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Once I’d cleared them all, I tossed the phone down, trying not to give in to the disappointment of one number that hadn’t appeared in my notifications at all.
Asshole.
For a week now, my father had been ignoring my calls, not responding to emails, pretending he didn’t see texts, all in what I could only assume was some immature effort to not be removed from his position. As if his lack of communication would put a damper on the process.
As angry as I’d been—and still was—I was missing a key level of understanding that was the difference between my father being simply incompetent or outright malicious.
Ihatedthat I couldn’t be certain without speaking to him which of those it was.
And now, today,Christmasof all times, he’d decided the silent treatment was his highest card. Today, I was reversing it back at him. I wouldnotsend a text; I wouldnotpress the button to make a call.
I wouldnotbe the “bigger person” when it came to my damnfather.
It wasn’t my responsibility, and I refused to take it on.
I was doing enough already.
I cracked the wine open before the bath was ready and was already on my second glass by the time I slipped into the hot, soapy tub. To treat myself a bit, I even turned my music on and threw in a sachet of bath tea I’d gotten from a newly minted shop atNectar, honey&hibiscus. It was filled with herbs and oils and flowers and all kinds of stuff that made the water look milky, but was supposed to make it more relaxing.
Exactlywhat I needed.
In the tub, I tried to clear my mind, but instead, my gaze fell on my left hand.
The ring.
Still obnoxious, yes, but incredibly beautiful.
And… itdidlook good on my hand.
If this was just the engagement ring, I could only imagine that the wedding band was going to be—seriously, bitch?
Was I…reallygiving life to this line of thought?
I shook my head, shifting brain power to what needed to happen withNectar. If I couldn’t clear my mind, I could at least think about something useful.
Except… my brain wasn’tthatuseful anymore by the third glass of wine.
Finally, I started feeling loose and whatever was in that sachet must’ve really kicked in. When the urge to close my eyes hit, I didn’t try to fight it. I just gave in and let them stay that way.
For a while.
Orion was seated at the end of the bathtub when I opened them again.
“What thefuckis wrong with you?!” I gasped, glancing down to make sure I was fully covered by the now tepid water. “You broke into my house?!”
“Better me than someone else, right?” he asked, completely casual, as if this shit was…normal.
“How aboutnobodyshould be in here uninvited?!” I snapped. “Why the hell are you here, anyway?”
He frowned. “I just put a ring worth more than a lot of people’s annual salary on your finger and you’re not answering phone calls, baby. I had to make sure you were alright.”
“Oh,” I mused, sarcastic. “You mean you had to make sure no one had responded to the fuckingtargetyou put on my back?”
“Call it what you will. It was way too easy to get in here without raising any sort of alarm.”
“Ihavean alarm on my door and I know for a fact it was set.”
“It was child’s play for my guy.” Orion shrugged. “We’ve gotta get you somewhere more secure. I can’t have my wife so easily accessible. We’ll move you to the house.”
