“Well, well,” Antony drawls. “Look at you, up bright and early. Can’t get enough, huh?”
My body goes still, but I don't look up at him.
“I saw you at the game last night,” he continues, stepping closer. “Which one of the guys on the team are you fucking?”
My fingers curl around the bottle, gripping it tightly. Slowly, I look up at him, leveling him with a glare. “I came to see my dad in action. Do you have a fucking problem with that?”
Antony’s lips twist into a smirk. “Likely story. You came to fuck someone. Or is it someones?” His eyes rake over me with sick amusement. “Spreading those milky thighs wide, letting any of those scumbag assholes have their way with you. Wonder what your dad would think of you being such a whore.”
My stomach turns, rage bubbling in my chest. “You’re disgusting,” I grit through my teeth.
He lunges forward, grabbing my arm, his fingers digging in painfully as he yanks me toward him. I let out a painful gasp, struggling to pull away, but he’s stronger. “Soon you’ll be my little whore.”
“I’m done with this,” I hiss, my voice shaking with fury. “I don’t evenwantto skate with you anymore. And I plan to tell my dad.”
His grip tightens, his face transforming into something darker. “Likefuckyou will,” he growls. “If you do, I’ll tell him exactly what you are—a fuckingwhore.”
Panic flares in my chest as I struggle harder against his hold, barely able to keep my balance. “Let go of me, Antony! You’re fucking hurting me!”
“No,” he growls at me. “Not until you stop this nonsense. You’re my ticket to the Olympics.”
“I’mgoingto tell him,” I lash out at him, my voice laced with defiance.
“You’re not telling him shit. You’re taking me to the Olympics, slut.”
A deep, rumbling voice cuts through the rink, making both of us freeze.
“Oh, I beg to differ.”
Antony’s body goes rigid, and he slowly turns his head to look over his shoulder, shifting his body enough to the side that I’m able to see past him to the person laying witness to our encounter.
My father stands just behind Antony, a murderous glint in his eyes.
Antony’s whole demeanor changes in an instant. “Matt,” he says, his voice taking on a nervous edge as he tries to regain his composure.
My father’s gaze burns into him. “Let go of my daughter.”
Antony hesitates, but the warning in my father’s tone is enough. He drops my arm, and I stumble back, dropping to the floor and frantically begin ripping off my skates and putting on my shoes. I already have an idea how this is going to go and I need to be prepared.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing putting hands on my daughter?” my dad demands.
Antony recovers quickly, plastering a fake smile on his face. “Matt, if you only knew what she was doing.” My father’s eyes flick to mine, processing Antony’s words.
I stare at him, my heart pounding as I slowly stand. “Dad, he’s been using me to get to the Olympics. He talks like this to me all the time. That last comp he hurt me during our routine and that’s why I wobbled. Idon’twant to skate with him anymore.”
“She’s been whoring herself out to the guys onyourteam. I was just trying to talk some sense into her before you showed up,” Antony argues.
My father’s jaw tightens. “Is that true?”
My stomach twists. He’s taking Antony’s word over mine. Believing him before ever giving me a chance to explain anything. This isn’t how I wanted my dad to find out about the guys. Not in the cheap way that Antony’s portraying our relationship.
Then I see it. The smug look on Antony’s face. He thinks he’s won. That he’s successfully turned all of this on me so that my dad will forget all about the vile things he was saying to me, the way he was holding me.
A bitter laugh bubbles up in my throat. “You just caught him manhandling me, threatening me, andallyou can think about is whether or not what he’s saying is true?” My voice cracks as the realization sinks in.
I shake my head, grabbing my bag. “You know what? Fuck both of you. I’m done. I quit. You can take each other to the goddamn Olympics.”
And with that, I run. My dad calls my name but I don't stop. I need to be away from him, and there’s only one place I want to be.
