I shake my head, raising a finger to him. “No. I stayed away. She didn’t. You don’t get to re-write what happened.”
I feel Eliza’s presence behind me and look over my shoulder to see her standing in the doorway, a pained expression on her face. “Dad, it’s my fault—”
“Quiet, Eliza,” he snaps.
“It’s not her fault,” I reply. “It’s mine. I take full responsibility.”
“You’re goddamn right you do,” he replies.
Still keeping my eyes on his, I speak the words that will change everything. “She’s not broken or confused.” I lower my voice, give him a warning look, and say with a calm breath, “She’smine.”
For a brief second, I’m sure Daniels is going to swing at me. But then I catch a flash of motion behind him and see my mom, her eyes wide. She must have heard most of the conversation as she was coming up the stairs.
She looks at Daniel, then at Eliza, before finally settling her gaze on me. “Tell me this isn’t real.”
Before I can respond, Eliza speaks. “I love him, Sara.”
She gasps, and like that, Daniel loses it. Roaring, he raises his fist at me, but Mom leaps forward and grabs his arm, pulling him back. “Daniel, no! He’s your son!”
“Is he!? What kind of a son would do something like this?” The tension in the air is palpable. I see our family breaking apart before my very eyes. Daniel looks at me, and all I see is rage. “If you care about your mother at all—about this family—you’ll get out. Now.”
Get out…
Eliza doesn’t even have to speak for me to know what those words mean to her. My leaving hurt her. And the last thing in the world I want to do is cause her pain. My angel. My love.
“I’m not going anywhere, Daniel.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I’ll call the police.”
“It’s not illegal. We’re not blood-related.”
He steps forward, my mom still clinging to his side. I can see the beads of sweat on his face and the anger in his eyes. “Then I’ll divorce Sara.” My mom gasps. “I’ll lock her in her room if I have to. You’ll never see her.”
My jaw tightens. It sounds over the top, but the way he’s looking at me right now, I believe every word. Tears are pooling in Mom’s eyes as she slowly backs away from Daniel. She looks terrified. Like she’s been hit by a meteor.
I can see it now—the destruction of our family causing me to loss the most important thing in my life.Her.
Before anyone can move, I grab Eliza by the wrist and pull her into her bedroom, locking the door behind me. Daniel beats on it. If he hits it any harder, we’re going to have two broken locks in this house.
“You’re not leaving,” Eliza says, almost pleading, her voice strained as she looks up at me, her eyes fragile.
Reaching out, I gently stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. My chest is tight. Nothing hurts me more than seeing her in pain. “If I stay, they’ll win. If I leave, I’ll control us.”
She freezes. I see the realization come over her as she takes a step back.
“So…youareleaving?”
This is a moment I never wanted to put her through. I reach in and wrap a hand around her, cupping her lower back. Goddamn it,thisis where I belong.
“I’m not leaving you, my love,” I tell her. “I’m leaving so they can’t take you from me.”
Tears spill from her eyes. She shakes her head and tries to wriggle out of my grip, but I hold her steady. Grasping her hair with both hands, I pull her lips to mine and kiss her with everything I have. I put my heart and soul into my lips, stamping her with a promise.
“I’ll come back with a plan,” I whisper. “You’re mine. Don’t forget that. They don’t decide who you are.”
And like that, I unlock the door and step back into hall. Daniel nearly strikes me, but I push past him and head for the stairs. “Get out of here!” he shouts after me.
“I am. But this isn’t over.”
