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“It’s okay,” I say with fake strength.
“What’s it going to be?” my father asks, jamming the gun against her head.
“Let me hug her first.”
He pushes the whole chair and I run forward, but he pulls her back again right before she falls off. “Why do you look like the dead? Have you no sense of humor? I was only testing her resolve, which is extremely weak, by the way.”
My body feels foreign as I gulp in large intakes of air, closing the small distance between me and Gwen.
My father steps aside. “So it’s going to be her father? You realize he sacrificed his youth for her, right? Do you think you’ll be alive for long if he knows you killed his daughter? With his character, he might become your new worst enemy, even more than me. Your desperate attempts to escape his wrath will be fun to watch, though.”
I ignore him and kneel in front of Gwen, then remove her duct tape as gently as possible.
“Don’t…” she sobs as soon as the duct tape is off, gasping and panting and barely able to get the words out. “Don’t choose me, please. I can’t live without Dad.”
I pull her head against my chest, holding her with a hand in her hair. I don’t know if the shaking is her or me. Or both of us. My voice is brittle when I attempt to soothe her, “Shhh. It’s okay, Gwen. It’s going to be fine. I promise.”
“Please…please…not Daddy…please…”
I step back and stroke her hair away from her face. “You’re the most beautiful thing that has happened in my life, Gwen. I would have you all over again if I got the choice. I love you more than I love myself.”
Two tears stream down her cheeks. “I love you, too. I always wanted you in my life, but not like this. Please don’t choose me…please…”
I squeeze her in another hug and whisper in her ear, “Tell King that I love him.”
And with that, I release her.
The shocked expression on her face slowly morphs into realization, but I don’t focus on her as I turn to my father.
“So touching. I almost shed a tear,” he says with an expressionless face. “Who’s it going to be, my red dahlia?”
“Can I hug you first?”
The request takes him aback and he narrows his eyes on me. “What kind of game are you playing?
“You wanted a hug earlier. Forget it if you don’t want it.”
“You think I’ll fall for that?”
“Gwen, roll away!” I shriek, pushing her from the edge as hard as I can.
When my father sees, he curses and starts toward her, but I use the small distraction to push my body against his. He’s way bigger than me, so the element of surprise plays in my favor.
I share one last look with Gwen and mouth, “I love you.”
“Mom, no!”
The sound of “Mom” from her mouth puts a smile on my lips, and a tear slides down my cheek as I hug my father and push us both off the edge.
“I choose you, asshole,” I say as we both tumble down.
In the last moments, I think I hear Kingsley’s voice calling my name.
32
KINGSLEY
The first time I met Aspen was during a night that I was fully prepared to turn to debauchery, arson, and an adrenaline fix.
