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My brother is lying on the hospital bed, his face swollen and bruised. I have the urge to make the man behind this horrible act bleed. However, I don’t show any of my upset. My father is also in the room, and I push the door open.
Both look up. I see shock and a glimmer of guilt in their eyes.
Good. So they know what they’re trying to do is wrong.
Boo-fucking-hoo.
Fred is the first one to break the silence, his tone bitter. “Lana, what are you—”
“Your ‘friend’ stalked me home,” I say, deliberately choosing to be crude. “He asked me to apologize by sucking his dick.”
Both men stiffen, but neither says anything and my heart hardens.
I don’t take a seat, just watch them. “How much money do you owe him?”
Fred’s eyes widen, and it’s obvious he hadn’t expected I would know about the debt situation. His face pales, and he stammers. “L-Lana—”
“Save it,” I say curtly. When my dad opens his mouth, I repeat my words. “Same goes for you, Dad. Did either of you know that Matt likes to rough up his women? That he likes to hurt them before passing them around?”
My dad’s face pales, and Fred freezes. I scoff, disgusted. “It didn’t take me long to find out. But it did make me wonder if you would have still used me as collateral had you known? I think you would have. Because, at some point, I stopped being your sister or your daughter. Instead, I became a thing to be used.”
“Lana, that’s not true.” My dad tries to stand but fails, his face filled with horror.
Keeping my emotions contained, I let them batter me bloody inside, but I force my voice to remain calm. “I’m not here to fight. I have no interest in that. Just tell me what you owe, and I’ll clear your debts.”
My father gapes. “W-what?”
“What do you owe?” I enunciate each word. Fred blinks, looking at me as if I’ve gone crazy. “Lana, you can’t pay all that much.”
My lips curve in a hu
morless smile. “If I can pay it with my body, I can pay it off in cash.”
My statement is nonsensical, but it gets its intended effect across. Both my brother and my father have the decency to look ashamed.
Fred, however, recovers himself quicker than my father. He blusters, “Don’t be ridiculous. If we can’t collect that much—”
“I’m glad neither of you are denying you intended to use me to pay off your debts,” I cut him off coldly. “This will make this entire thing easier on me.”
When they flinch, I take a step closer, my tone cutting. “While you were trying to think of ways you could utilize me to pay off loans you took out, I made something of myself. I have connections, friends who are willing to back me up, banks who are willing to lend to me at the lowest rates, and savings. You’ve spent half my life looking down on me because I’m a girl. Now, I’m the one who’ll be saving your sorry asses from this mountain of debt. But, once this is over, I’ll be cutting all contact with you. I’m done.”
My father’s voice is hoarse. “Lana, don’t do this.”
I ignore his broken plea, stomping on my heart, which stutters at his weak voice.
“How much do you owe?” I repeat coldly.
“Lana.”
I glare at Fred, pretending not to hear my father. “Don’t waste my time, Fred. I’ve got to make arrangements. How much do you owe?”
Fred’s face is white as he whispers an amount that makes my heart sink. I’ll be spending my entire life repaying this. But I maintain my stoic façade, not letting anything through that could be used as ammunition against me. These people in front of me don’t deserve to be called my family. Not after what they’ve tried to do to me.
“I’ll let you know when the complete amount is repaid with interest.”
Before coming here, I had planned to ask them why—why they had taken out such substantial amounts over the course of these past ten years—but I can feel my composure cracking. I need to get out of there.
I tuck my purse securely under my arm. “That’s all I came here for, so I’ll be leaving now. Don’t contact me, any of you.”
