“I’m sorry, son.”
His voice stopped me mid-turn. My hand around the coffee cup trembled again, and I gripped it tighter.
I glanced back at him. I knew he meant the words. Even with all the shock, pain, all of it – I could never hate him.
“Yeah, I know you do.”
“I didn’t have any other choice.”
I wasn’t sure about that because I only had part of the picture. Besides, how hard would it have been to just say it?
Hey, I need to cut your hand, and it will hurt.
Instead, he dodged most of our questions and hid things from us. I wasn’t someone who trusted blindly. I learned my lesson a long time ago. Now, I trust actions more than words. When you grow up in an environment like a minefield, you become an expert at reading people.
For now, I believed him. But deep down, I was bracing for the moment I’d be proven wrong.
“Will you tell me what object I’m searching for?”
“You will know the moment you see it.”
“Why don’t you stop with these cryptic words and riddles?”
Why couldn’t he be straightforward for once?
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “It’s a bow and arrows.”
“Was that so hard?”
“You don’t understand, Di.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. But you’re also making it hard to. I’m trying, I really am. But you keep hiding things. How am I supposed to believe you?”
Pain and regret flickered in his eyes. The father I used to know was nowhere to be found. The desire to leave only intensified. I couldn't stand looking at him like this. The battle in my mindwas like a hurricane, swallowing all that used to be and leaving destruction in its place.
I gathered the last bits of my sanity and asked, “I need to know where I’m supposed to look for it. I can’t just walk around without direction.”
“Another angel has a friend who may be able to help. He has some clues. I already gave the address to Dagon.”
At least we had a plan. I didn’t know what else to say, so I nodded and turned to leave.
Before I left the room, his voice stopped me again. “Stay safe, both of you. If you need me, call. I’ll be there.”
The thing was, I knew he would come the moment we needed him.
“Okay.”
I returned to the kitchen with that small conversation and the unknown weighing on me. Finishing my coffee, I made a second cup. I needed more of it. It was almost seven when I heard Dagon and Andras coming down the stairs.
“You ready?” Dagon asked me.
“Yeah, I only need to go grab my bags.”
I ran upstairs, grabbed my things, and looked around my room one last time.
What if I never come home? What if something happens?
Whatever might come my way, I knew I would never regret becoming part of this family.
