Author's note: thanks for all the support once again. You guys will never know how much it means to me :)

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Tommy gripped my side even harder. I looked down at Hunter and placed a kiss on his forehead. I knew I was shaking and I didn't want him to know anything was wrong.

"What do you say?" Tommy asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to think. I didn't want Carrie to get hurt. I knew that as soon as Tommy started being nicer to her, she'd settle in right away. I am Jimmy's girl though. If he knew I had sex with Tommy he'd punish me severely.

"Before you tell me, I want you to know something," Tommy told me. He lowered his head down so that his forehead was pressed against mine. "I'm getting impatient with Carrie. If she screams and fights me one more time, that stab wound will look like nothing."

I struggled to swallow against the lump in my throat. I started nodding my head without even noticing.

"Okay, I'll do it," I said.

"Julie, come to the room," I could hear Jimmy yell from down the hallway.

"You won't regret this." Tommy kissed my cheek and I thought I was going to be sick. "If you tell Jimmy about this, I'm going to kill Carrie."

I nodded my head and pulled myself out of Tommy's grasp. Jimmy was leaning up against the doorframe of our room. I struggled to stop my feet from running towards him. I didn't want Jimmy to know anything was wrong.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. He plucked Hunter out of his arms and held him up in the air. Hunter kicked his legs and arms out and Jimmy's lips lifted into a smile.

"I just wanted to get you out of Tommy's bedroom," he told me. "You can warm up dinner. I'll take care of Hunter."

"I will," I said getting up on my toes to give him another kiss.

I hurried downstairs and pulled the leftovers out of the fridge. I put the roast in the oven to warm up and I began to chop up the carrots and then fry them.

I hummed to myself as I tried my best not to think about Tommy. My hands were shaking and I couldn't stop them. Tommy would come in, just like the day he tried to push me down the stairs, and force me into his bed.

An awkward weight came thudding down the stairs. I looked over my shoulder to see Carrie coming down the stairs. She had a tight grip on the railing and Tommy was behind her. His arm was snaked around her waist as he helped her. Carrie's face winced with every step she took. I listened as she shuffled over to the table and Tommy pulled out a chair for her.

I put the food onto the table. Charles came down and smiled when he saw Carrie. She stared down at her knees and her hair was draped down in front of her face. Jimmy came down the stairs with Hunter in his arms.

"Let's pass you off to Mommy," he said as he kissed Hunter's cheek and handed him over to me.

I cradled Hunter back into my arms and sat down. The boys began to dig into the food and pass the bowls around the table. Tommy piled Carrie's plate with food and then passed it on. Hunter was grabbing my hair and giggling. I cooed at him.

"Julie, you need to eat," Jimmy said putting some of the roast on my plate.

"I will," I told him.

"Carrie make sure you eat too," Charles said.

"I'll make sure she stays healthy," Tommy said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

I ignored the rest of the dinner conversation. I focused on Hunter's giggles as he sucked on his fingers and kicked his chubby legs out. I would do anything to keep my son.

—

I didn't want to let go of Jimmy before he left. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and buried my face in his neck. I could hear Jimmy chuckled as I nuzzled my face into his neck and he rubbed my back. He pulled himself away from me and pressed his lips against my forehead. Charles and Tommy were already outside.

"Be good," he told me.

"I will," I said before kissing him again.

I watched as Jimmy left the kitchen. Carrie was sitting at the table and Hunter was in his crib. I didn't see any new bruises on Carrie's face or arms. I knew Tommy had kept his promise and now I'd have to repay him.

"We need to clean today," I told her.

She shook her head and followed me over to the closet. I handed her a broom and I took out the mixture of water and vinegar I use to disinfect everything. Carrie started sweeping the kitchen while I washed the counter and sink.

"Is this all you do all day?" Carrie asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "It gets really boring."

"No doubt. I'd go crazy."

"I couldn't wait for there to be another girl in the house."

"I won't be here for much longer," Carrie said, but the doubt was obvious in her voice. "Someone must be looking for me."

I shrugged my shoulders. "You never know."

I always gave Carrie the same blatant answers whenever she talked about leaving. I knew it would never happen.

Carrie and I talked about pointless things for a few hours. She filled me in on everything going on in the world for the past two years that I've missed. She told me about celebrity meltdowns, new blockbusters, horrible crimes, and she even hummed songs to me from new songs. It's been so long since I've heard music other than me humming.

The kitchen door opened up and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Tommy walked in and he had his usual smirk. Carrie's eyes grew wide when she saw him. She knew it was odd for him to come inside.

"Julie, get upstairs," he ordered me.

I nodded my head and looked at Carrie.

"Can you watch Hunter for a bit?" I asked her.

"Of course," she told me furrowing her eyebrows together.

Tommy walked up the stairs and I followed behind him. My head started to spin as we got close to Tommy's room. I thought I was going to pass out at any moment. He reached out behind himself and grabbed my wrist before slamming the door shut.

His fingers curled tighter into my wrist as he pulled me closer. He crashed his lips against mine and I could feel the bile rising in the back of my throat. His free hand ran down over my back.

"Oh God," Tommy mumbled under his breath. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this."

I was chewing on my lip and kept my eyes on the floor. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm doing this for Hunter.

"Get on the bed," he told me.

I turned around and crawled onto the bed. The sheets still lied in a tangled mess from when Carrie spent the day here. Her dried up blood was flaking off of the sheets.

Tommy pulled his shirt up over his head. The key dangled around his neck. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.

"Come on, Julie," he said. "Take off your clothes."

I let go of a shaky breath and started to untangle myself. My fingers fumbled with the hem of my shirt and I pulled it over my head. Tommy's eyes locked on my chest. He pushed me back on the bed and climbed on top of me. He pressed his lips against my neck and started to trail a line of kisses down over my collarbone.

You're doing it for Hunter, I reminded myself. You're doing it for Hunter.

Tommy leaned back and his fingers fumbled with the button on my jeans. He ripped them off and I squeezed my eyes shut to stop myself from crying. Tommy had harassed me so much when I first came to the house, but I never had this much of myself exposed to him.

I could hear him undo his belt.

You're doing this for Hunter