Dad grabs me by the arm and pulls me out of the kitchen. Raine follows in our footsteps, and his hand is pulling at my other arm. "Let her go, now," Raine demands.
"This ismydaughter. She doesn't belong to you," Dad says.
“Excuse me," I tell him. "Don’t you tell me who I belong to. I am a grown woman. Let go of me!" I tear my arm out of his grip. "Give him the money this second. I'm not on your side. I never will be. You're a thief and a coward."
"Again, Freddy, I'm going to give you a couple of options: give me the money and leave, or I get the state involved. One of the two optionswillbe completed within the hour. The choice is yours. I'm not waiting any longer."
Standing behind the two of them, my gaze is fixed on Raine when I see a tremor working through his right hand. Sweat prickles over the back of my neck when I realize what might be happening to him. It's been almost a week since his last episode, and I hoped we would have longer, maybe even enough time to get him the medication he needs, but with Dad dragging his feet, it looks like we've run out of time.
It's like watching an accident happen in slow motion, knowing there isn't a thing I can do to stop it. I place my hand within Raine’s, noticing his words have gone mute. We're sliding down the wall together as his weight carries me along with him. I know now that calling out to him, trying to help in any way, is useless. I'm forced to watch as his body fights against his brain.
"What the hell is he doing? What's going on?" Dad shouts at us.
I help Raine lie down as I watch a similar scene play out like it did in the motel room. "He has epilepsy," I seethe. "This is the person you have stolen from."
"Should I call 9-1-1?" Dad asks.
"No."
I run my fingertips down the side of Raine's face over and over, trying to offer whatever soothing sensation I can give him. "I'm calling an ambulance," Dad says again.
"Do not! He can't afford medical treatment. Because you're a fucking monster."
As I lay down beside Raine, holding my hand over his chest, I feel scared half to death of what the worst possible outcome from a seizure could be. Dad's words are blurring around me as I keep my focus on Raine, but I hear guttural cries, and it's at this terrifying moment that I know dad just broke.
The seizure seems to die out quicker than the one last week, but the after-effects are slower to fade. "I wanted to give you a good life," Dad says through the hoarseness in his voice. "I couldn't get you medical care when you needed it, and I did something dishonest to get the money we needed. After that, it became easier and easier to do things I knew were wrong in order to get the money we needed to live more comfortably until finally, I did the unthinkable and took away everything old man Carson had. I did it all for my family."
"That makes you less of a monster?" I shout over to him. "You're despicable, and the saddest part is that I think you’ve actually convinced yourself you did it for our family. You didn’t. You did it for you," I spit back at him.
"I'm sorry," Dad finally whispers, sobbing like a coward.
"You're sorry?" I scream. "You ruined lives! Sorry means nothing. Tell it to Raine...and Lauren. You can’t tell Lenore because she is dead, thanks to you. I guess that also makes you somewhat of a murderer on top of everything else."
Dad pulls himself up from his cowering position against the opposite wall and walks into his office, where I hear clattering and banging. Less than a minute passes before he rolls out three black trunks I've never seen before. "What is that?" I ask, still holding my attention on Raine’s pale face.
"The money. I will resign this afternoon, and your mother and I will be gone by the morning."
These words should hurt me. I should feel something other than accomplishment, but I don't. I am completely numb, inside and out.
"Good luck, Dad," I say with only my breath.
Raine's hand steadies completely, and he reaches for my cheek. "Thank you," he says.
"Are you okay?" I ask, kissing his forehead and cradling his head in my lap.
"I will be." I help him sit up, propping him against the wall.
"I had no idea," Dad says to Raine.
"Doesn't matter what you knew or didn't know, Dad. You know you're a thief, and that should have been all that mattered. Not this." Raine's beautiful eyes are locked on my face, probably trying to figure out what just happened. "I'll never forgive you, ever."
Dad leaves the room without another word, and the front door opens and closes seconds later. "Your money is all there," I tell Raine.
He struggles to pull himself up since his arms must be weak from the seizure. "You're something else," he says. "Never in my life—” he breathes heavily. “Never, did I think I'd need someone to make me feel like I had everything in this world…” He takes another second to take in more air while he stares at me with contentment. “Even when I had nothing, I've always needed you to make me realize I did have everything.” Raine swallows hard and he places his warm hand against my cheek. “Money is just a bonus. A roof over our heads is great, food in our mouths is satisfying, but you…you are as much as I'll ever need—my Haven.”
As the shockslowly fades from our current moment, it looks like ideas are flickering within Raine’s eyes. “There is so much I have to do right now, but—“
“Lauren is first,” I say, assumedly finishing his thought for him.
