Page 74 of Obeying

"Hi, Dad."

I wipe the headstone.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. Things have been…" I laugh, small and tired. "A lot. Things have been a lot."

I pull my knees up and wrap my arms around them.

"So much has happened since you left. I don't even know where to start. I was lost for a while. Really lost. After you passed, I didn't know who I was anymore. I'd spent three years taking care of you, and when you were gone, I didn't know what to do." I pull at a piece of grass. "And I know what you'd say. You'd say, 'Kristen, you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to give up your career for me'. But I did. I wanted to. Because you're my dad and I love you, and there was never a version of this where I let someone else take care of you. I don't regret a single day of it. Not one. I just wish…" I swallow. "I just wish you were here right now."

The evening air is cool. Somewhere across the cemetery, a bird is singing.

"I have a hearing tomorrow. At the hospital. It's complicated, but basically a man I trusted turned out to be someone I shouldn't have trusted, and now he's trying to ruin my career, my life. I built a case against him. I have evidence. I have people who believe me. But I'm still scared, Dad. I'm scared because he's smart and he has money and he's the kind of person who always finds a way to win."

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

"But you know what? I'm also a little excited. Because I'm going to stand up in front of those people and tell the truth. And he can't take that from me. Nobody can."

I'm quiet for a minute, just sitting there with him.

"Oh. One more thing." I smile. "Do you remember Logan Maxwell? That boy from med school I used to complain about every single time I came home? The one who beat me on every other exam and drove me absolutely insane?"

I can almost hear my dad's voice. Almost see him smile into his tea and say, The one you won't stop talking about?

"Well, turns out he's grown into a man. An incredible one. He's brilliant and stubborn and infuriating, and he makes me want to argue with him and kiss him in the same breath." I laugh. "He's been helping me through all of this. He didn't have to. He's risking his career, his family name, everything. For me."

I trace the edge of the headstone with my finger.

"I guess you were right, huh? You teased me once that we'd end up together. I told you that would never happen in a million years." I shake my head. "I really miss you, Dad. Every day. And I wish you could meet him properly. You'd pretend not to like him at first, because that's what you do, but you'd come around. He's a lot like you, actually. Smart. Steady. Says more with a look than most people say with a hundred words."

I press my palm flat against the stone. It's cool in my hand.

"Wish me luck, okay? I'll make you proud."

I sit there for a few more minutes, the sky turning purple at the edges. Then I stand, brush the grass off my jeans, and walk home.

I walk instead of taking the bus, needing the fresh air. Talking to my dad did make me feel better.

There's a black sedan parked in front of my house. I know that car.

A few months ago, I would have turned around and found somewhere to hide until he left. But I'm not that person anymore.

I walk up to my front steps.

Miguel is standing on my porch.

He's in a dark coat. Nice shoes. He looks like he's come from somewhere important, or wants me to think he has. His face is calm. Patient. That version of him again. The reasonable man. The concerned ex-boyfriend who just wants to talk.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, and he turns around.

"It's nice to see you, too, Kris." He smiles, friendly. "I'm here to talk. Should we go inside?"

"No."

He nods. Like he expected that.

"Then I'll say it here." His voice is even. "You're going to lose tomorrow, Kristen. You know that, right? I have the financial records showing everything I did for you. I have documentation of the residency placement. I have my father's connections and a board that doesn't want the headache of a public scandal." He tilts his head. "You walk into that room, and they're going to look at you and see exactly what I told them they'd see."

"A victim of your manipulation?"