I let out a sigh of relief and ask the bartender to unlock the door. When he does, he holds it open for me.
“Thank you …” I trail off and read his name tag. “Thank you, Ben.”
Nodding once, he smiles. “Good luck out there.”
Not glancing back at Levi, no matter how much I want to, I push my way through the roaring crowd and hop into Trinity’s Camaro like my life depends on it.
CHAPTER10
AMELIA
MY BODY SHIVERS.
My teeth chatter.
I hope to God he doesn’t see me sitting here, on the floor, legs to my chest while my forehead rests on my knees. Hearing his heavy footsteps against the hardwood floor, I try to steady my breathing, hoping to the heavens above that it doesn’t betray me.
I know how he’ll react, how his face will break out in anger, seeing me sitting weakly on the floor, sweating out the remaining liquids in my stomach.
At the start of my eating disorder, he was more understanding. I felt like I actually had a father. When my eating disorder worsened, he got tired and stopped trying. Now, he’s vicious. Started yelling at me. He screams that I’ve ruined his life, that I should smarten up and be stronger.
Doesn’t he know I’m trying? That I wish I weren’t this way?
“Amelia Drakos!” his voice booms.
A whimper leaves my mouth at the sound.
“Amelia Drakos!” he says louder, sounding closer.
“There you are.”
He pulls me up by my elbow, and I yelp as I collide with his chest. His grip on my arm makes me wince with pain.
God, please don’t hurt me.
“What’s this?” he grits out in disgust when he shoves a plate in my face.
“M-my dinner,” I stutter, finding it hard to talk since all my throat wants to do is close.
“Why is all your fucking food still on this plate?” he hums.
I don’t dare meet his evil glance. Tears pool in my eyes, making everything ten times harder to see.
“You drive me insane—you know that?!” he yells in my face. “You’re going to eat all this without a complaint. If I see a crumb, I’ll shove it down your throat.”
My heart breaks because no matter how wicked I thought Dad got, I never knew he was this bad. I never would have guessed he would threaten his only daughter.
My body grows weak in his grasp. “Please, no, Dad.”
Pushing the plate in my direction, he warns me with a deadly glare, “One.”
Grabbing a piece of chicken, my fingers shake as I bring the meat to my mouth. Just as I’m about to take a bite, bile comes up my throat, making me gag.
“That’s it!” he screams.
He pushes me down onto the couch. I thrash and cry, but nothing seems to get him out of his evil spell. Gripping the chicken in his hand, he smashes it against my mouth roughly. Biting my lip and not giving him access, I fight through the terror.
“Eat it now!”
