to go though. She figured though, if he wasn't going to go, then she was going to leave. "Listen, I'm just going to use the bathroom before-"
"-What's the rush?" he interrupted, stretching an arm across the door to stop her from leaving the bedroom. "We're having a nice time, aren't we? Getting to know each other?"
"I want to go," Violet said, voice firm.
"Don't be like that," he urged from her. "Come on, Mariana won't mind…I won't even tell her that her daughter invited me into her room."
Violet's eyes widened. "I didn't," she snapped back. "Get out of my way."
"You're pretty hot, you know that?" he said. "I mean, small tits…but those legs…what's under that skirt, huh?"
Violet tried to push by him then, knowing she had to fight her way out. She shrieked loudly as he grabbed her round the waist though and dragged her back into the room, slamming the door shut as he kept her arms pinned by her waist and his free hand moved to her thigh, tugging her skirt up. Violet kept thrashing around in his arms, shrieking loudly and begging for someone to hear her.
"Shut up," he snapped at her. "Come on…just a bit of fun…let a real man take care of you, yeah?"
Violet felt him push her against her desk, his hands tugging her skirt up until it was bunched around her waist. She scrambled for something to pick up from the desk and hit him with, finally grabbing hold of her stapler. She raised it up and turned around, hitting him across the face. She saw him stumble back at the same time the door opened and her dad stood there.
Donnie looked at the sight of this man grasping his face and his daughter leant over her desk, skirt around her waist and tears rolling down her cheek.
"You slut," the man snapped, clearly not having seen Donnie.
Violet looked to her father and he knew instantly what had happened. He didn't waste any time then, grabbing the man by his collar and forcing him to stand upright. He pulled his fist back and hit him square in the jaw, watching him stumble backwards and collapsed to a heap on the floor. Violet tugged her skirt down her thighs and looked at her dad as the man tried to stand up, but Donnie punched him to the floor again. He knelt over him, the punches repeatedly landing against his face.
"Dad," Violet tried to get his attention, but Donnie wasn't backing down.
A crowd seemed to have developed in the doorway then, people looking on in awe. Violet felt herself begin to cry as she just stood there, not entirely sure if she should try and get her dad off of the man, but she'd never seen such anger in his face.
"Donald, what the hell!"
Mariana pushed through the crowd then. She was wearing a short pink dress with spaghetti straps, her hair in curls down her shoulders and her face covered in subtle makeup. She tugged at her husband on the elbow and he finally relented. He stood up and stumbled back, still seeing red and wanting to lash out.
"Victor, darling," Mariana cooed at the man on the floor. "Come on…we'll get you some ice."
"Get him some ice?" Donnie snapped at his wife. "He's lucky I don't kill him."
"He's a psycho," the man named Victor spat out with blood pooling around his mouth. Donnie moved towards him again, but Mariana stood between them as two other men came and helped Victor stand up.
"Take Victor downstairs and find him some ice," Mariana demanded from the crowd. She shooed them out of the room and then slammed the door as Violet remained stood on the spot, feeling like she was glued there. Mariana turned to her husband and pointed at him. "What the hell are you playing at?" she snarled at him and Violet didn't think she'd seen her mother so angry in a long time.
"What am I playing at?" Donnie demanded. "I came home to find this party raging on…drugs…alcohol…and then I come up here and see that creep with his hands all over our teenage daughter. What was I doing, Mariana? I was looking after our daughter!"
Mariana scoffed. "Victor wouldn't look twice at Violet," she drawled.
"No? Then why did he have her bent over that desk with his hands all over her?" Donnie hissed at her.
"I'm sure it was a misunderstanding," Mariana said and then she looked to Violet and both sets of eyes were on her. "Wasn't it, Violet?"
But Violet didn't say anything. Why did she feel like she'd done something wrong? She just stood there and Donnie shook his head. Mariana rolled her eyes and Violet spoke, voice croaking.
"He…I asked him to leave…" was all she could force out from between her lips.
"She's traumatised, Mariana!"
"She has an overactive imagination," Mariana said. "Besides, she could do a lot worse than Victor. He's a twenty-one-year-old curator…I mean…she's a teenage girl…look at what I got up to at her age. She probably invited him in here and then put the water works on when you walked in and caught her."
"I didn't," Violet said quickly, shaking her head back and forth manically.
"Well, of course she'd deny it," Mariana said.
"That's it. We're done," Donnie snapped and he moved to his daughter. He held his hand out to her and Violet took hold of his fingers, letting his large palm engulf her hand. "I'm taking Violet out of here. This party is done. I want everyone gone before I get back and then we're going to talk."
"You're being dramatic."
"I'm not," Donnie snapped and he pulled Violet to the door, glowering down at his wife. His voice dropped to a low octave and he spoke in a menacing tone, his eyes boring into his wife's and she didn't think she'd ever seen him so angry before. "I'm done with this, Mariana. This party is over. Send everyone home. Get everyone out of here or I'll call the police and trust me, I'll take immense pleasure in watching them cart you away for possession."
Mariana gulped at that, but she didn't fight back. She just watched Donnie drag Violet out of the house. He ignored the people still partying in the hallway and headed to the porch. He barged past anyone who got in his way until he was stood by her car. He'd grabbed her car keys from the bowl on the table in the hall. He was about to thrust them into her hand and tell her to go to Daisy's, but she just stood there and looked at him.
"I'm not lying," she whispered and Donnie looked at the tears streaming down her face. "I promise, I'm not lying."
"I know you're not, Vi," Donnie assured his daughter, reaching a hand up and brushing her tears away with his thumb. He spotted the necklace he'd given her underneath her sweatshirt, the gold chain poking out. "Come here." He pulled her against him and he felt her wrap her arms around his middle, clinging onto him tightly and not wanting to let go. He moved a hand to the back of her head, cupping it gently and he knew what he had to do. There was no other option now. It had to be now or he'd never do it.
"Listen…Vi…" Donnie said. "Can you go to Daisy's for the night?"
"She's away," Violet sniffed.
Donnie wanted to moan in exasperation, but he kept quiet. He tried to think of where else she could go before he saw him. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see Harrington taking the bin out before. Steve looked across to the Mattheson house and saw that the lights were still on and people were still outside smoking and laughing. Then he saw the two figured by the car and he frowned. Donnie exhaled a sharp breath, but lifted a hand up to Steve and beckoned for him to come over. Steve did a double-take, but then he realised that Donnie was holding Violet.
"What's happened?" Steve asked, breaking into a jog and moving towards them.
"Can you just take Violet to your house for a bit?" Donnie asked Steve and Violet pulled back from her dad. Steve could see that she was crying and he felt a knot form in his stomach.
"Are you alright, Vi?" he asked her.
"She's not," Donnie said, answering for her. "Can you look after her, Harrington?"
"Yeah, yeah," Steve said with no hesitation. "We can go to the summer house."
"What're you going to do?" Violet asked her dad and he cupped her cheek in his hand.
"Something I should've done a long time ago."
He just nodded to Steve who took over. He moved a hand to the small of Violet's back and urged her forwards. Violet turned her head over her shoulder to watch her dad move back into the house and she wondered if her entire world was about to implode.
…
Donnie had to admit that he didn't know if his threat would work, but he went back into the house to find Mariana screeching at everyone to leave. She sounded frantic and distressed, but he didn't care. He moved into his study and poured himself a glass of scotch. He let her get rid of everyone and he steeled himself, preparing to do what he had to do. He'd been planning for so long that it felt like no was the time. If he didn't do it now then he wasn't sure when he would do it.
He'd finished his glass of scotch before Mariana came into the study in a whirlwind. "You thoroughly embarrassed me. Are you happy?"
Donnie took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Am I happy?" he repeated the question to her. "I walked in on our daughter…what he was doing to her…he could have raped her, Mariana. He could've raped our daughter and all you care about is your stupid party."
"The girl was lying. Trust me. I did it loads of time to my father."
"The difference is our daughter is not like you," Donnie said. "And you don't seem to care about her. You don't seem to give a shit. I'm not going to stand here and pretend that I've been an amazing father because I know that I haven't been. I've been shitty to her and I know that, but I'm done being that man. I don't want to be him."
Mariana rolled her eyes. "Save me the virtuous bullshit," she demanded. "Then what do you want?"
And then he said it. He said what he had wanted to say for so long. "A divorce."
Mariana's eyes widened in amazement at that. She adjusted herself where she stood, standing at full heigh and folding her arms over her chest. She never thought that he would actually ask her for a divorce. "I didn't think you had it in you," Mariana informed him.
"Neither did I," Don confessed, "but this can't go on. I'm tired of the pretence…faking everything…I'm tired of coming home and not knowing what I'm coming home to. I want better and I want to give Violet better. I can't let her live here after tonight…so either we move out or you move out."
Mariana scoffed. "You know you'll have nothing, right? You'll have no money to your name."
"That's where you're wrong," Donnie replied. "You might have mocked me for some job you think is mundane, but it's paid me well for a few years…well enough that I've saved enough to leave and find somewhere…live comfortably, but I don't want to do that. I don't want to uproot Violet from her life, but I will. I will because in the long run I know I have to. So if you want it, keep the house…keep the money…everything…but I'm going and Violet is coming with me."
Mariana was in a state of shock. How could this be happening to her? How could this be happening? She knew that divorce happened, but she also knew that people would gossip about it. She'd always just assumed her husband would be fine as things were. He lived a comfortable life. How could he want to leave her?
"You can't do this," Mariana said.
"I can," Donnie said firmly. "And I am doing it. We're finished."
"You won't get a single dime from me," Mariana warned him.
Donnie looked at her and cocked his head before folding his arms over his chest. "You know, that's all you care about. You haven't once mentioned custody of Violet, but money…status…when did you get so vacuous, Mariana? When did that happen?"
"Probably around the same time you trapped me in this suburban nightmare."
She left the room then and Donnie watched her go, knowing that he'd done what he had to and he'd suffer the consequences no matter what Mariana threw at him.
…
Steve had managed to sneak into the summer house with Violet, seeing that she wasn't wearing any shoes, just her ankle socks. Thankfully, spring had bought a spell of dry weather so the grass wasn't wet. The summer house had been built for Steve's mom as a place for her to go and read. Steve suspected it was to get her out of the house. The walls were lined with bookshelves of all kinds of novels. There was a soft on one wall and a small kitchenette to the right. The wooden floors were covered in fancy rugs and there were cushions strewn on the sofa with throws. Steve ushered Violet to sit down on the sofa, watching her sink into the material and tug her legs up, hooking her arms around her legs.
He grabbed a throw and managed to drape it over Violet before sitting down next to her, keeping some distance between her. Steve frowned and rolled the sleeves of his red sweatshirt up his arms. He'd spent time with Violet since Christmas, but it had always been with Nancy and Daisy. He rarely saw her alone, only in passing. The months had seemed to drag by and now he was alone with her when clearly something had happened.
"You don't need to tell me what happened," Steve said, voice soft and low. "But I am here, Vi, and I am still me."
"It…I don't know…" Violet whispered and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and leant her head back against the cushion behind her. "Mom was having this party and this guy came in looking for the bathroom…he just wouldn't go and I wanted him to…and then he…his hands were on me and he pushed me over the desk and I…I hit him with the stapler and then my dad was there and he kept hitting him and mom…she just…she didn't believe me. She thought I wanted him to…to…" she trailed off and Steve shook his head once, filling in the gaps and coming to his own conclusions which he suspected weren't far from the truth.
Violet looked to Steve, her eyes wide and wet. "But I didn't," she said to him and he didn't know if she felt she had to convince him, but that was the last thing she had to do. "I didn't want him to, Steve. I didn't."
"Hey, hey, hey," Steve said, trying to keep her calm as he heard her breathing speed up and her chest rise and fall. Steve reached for her then and she gladly collapsed against him. His arms went around her as her cheek rested against his chest and he felt her hands go to take hold of his forearm. "I know, Vi. I know. You don't need to explain to me…justify yourself…I believe you. I will always believe you."
"But she didn't," Violet sobbed and Steve wondered if that was hurting her the most. "She didn't believe me and she…I know she hates me…I just don't know what I did…I don't know…"
Steve's arms squeezed tightly around her. "You didn't do anything," Steve promised her. "You did nothing, Vi."
"She didn't care," Violet whispered, hiccupping. "I told her this morning…about the wildcard…and she didn't care…and she didn't care tonight…she never cares and I'm never going to be enough."
"You are enough," Steve promised her, hating how she spoke about herself. "And I can't begin to tell you how proud I felt of you when I heard the news. I just wanted to come over and see you…because what you've done is such an achievement and you deserve to be proud of yourself and if she…if she can't see that then she doesn't deserve your tears."
Violet sniffed loudly again, convinced she was ruining Steve's sweatshirt, but he didn't seem to mind. He just sat there and held her as she kept crying for as long as he was needed. He didn't know how long it was before she spoke into the material of his sweatshirt.
"I miss you," she confessed and Steve bowed his head.
"I miss you too," he confessed.
…
Donnie wasn't sure how long he was in his study sorting out paperwork. He needed to get things in order to make things as easy as possible to leave his wife. It turned out he had no need. He saw her move over to the door with a case in her hands. She'd changed into a pencil skirt and white blouse and black heels. She didn't say a word as she opened the door and left him alone. He looked out of the window and saw her car and drive was there. She climbed into the back of it as the door opened and Donnie wondered what she intended to do.
He tried to clean as much as he could, not wanting to bring Violet back to a mess. He went to her room and tidied up her desk for her, gripping her chair firmly until his knuckles turned white as he remembered what had almost happened. He tried to shake it, but he couldn't and so he took hold of her stuffed rabbit and went to the guest room. He made the bed in there and set the rabbit down after stroking its ears. The clock had gone one before he left and went to the summer house where he knew they were holed up.
Walking along the path, Donnie could see that the lamp was on and door was ajar. He stepped into the space and saw Violet laid on the sofa, her head on a cushion on Steve's lap. She had a blanket covering her and Steve was slumped downwards, a hand moving his fingers through her hair and his eyes almost shut. He was on the verge of sleep. Violet had been asleep for almost half-an-hour, her breathing shallowing as Steve urged her to lay down, promising her that he wasn't going anywhere.
"You don't need to wake her," Steve whispered, hoping that he wouldn't wake her up.
"I fucked up," Donnie just whispered, standing over the two of them and keeping his voice low. Violet didn't stir once. "I should've left a long time ago…she…tonight…"
"You got to her in time."
"She should never have been in that position. She should be safe in her own home."
Donnie wasn't sure why he was saying this to the Harrington kid, but it just slipped out. It was all slipping out. "Yeah, she should be." Steve agreed. "And the guy who…"
"I dealt with him," Donnie said. "And Mariana left."
"Maybe for the best," Steve said.
"Maybe," Donnie weakly agreed and watched as Violet moved slightly, the blanket slipping down her shoulder. Steve pulled it back into place. "The door's open. When she wakes up…I'll be awake…just…walk her home, okay?"
"She's safe with me," Steve promised.
"Yeah, I see that," Donnie relented and he began to walk away before he turned his head over his shoulder. "Thank you, Harrington," he said, despite the fact it almost hurt him. Steve just sat there, bewildered. He couldn't believe that he'd had a thank you from Donnie Mattheson.
Donnie closed the door of the summer house and Steve tried to shuffle into a comfier position, but he didn't want to wake Violet up. He kept stroking her hair and closed his own eyes, letting sleep find him for a short while too.
….