“He’s not going to kill her,” Dad says with such confidence that my body believes him.
“You don’t know that.”
“I know his kind. Hewon’tkill her. But hewillkillyouif you don’t calm down and think with your head.”
Turning to my friends he says, “You both should go home. Heath and I have a long conversation that is overdue.”
Sebastian look at me. “I’ll be in your room.”
I nod.
Once he leaves with Marie, I turn my neck and glare at my dad. “Let go of me.”
“If I do you won’t listen to me.”
I groan in frustration. “I don’t believe a single word out of your mouth. So even if you speak, it doesn’t fucking matter.”
A long moment passes before he asks, “Do you really blame me for Em’s death?”
“Yes,” I grumble.
That’s when he lets go of me. I turn around to attack him, but what I see is a face full of despair.
“I deserve that,” he whispers.
Mom comes with a glass of water. Her eyes are red and her cheeks puffy. She hands it to me, then faces her husband and glares at him. “If you ever do that to him again I will never speak to you.”
Regret flashes through his eyes. “Mia Cara — ”
She faces me. “Here drink this.”
I take the glass from her even though I don’t want to.
Dad sighs. “Not that you care, but I think you should know that I feel guilty about leaving you.
Before Emery… and after her death. It's my fault that she died. Maybe if I had been here she wouldn't have.”
I gulp down the water. The cold water seems to help me calm down. “It's too late to feel remorse. What was supposed to happen, happened. I won’t lie and say I don’t blame you, because I do. If you hadn’t been so hungry for money and power, maybe things wouldn’t have been so awful in our lives.”
“I wanted you two safe. To live somewhere where no one could find you two and hurt you. To have a normal childhood. I have a lot of enemies. People are greedy for the reputation, power and wealth I've built up for years due to hard work. All the — ”
“Spare me your sob story. I'm least interested in it.” I hit a nerve as his face harden.
“How about some truth?”
That piques my interest.
“What about it?” My stomach ties in a series of knots.
Mom stares at him, and he meets her gaze. They share a silent moment before he turns to face me.
“The reason why we left you and Emery in this town. The truth that I've always hidden from you — ”
“Will you just fucking tell me?” I raise my voice, getting agitated with every miserable second that passes.
Dad swallows hard. “Shortly after you were born, your mother and I attended this important company party. We could’ve skipped it. At least, I wish we had…” He clears his throat, and for the first time, I see him nervous. If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that my dad isn’t afraid of anything or anyone. At least, that’s what I’ve come to believe from the very few moments I’ve spent with him.
“The party started at eight and was supposed to end by eleven. We left you at the penthouse, sleeping. Your mom made sure you were fed so you wouldn’t wake up hungry, and she left some milk for you in the kitchen in case you did. Paulina, our maid, was the one who looked after you for those few hours. It was only for a short time, so we left without worrying.” His face turns serious.
