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“So you think David did it? But I didn’t say anything about Professor Teufel. I wasn’t going to.”
This was so unfair. She’d played by their hypocritical rules that made her fucking furious and she’d swallowed her own guilt for possibly letting the same thing happen to someone else, and she still got punished for it? After the suffering she’d already endured? It wasn’t fair. Not that any of this was fair…
“I know, princess, I know. But I’ve also had my suspicions that David doesn’t have as much money as your mother thinks he does. And that could be a piece of the puzzle. I asked a PI I’ve worked with before to look into both of those things last night. I promise I’ll let you know when he gets back to me but to be honest, my gut is telling me he did it. And not just because I don’t like him. It’s too many coincidences. Coincidence doesn’t make a case, but…”
Shattered pieces of the night before started to form a picture in Saoirse’s head. She had spoken with David last night. Had run into him when going to get her one drink. And he…
“I think you’re right,” she said. “He got my drink for me last night. He would’ve had plenty of time to drop something in it. God, I’m such an idiot.”
She buried her face in her hands, embarrassed and hurt, feeling sick and naive.
“Hey,” Arthur demanded, peeling her hands from her face and tipping her chin up so she was forced to look at him. “Don’t do that. This isn’t your fault. He’s a bad man who did a bad thing and the only person who is to blame here is him. I’m so sorry he did this to you. That fucker is going to jail and we’re going to sue the shit out of him. If I don’t kill him first.”
She’d never heard Arthur so angry before. He could be sharp sometimes, but she’d never thought him capable of violence. She still didn’t—against her anyhow, or even 99.99 percent of the time. But this? He looked like he meant it.
“Don’t kill him, you’d be a terrible murderer. And you wouldn’t be able to take care of me if you’re in prison,” she pointed out.
It earned her a twitch of a smile which was the best she could hope for at the moment.
“You’re right. I promise I won’t murder that piece of shit even if he deserves it, which he does. I’m going to focus on you and what you need since he doesn’t deserve my time or attention. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better? I promise this will get better soon but in the meantime if there’s anything you think would help, it’s yours.”
There were so many things she wanted, so many things she could ask for. But really, most of all…
“Daddy, will you cuddle me in your lap while we watch a movie? And I’m thirsty. Can I have a sippy?”
Arthur cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, which she loved almost more than anything in this world.
“Of course I’ll cuddle you, and you can pick anything you want to watch. But I think you’re too shaky still for a sippy so I’ll give you a bottle.”
She wasn’t allowed to have a TV in her princess room so Arthur managed to get her along with her IV set up in the big bed in the master bedroom and came back in a few minutes with a few bottles for her.
Her daddy scooped her up and settled her on his lap, tucked her favorite blanket around her before starting Frozen 2. And because he was the most perfect daddy in the world, he knew when to take her bottle away so she could sing along with the songs and say her favorite parts out loud. She was going to be okay, Daddy would make sure of it.
