Page 117 of Power of Shadow

Finally, I give in and wrap my arms around my father’s waist.

“Shhh...” he soothes, stroking my head like I’m a little girl. “I’m sorry. So fucking sorry... For everything. I didn’t know. I had no idea. I’m so sorry, my child.”

“It was so hard for us.” My words are muffled as I bury my face in his shirt. “You left us. Mom left us to fend for ourselves. I was so damn tired of fighting for me and Zoe.”

Hands fall on my shoulders, gently pushing me away. He stares at my face, searching for something.

“Who’s Zoe?”

I blink, confused. “You don’t know who Zoe is? Your younger daughter.”

“I—I only have one child. You.”

“But—how? Mom—” The gears in my head turn. For as long as I can remember, there were two of us, and then three. Zoe’s my sister, and I assumed... But the fact is, Mom never wanted to talk about Dad, and she never said we had the same father. Still, I ask weakly, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Your mother and I—the last time I saw her, she was pregnant.”

Stepping back, I can’t detect even a hint that he’s being dishonest.

So Zoe’s father is someone else. It changes nothing, though, because she’s my sister no matter who her biological father is.

“Mom never wanted to talk about you. Why did you leave us?”

Confusion is written all over his face. Frustrated, he runs his fingers through his hair and looks down at his feet.

“It’s a long story, but I didn’t see any other way. My world differed from your mother’s. I had to protect both you and her. They would have destroyed you, and I was helpless, young, and stupid. My parents—they had plans for me, and there was no way I could have an illegitimate child or a wife from what they considered a lower social status. It didn’t fit into the political career they had planned for me. When my brother spilled the beans and my mother found out about you, she gave me a choice. I could leave you on my own, or my father would do it for me. Knowing what he was capable of I couldn’t let that happen.”

“So you just gave up because you didn’t have the balls to fight for us?” I take a few steps back. Ryker must have moved closer, because I suddenly feel the warmth of his body behind me.

My father’s gaze meets mine.

“The plan was to come back for you once everything settled down and I regained control of my life. I couldn’t do it earlier because Mom was monitoring you. At least for a while. And then you disappeared.”

“Don’t bullshit me; you couldn’t find us. You could have at least tried,” I growl. “You can’t convince me you couldn’t get one fucking address all these years. You’re a politician; you had power and connections. Do you know how many times we moved because my mother couldn’t pay the rent? Do you know how many times I fell asleep hungry next to Zoe? Even an anonymous transfer. An unsigned letter. Anything. Why didn’t you do anything?”

Three breaths, that’s how long the silence lasts before he answers. And then my heart breaks again.

“I found you. The last time I saw your mother, she was pregnant. And that’s true, but she was pregnant with your sister. I thought you’d rebuilt your lives without me, that she’d forgotten me. You ran out of the house, hugged her and stroked her belly. You were wearing a pink dress and had two ponytails. And you looked so happy. She did too. The last thing I wanted was to come into your lives and turn them upside down. I thought you guys were happy with your new family—without me.” His last words are barely audible. “I didn’t know, Ash.”

I try hard to recall the moment my father is talking about. There weren’t many moments like that, except that I was still little and the bad situation took a dramatic turn after Zoe was born.

He was so close then...

I shake my head. “Why didn’t you want me to know about this meeting? And why the hell are you in contact with Ryker behind my back?”

“The more you know, the more danger you’re in, Ashley. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. I want you to be safe. I want to protect you.”

“As we know, it didn’t work out so well last time.” I growl with anger, feeling excluded. He doesn’t know me as well as I know him. He can’t know what kind of woman or person I am. And I’m more than capable.

“Maybe next time, save those who ask for your help. Look at me, Dad. This is the effect of your glorious mission to protect us. A girl who killed to earn rent. Who knows the names of murderers and thieves better than the names of her childhood neighbors. Do you think there’s anything else you can protect me from?”

“You’re right, but you’re my only heir. I won’t apologize for needing to keep you safe. Even if it didn’t work out for anyone.”

“Ash is a tough girl, I assure you,” Ryker interjects, his hand on my lower back. “Besides, she has me.”

“That’s good. That’s very good.” My father nods. “But I wish you would do it more effectively.”

I take a moment to understand what he means. The marks from the attack are still fresh. “It’s not his fault. He wasn’t with me then.”