“He’s not my father,” I say quietly.
“That’s it. You’re out.” Dex nods toward Mike, the bouncer.
He steps forward, but my mother spins toward him.
“Don’t you touch me. Do you even know who I am? I am Russel Mark’s wife. You’ll pay for this.”
Everything crashes down around me as Dex stills, then slowly turns to look at me, and the moment he recognizes the name, something shifts in his eyes.
Mike pulls my mother outside, but I barelyregister it.
“Dex, I…”
He just stares at me, and the hurt in his eyes hits harder than anything else. Nausea crawls up as I feel my own heart break at the empty stare he fixes on me.
I rush toward him and grab his arm. “I wanted to tell you, I…”
“Please let go of me.”
His voice is quiet and cold, and I freeze before letting go.
He steps back.
“I tried to tell you so many times, but every time something interrupted me.”
Silence stretches between us, heavy and sharp.
“When?” he asks.
“What?”
“When were you going to tell me?”
I glance around and see everyone pretending not to watch, failing.
“Can we please talk about this in private?” My voice cracks. “Please.”
He nods once, then turns and walks into his office.
I follow him and close the door behind me.
“Talk,” he says.
So I do.
I tell him everything, about my mother, about Russel, about the money, about running and ending up here.
“The bruises on your neck when you first came here?” he asks, staring at his desk.
“Russel.”
“What happened?”
Nausea rises, but he deserves the truth.
“When I was fourteen, I was sleeping with Mason in our trailer when Russel and some of his men came into my room…”
Dex’s head snaps up, his eyes burning.
