JUST THE THREE OF THEM
Darren and Pam had been living in Darren’s mother’s guesthouse for over a year. Now, Darren wanted to run far away from it.
It had all begun when Natalie came down for breakfast one morning. At first, Darren didn’t take too much notice of her exposed legs. However, a few days after the first set of bruises had healed, he knew he had to do something.
DISTRUST
Darren had never experienced anything like this in his home before, and he wasn’t the kind of man who took things lying down.
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When he saw the bruises on his daughter, he immediately suspected his long-term girlfriend, Pam. He was convinced she was to blame, but she denied everything. Like any loving father, ignoring what was going on in his home was not an option.
CONFRONTING HER
Darren confronted Pam and asked her if she was leaving the bedroom at night, even going as far as asking her if she had been in Natalie’s room. Did she know about the bruises on his daughter’s legs? And did she have anything to do with them?
Darren found himself without any other option. What he didn’t know was that this decision would reveal something so much worse.
NO ANSWERS
For weeks, Darren kept pushing. But Pam kept denying that she had anything to do with the bruises. So Darren tried to approach the matter more directly. Although Natalie had been a bit distant with him lately, he chalked it up to normal teenage girl behavior.
They used to have a good relationship, so Darren decided to ask his daughter what had happened. But she wouldn’t – or couldn’t – give him answers either.
THE BRUISES
It happened in the first week of Natalie’s summer vacation. The temperature had climbed above 90 degrees so the teen was wearing shorts.
Darren couldn’t help but notice that Natalie’s legs were covered in bruises again. He asked his daughter about them, but she just shrugged and said she didn’t know… she’d woken up like that. He would have to do something rather underhanded to get the answers, but he had run out of options.
A SEEMINGLY ORDINARY FAMILY
For many who knew the couple, it seemed as if they were living the dream. They had a stable relationship, lived in a nice home, and they had Darren’s wonderful daughter, Natalie.
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But one day, everything changed. While Darren was half-asleep, he could have sworn that he heard weird noises from his daughter’s room. And it was Natalie who would eventually be proof that, yes, something strange was happening at night.
A DAD’S WORRIES
It’s only natural for a dad to worry about his daughter – any parent will tell you that. Natalie was Darren’s whole world and he only wanted what was best for her.
Natalie had always struggled with her parent’s separation, and Darren had always felt guilty about what effects it had on her. When Darren first started getting serious with Pam, he knew he wouldn’t forget about his daughter.
A PHASE?
Darren looked after the needs of his daughter very closely and because of it, the two had a very close bond. But Natalie began changing when Darren met Pam and she moved in with them.
Darren was always open with Natalie and told her she could tell him anything. But throughout the year, she had become quieter – a lot quieter. Darren assumed it was because of her growing up and getting into her teenage years. But things only kept escalating.
A DIFFERENT NATALIE
As time went on with Pam living with them, Darren noticed that life was being sucked out of his daughter. He didn’t understand why, and he was worried that she spent too much time locked up in her room by herself.
Darren was worried about her being sucked into social media. He had heard horror stories. But little did he know that her social media pages were the least of his worries.
WARNING BELLS
Darren decided to ask Natalie about her change in behavior. She told him that she didn’t like the way other rooms in the house felt.
Darren didn’t want to interfere with her life too much and felt confident that she would tell him if there were any problems. But he’d learn to regret that decision.
QUESTIONING EVERYTHING
This was not the life Darren had signed up for when he chose to be with Pam. He knew that she and his stepdaughter had never really seen eye-to-eye.
But, as far as he knew, that was pretty normal for a stepdaughter-stepmother relationship. But what was he supposed to think about the bruises?
MODEL STUDENT
As far as Darren knew, Natalie was a model student and never went out to parties like the other teenagers her age.
She wasn’t social or interested in playing sports – she preferred to curl up with a book and read during her summer vacations. And, she wasn’t dating. So, where did the bruises keep coming from?
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WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
Weeks went by, and every morning Darren would see more bruises appear on Natalie’s legs. What was she doing in the night to receive these bruises? And Pam and Natalie kept denying that they knew how she’d gotten them.
What exactly was happening to his little girl? The worried dad had hundreds of questions running through his mind. But one thing was for sure: he was at his wit’s end.