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“What happened to you? I remember you loving me, caring for mewhen I was a child.”
He leaves me alone and I sniffle. Minutes later, he comes back with an ice pack and extends his hand.
“For which one? You know what, Father, it doesn’t even matter.”
I tilt my head to the side and rock myself. He stays a while longer. I feel his gaze, but I can’t gauge how he looks at me.
“Why?”
If I want to get over this hurt, I have to know the answer. My heart will learn to live with whatever the answer is.
“There is a fifty percent chance you’re not my daughter.”
“There are tests.”
“I never wanted to know the answer in case—”
“In case I am yours, right? Can you teach me how you did this, switch from a loving father to this monster?”
“Stop with the attitude.”
“You broke my heart, Father, so fuck you.”
He covers his face, dejection oozing from his slumped shoulders.
“Delaney won’t hesitate to hurt you.”
I laugh hysterically. “Then let him. What did you think was going to happen?”
Tiredness overtakes me and I say, “I am your daughter, but you are not my father anymore. Leave me alone.”
I must have reached the breaking point and finally fallen asleep. Maybe I simply want to wake up and find this is just a nightmare.
I wake up with my back hurting, my muscles stiff from my position on the floor. The door opens and a bald, tattooed man carries a food tray. After he puts it on the nightstand, he leaves. Pushed by sheer survival instinct, I dig into the plate, using the plastic fork and knife. Emboldened by the satisfaction they wouldn’t trust me with a regular knife, and needing physical strength, I eat the mashed potatoes and chicken. I would rather try my luck in the ocean than be at the mercy of these monsters.
The door squeaks open. My father and that man come inside. I wonder how many hours I have been in here.
“You again.”
“She still thinks she’s in control. I will rectify that.”
He moves toward me, but my father grips his elbow. Delaney shakes him off and shoves him into the wall.
Foaming at his mouth, he says, “She is my property now. If you ever stop me from getting to her, you will regret it.”
He unbuckles his belt and I scamper from the bed, trying to dash past him when he shoves me hard, and my back hits the wall. My vision blurs. The whoosh resounding in the air should have me prepared, but it’s nothing compared to the pain welting my chest. My throat lets out a muffled scream. I look him right in the eye.
“Fuck you.”
With another snap of the air, the belt hits my arm, a pain ricocheting through my body.
“That’s all you can do?” I challenge. He will not break me. I stand higher.
The belt rains on my thighs and stomach. I buckle over but stand back up again. From the corner of my eye, I see my father clenching his hands at his sides. I slide up against the wall for support.
“Will you obey me?”
It hurts to breathe, to even think of words. My skin sears with pain. Still, I shake my head and say, “Never.”
