"Are you out of your fucking mind??" I yell, slamming my hands against his chest.
He staggers slightly. I shove him again.
"Do you even understand what you've done??"
"Rava—"
"No. Fuck no! You don't get to speak first!"
My throat burns already. My vision is blurry from the tears. "You sent the police to Gio's house. To his fucking house, you sick monster!" I'm shaking. "They came with a warrant! That means you actually put effort to destroy someone! Him! They searched everything. They almost—"
I can't finish. I'm crying. "You almost ruined everything! You almost ruined him. You—" My voice cracks. Fury and heartbreak choke me at once.
"What kind of person does that to their own son? To someone I love?! What kind of monster are you?"
He steps forward, hands raised. "I was trying to protect you." "Protect me?!" I laugh. "From what? From someone who actually gives a shit about me? From theonlyperson who's ever made me feel safe in my own skin? You call that protection?"
His mouth opens again. I don't let him speak.
"You have no fucking idea what I had to do! What I had to do to protect him, to protect us." My voice is broken. "You made me feel hunted in my own fucking life! I had to clean up your mess. And you know what's worse?" I step closer.
"You knew exactly what you were doing.You knewit would destroy him. You wanted it to. Cause you're evil."
"Rava, it was a mistake you weren't supposed to be there—" "No." My eyes lock with his. "You're not allowed to call it that. A mistake is forgetting a birthday! A mistake is leaving the oven on! What you did was calculated cruelty! You don't make mistakes like that unless something in you is just rotten!"
He stares at me, mouth pressed tight.
"You made me fucking hate you. You don't deserve to look at me and pretend for one second you still get to be my father."
My voice cracks again. "I'm done with you. And I hope one day you pay for everything you've done." I turn my back. But I catch a glimpse of Lorenzo out of the corner of my eye.
That smart son of a bitch.
He has his phone raised just enough for me to know he's now recording. Perfect. I turn back to my father.
My skin is still buzzing with fury, but now I'm not just pissed. Now I'm calculating.
"You know what's funny?" I say, almost amused. "No matter how many people you threaten, no matter how many favors you cash in, at the end of the day, you're just a scared old man. Scared of anyone who doesn't bow down to your crap."
He steps closer. His jaw tightens. Perfect.
"You don't control me anymore," I say, taking a slow step into his space. "You don't scare me. You couldn't even keep your wife from leaving you. God, how pathetic."
There's a twitch in his temple. His fingers curl.
Please do it.
I lean in. "You're gonna be left alone. And no one will give a damn—"
Crack. His palm hits my face hard and fast.
My head jerks sideways, but I don't touch him back. I don't yell. Just stare. My cheek burns. But I don't move. I don't give him the satisfaction.
He stares at me, chest rising, furious that I didn't flinch. That I'm still standing. Still his son, but not his pawn.
"You little shit," he spits. "You think you're better than me? Hiding behind your faggot boyfriend like a coward?" He grabs me, shoves me hard into the wall. My back hits the plaster with a dull thud. Pain shoots through my ribs, but I bite it down.
I let him.
