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The sound of a crash reaches us. Both Nate and I stare at the source to find Gwen blinking rapidly, a massacre of a dish and cupcakes lying by her feet.
Her chin trembles like when she was a little girl and reined in her tears. “Aspen…is hurt?”
Nate strides to her side, wraps an arm around her shoulder, and tactfully pulls her from the mess. Because knowing her poor relationship with the outside world, she’ll probably step on the glass or gather the pieces and cut herself.
“Not badly,” Nate assures her. “She’ll be fine.”
“But Dad said it’s bad enough that she had to go on a mandatory vacation.” She releases herself from his hold and storms toward me. The anger and disappointment on her face cuts through my steel chest. “Did you do it?”
“What?”
“You always hated her and promised to make her disappear. Did you hit her or pay someone to hit her to scare her away?”
My jaw tightens so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t snap. “Watch your mouth, Gwen. I’m your father, not your friend, and you have zero right to accuse me.”
“Why not? You threatened to kill her once. I heard you! You’re my dad and I love you, but you’re a merciless man to anyone who goes against you. I learned that the hard way when you nearly killed Nate, your damn best friend, because he disobeyed you, so excuse me if I think you’re capable of doing more than that to Aspen.”
I can feel the volcano rising from deep within me and I clench my fists.
Gwen doesn’t notice, because she’s too caught up in her emotions to realize it.
Nate, however, senses the change in the atmosphere and wraps an arm around her waist protectively.
He knows I’d never hurt her, but he also knows she’s pushing me to my very last nonexistent limit.
“Gwyneth, it might not be what you think,” he says gently.
“Why not?” she speaks to him but continues staring at me with that same sense of betrayal. “I’ve wanted a mother since I knew what a mother meant, Dad. Her absence made me feel empty, like less than a whole person and not worthy of love. I finally found her after twenty damn years, and you had to be selfish about it. You can be so selfish, Dad. You made me celebrate all my birthdays, even though I hated them for reminding me that I was abandoned that day. But you don’t care about that, do you? You don’t care that all I think about is getting close to the mother I finally found and being constantly scared that she won’t like me. She’s so smart and successful and I don’t think I can measure up to her and it scares me, but those facts mean nothing to you. You hate her and want me to hate her, too, but I’m telling you now that it’s not possible. So stop making everything about you, Dad. It’s about me this time!”
Silence stakes claim to the room. Aside from the sound of me grinding my back teeth together to keep from fucking snapping.
“Nate, get her the hell out of here.” I’m surprised I sound calm, even though it’s the “I’ll break all hell loose in a sec” type of calm.
He clenches his jaw but starts to pull her away, because even he wouldn’t want her to see me in my non-human state.
“No, I want to stay!” She tries to wiggle free. “Tell me it’s not you who hurt her, Dad.”
“Get the fuck out, Gwyneth,” I roar, and she flinches before the most loathsome things I’ve ever seen on my daughter stream down her cheeks.
Tears.
She sniffles, her face becoming red, then she turns around and runs.
Nate gives me a dirty look, mutters a “fuck you,” then follows her.
Me? I want to punch a wall.
So I do just that and drive my fist through the nearest wall.
My knuckles explode in pain, but it’s not enough to dilute the image of Gwen crying or the sound of her accusing me.
I don’t care if the whole world paints me as the worst villain; she should never belong to the herd.
She’s my miracle.
But then again, maybe I don’t deserve one.
I retrieve my Zippo and flip it open, then closed in a manic rhythm, contemplating my next course of action.
