Damon's POV
The moment Maya drifted into sleep, I slipped back into the living room. An important discussion with her brother couldn't wait any longer.
"I've witnessed plenty of awful things in my life, but what this woman does to Maya crosses every line," I stated firmly, settling into the couch.
"It was even more brutal before," Cole replied, his voice heavy with old pain. "Maya would receive savage beatings for the smallest infractions. When she was ten, Claire thrashed her with a belt for accidentally knocking over some decoration. Her body was covered in buckle marks. Claire always threatened worse if she told our father. I'd already moved out by then, only discovered it when I noticed Maya wearing long sleeves in summer heat. I nearly attacked Claire myself when I found out, but my father arrived, and we had a huge argument. Maya begged me not to tell him anything."
