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I’m numb.
I don’t have the energy to be angry or sad or confused. I’m justnumb.
Dad’s once again lying unconscious in a hospital bed. There’s no way to sugarcoat it —he looks like absolute shit. He reeks of cheap beer. A couple of his front teeth are chipped. In the grand scheme of things, he’s lucky Hunter took it easy on him.
When Dad comes to, I don’t hold back. Any trace of sympathy I might have had has gone straight out the window.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” I grumble when he finally stirs.
It takes him a few seconds to gather his bearings. The moment he does, he sneers at me likeI’mthe one in trouble. “I could ask you the same damn thing, young lady. Hunter Stride? Seriously? Of all the people you choose to spread your legs for—”
“Shut the hell up!” I shout. Dad flinches, likely startled by my volume. I don’t feel bad. “You have some nerve running away from rehab like that. You werethisclose to finishing the program.”
“I needed to teach that son of a bitch a lesson.”
“No, you didn’t. What youneededto do was to get sober.”
“But Hunter—”
“Stop. Fucking. Talking.”
Surprisingly, Dad obeys. I can tell by the press of his lips and the slight curl of his nose that he doesn’t appreciate the tone. Gone is his obedient little girl, the apple of his eye. Right now, I’m a woman on a mission and I’m going in no holds barred.
I shake my head, thinking hard before choosing my words. “All my life, I’ve looked up to you. You were my hero, Dad. Someone who made me want to be my very best. But now I see what a mistake it was to put you on a pedestal.”
“Eden… I never claimed to be perfect.”
“No, you’re right. But at least back then, you weren’t actively trying to destroy yourself.” I sit with my back straight, my head held high. “I have tried time and time again to be there for you, Dad. When you got sick the first time and needed a new liver, who stood by you while you recovered?”
Dad’s face twists in pain, his eyes glossing over with tears. “You did.”
“And how old was I?”
“Only fifteen.”
“Do you know the reason I wanted to become a doctor? After seeing the doctors and nurses take such good care of you, I realized that I wanted to do the same for others.” I clench my jaw, swallowing hard at the dry patch in the back of my throat. “I thought they fixed you, Dad. But then what did you do? You started drinking again even though you promised me you’d stop. You promised that this was a second chance you weren’t going to waste.”
“I can still stop,” Dad says hastily. “I promise to quit. IpromiseI’ll get better.”
I shake my head slowly, holding his gaze firmly. “I don’t believe you anymore.”
He sneers, suddenly transforming into a nastier, normally well-hidden version of himself. I barely recognize the man before me. “Who do you think you’re preaching to, hm? I’m your fuckingfather, Eden. Don’t take this tone with me.”
“And I’m your fuckingdaughter. You shouldn’t be taking this tone withme.”
“You slept with Hunter!”
“Yes, I did! And you know what? I’m glad I did.”
Dad blinks at me, appearing genuinely horrified. “You… what? That fucker seduced you!”
“No, he didn’t,” I scoff. “As a matter of fact, he actively tried to keep me at arm’s length.Iwas the one who seduced him because you know what? I’m allowed to do whatever the hell I want to. I’m not a little girl anymore. You can’t tell me what to do.” I stand up from my seat and literally look down on him. “I love you, Dad, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stick around and watch you destroy yourself. If you really gave a shit about me, you never would have picked up another bottle.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Away.”
“Where?”
