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“It has everything to do with me. She’s mine, you understand? The one thing in my life that I hold dear. I won’t let you take her from me,” my dad cries out. I blink in shock. Doesn’t he realize that I’m still his little girl, no matter what happens here?
This whole thing is crazy. I blink back tears as Ethan moves protectively in front of me, facing off with my dad.
“She’s mine,” Ethan says. “She might be your daughter, but she’s the woman I’ve chosen to spend the rest of my life with. My woman. And you’re not taking her away from me.”
“I guess we’ve come to an impasse,” Dad snarls, his hands making fists.
He swings the first punch.
The onlookers gasp in shock as my dad’s punch misses, but Ethan lands one square on his jaw. My dad stumbles back and I cry out, unable to believe what’s happening. The only two people in the world who matter to me and they’re fighting like animals. And for what? This is so crazy. I just want it to stop.
“No!” I cry out, but I’m not sure either of them can hear me. They’re both too intent on destroying one another. I’ve just watched a lifelong friendship crumble before my eyes, and my relationship with my dad too. How can the love I feel for Ethan be the thing that destroys us?
My father comes back into the fight, trying his hardest to show that he can match up to Ethan, but we both know who will win this fight if he pushes it. Ethan is built like a mountain, ready for anything my dad throws his way. As Ethan raises his fists threateningly, my dad takes a step back, almost in surrender. I rush to Ethan and grab onto his arm.
“Please don’t,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to hurt him. Please, Ethan. He’s backing off.”
Ethan looks down at me and I can see the love in his eyes. He’d do anything to protect me. That much is clear to me now. He loves me so much that he’d hurt the person who has always had his back. But I don’t want that. I just want this to be over. I want to walk away from this whole thing and not have to look back.
“Dad, I’m sorry that this happened,” I whisper to him as he rubs his jaw. “I didn’t want to cause you any pain…”
“Too late,” he snaps. “Go on then. If you’ve chosen to be with him, then be with him. I don’t want to see either of you again.”
My bottom lip wobbles. “Y-you don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do. I can’t even look at you, August. I can’t believe you’d ruin everything for this. For something, you don’t even understand. Until you leave him, I have no interest in seeing you again.”
I’m trembling now, tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew things would be bad if we told my dad what was going on, but I didn’t expect this. He’s given me an impossible ultimatum. How is it that a kiss has turned my whole world upside down?
“Please, Dad…”
“Leave. I want you to leave.”
I press my lips together. There’s no talking sense into him when he’s like this. His pride is hurt and he’s just found out that his worst nightmares have come to fruition. He’s right. I have to go.
I feel Ethan’s hands on my shoulder. He’s protecting me like always, but he can’t protect me from the fallout of this. No, my dad made this happen himself. He couldn’t handle his daughter being happy with someone, and now, he’s giving up a lifetime shared with both of us because he doesn’t understand what we share. It hurts so badly that I feel like my heart is breaking, but I have to accept that this is his choice.
Letting me go is what he wants most.
I’m trembling as Ethan and I walk away. His hand stays firmly on my shoulder, his body close to mine.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of you. You won’t be alone,” he promises. I whimper, trying to hold back my emotions until there’s somewhere for me to break down in private. I can’t bear this anymore. All this tension…but my dad has put an end to it. He’s made his choice and made mine for me. I get to be with Ethan, the love of my life.
But it turns out that the price of love is total misery.
Chapter Fourteen
Ethan
I still can’t believe how things just went down. I didn’t think that Callum would give August up over something so trivial. Some part of me was hoping that he’d have some sense, that he’d see how much August means to me and vice versa. I mean, he saw the kiss we shared. How could he not see that and understand that we’re in love?
