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“You saw exactly what I wanted you to. If I could keep you aloof and unknowing, I could keep you safe.”
“I could’ve helped you.” A tear spills over, slipping down her cheek. “You shouldn’t have gone through that alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.” Reaching out, I grip her biceps and give her a gentle shake. One hand moves to her face, wiping away the salty evidence of a lifetime of sadness and regret. “I didn’t need you to know what I was going through; I needed you to get through it. To grow up without the stain of having your innocence taken away. You got to experience real life, and I don’t want you to feel guilty over that.”
“But Ido, Care. Jesus. How can you even look at me and not feel disgusted? Every time I sided with Daddy over you, every time I whined about you being overprotective and overbearing. I had no idea.”
Exhaling, I shrug. “I could’ve gone about it differently. Could’ve tried harder to get Dad in trouble, but I wanted to do things on my own terms. Get vengeance by myself. In retrospect, it probably did more harm than good.”
“Todd and Sheldon. Did you…?”
I shake my head, unwilling to divulge that. She doesn’t need to know everything. “Happy coincidence.”
She lets out a shaky breath and steps back, moving to look at herself in a wall mirror. “I’m still sorry, and I still feel like a piece of shit.”
“Well, I can’t change how you feel, Jules. I just hope one day you can come to terms with all of this, the way I’m trying to. And I hope you know; I don’t hold anything against you.” I watch as she dabs beneath her eyelids, eliminating smudges of mascara.
A throat clears, and we turn around, stumbling backward. I’m expecting Luca, though I haven’t heard the door open.
My father’s form, standing a few feet away, shouldn’t surprise me. Although, it makes me wonder where the hell Elia is since he was supposed to subdue him until the cops came to arrest him.
There’s a sinister look frozen on Dominic’s face. Hatred seeps through the core of his being, making my heart ache for the time before he ruined us—when he was still my father and not a power-hungry pervert.
It’s fucked up, but there’s still a part of me that knows if he just apologized and worked at changing his behavior, I’d forgive him.
He’s still my father, still the man I looked up to and loved at one time. The first man I ever gave my heart to—and the first to rip it into a million little pieces.
I still want him to look at me and see his perfect little girl—to want to keep me safe and happy.
But I know there’s no chance of reconciliation between us. We’re beyond the point of return, of forgiveness.
So why am I still searching for it?
“You always were a master manipulator.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he shakes his head, watching us. The ultimate predator, finally having cornered his prey. “Got everyone convinced I’m the bad guy. Ever tell anyone how you begged me to let you sleep with Sheldon? How you refused to let anyone else go to events with me because you didn’t want them to have the attention?”
I reach behind me, finding Juliet’s hand and wrapping my fingers around hers. My free hand brushes against the gun Luca gave me earlier after I left the bathroom, strapped into the back of my bra beneath my dress. ‘Die Hard style,’ he said as he secured it there. ‘Just in case.’
Taking a step back, so I’m flush against my sister and the wall, I toss my father a short laugh. It gets stuck halfway up, fear clogging my throat despite the desire coursing through my veins.
I want this—want him dead.
But I also want to keep my baby safe.
My arm strains against my back, fingers grasping toward the weapon.
“The only manipulator here is you,” Juliet spits, nails biting into my skin. “What kind of a father does that to his own kid?”
He smirks. “There isn’t a shred of truth to those allegations, Juliet.”
“We all heard the recording.”
“And we all know recordings can be fabricated. Just like we know that your sister likes to be the center of attention.” He glares at me, taking a step closer, reaching into his coat pocket and revealing the tail-end of a hunting knife. He slips it out, wielding it like a sword. “I’m not surprised you believe her, though. You never were very bright.”
Her body jerks against mine, and I press back, keeping her from making a sudden move. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Or what?” His grin stretches as he stalks closer, eating up the distance between us with long, deliberate steps.Where the hell is Luca?“What do you think you can do to me?”
I feel Juliet’s hand leave mine and slide up my back, working against my bra. My spine tenses, but she gives an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Swallowing, I focus on our father, who looms closer and closer with each step he takes.
