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CHAPTER 5
Sam
The entire weekend I was on cloud nine, heaven, absolutely loving my time with Chris. Coming home is going to ground me. I know it’s hard, but at least I’ll see him tomorrow.
When I walk through my front door, I expect to see my father standing there worrying about me and excited that I’m finally home. Instead, the entryway is empty. And I’m met with the two bodyguards on duty silently staring at me.
Then I hear the faintest voice from a different part of the massive house. In the dining room, my father must be eating dinner. But who’s he talking to? He never takes work calls at the table. And he usually waits for me to come home before he asks the cooks to make the food.
“Interesting take, Don. I think…”
Hang on. I recognize that voice. A chill runs through me. My hands shake, even as I will them to still. How did he get inside?Why is he having dinner with my father? What could they possiblybe talking about?
It takes me a full minute to come to terms with the fact that Peter is having dinner with my father. My blood begins to boil as I remember everything he’s done to me. He’s a wicked man with the worst character I’ve ever seen. And I haven’t ruled out yet that he could be the killer we’re looking for. But I know it’s so much bigger than that.
And I also know that he might be on to Chris and me. Our relationship. Is that what he’s here for? Does my father already know? Have I been screwed over before I even walked inside? Was the weekend I’ve just experienced the last time I’ll get to be with Chris?
I’m terrified of what Peter wants. He claimed that we had plans to see each other. What does he want from me? He’s already taken everything he can.
Slowly, I make my way into the dining room. I force myself to be confident. I hold my head up high because I know Peter wants to see it hang in desperation. He spots me from across the room and smiles proudly. Vomit creeps up my throat but I push it down. I scowl back at him, before turning to grin at my father.
“Hey, dad. I didn’t know we were having a guest over tonight.”
“Oh, hello honey. How was your weekend? Did you have fun with your friends?”
I nod. “I did. What’s he doing here?” I nudge my head in Peter’s direction. My dad follows it and laughs.
“Oh! Peter came by to talk business about some accounts. But it got so late, we decided to have dinner together.”
Peter interjects, “It’s been lovely. Thank you so much. I mean, I don’t think I could cook anything like this on my own. The steak was excellent.” He never takes his eyes off me.
I know that it’s me he wants. It’s something to do with me. But he makes me physically ill. Anxiety pumps my heart full of adrenaline. I can’t wait until he’s out of my sight. For now, I’m going to try and make this as unpleasant as possible for him. Just like he did to me when we were dating.
“Dad, did you know that Peter and I know each other?”
He looks back at me in surprise. “I didn’t! I never thought about it, but I’m sure Peter has stopped by your office. He’s had meetings with Chris before.”
Ignoring that he brought up Chris, I continue, “Oh yes. We did first meet at the office, didn’t we Peter?”
I can see his facade begin to crack. His smile remains, but his eyes darken. They become angry and I can see it start to fester inside of him. His irritation is growing. I’ve seen the face many times. “We did.”
“So, you two know each other beyond the office?” My dad is a smart man. He’s overprotective but has never been worried about me dating. He knows I can take care of myself. S I already know he won’t be angered to hear any of this.
“We do. We knew each other for at least a month or two, outside of the office. Right, Peter?” He nods back at me. “Would you mind if I joined the two of you for dinner? I’m quite hungry.” I don’t wait for an answer, I sit down.
I’m going to make sure Peter doesn’t get too close to my dad. He doesn’t deserve to know or respect the Peter that I’ve had the un-privilege of knowing. And I’m not going to let him ruin my relationship with Chris.
As we finish our meals, I watch him closely. Making sure he knows I’m here, watching his every move. The conversation is boring, stereotypical office talk, of course, my father doesn’t think about much else. When they’ve come to take our plates, I can’t hold out any longer.
I can’t pretend like I’m happy to eat with Peter. Like he wasn’t coming here specifically to destroy my life. My dad loves me more than anyone else. I know he has my back. I motion to him that I’d like to talk with him to the side.
“What’s wrong?” I’ve already dropped my happy mask and turned into the worried woman I truly am. He can see right through me.
I sigh. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but Peter and I… things didn’t end well. We had a really hard breakup.”
“Oh my gosh. I had no idea. I didn’t even know you werereally serious about him. I remember you going out to see someone,but I wasn’t sure it was Peter. If I would have known, he would’vebeen out of the house a long time ago.”
“I know, dad. He just makes me so uncomfortable. He wasn’t the nicest person to me.”
