AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So, she knew it was you?” he concludes, reading my silence loud and clear.
I nod.
“And?”
“And she gave me an ultimatum.” I peek up at him. “Gaveusan ultimatum.”
His frown deepens. “What kind of ultimatum, Kate?”
I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to say this. Even voicing the words aloud feels like it’ll give them power. And I don’t want to give them power.
I shake my head, my vision blurring.
“Tell me,” he demands.
“She says if I break up with you, she’ll try to have a relationship with you again.”
He pauses, battling confusion, indecision, and frustration the same way I have for hours.
“And if you don’t?” he asks.
“Then, that’s it.” I look up at him again. “She won’t have a relationship with you.”
A whoosh of air leaves his lungs, the severity of the situation hitting full force. He doesn’t say anything. Just lets the ultimatum hang in the air. Tainting it. Taintingus. And I hate it. I hate it more than anything. The space between us grows as he takes a step back, runs his hands over his face, and rests them on the crown of his head, his fingers woven together, his expression looking nothing less than helpless.
“What did you tell her?” His voice is hollow. Empty.
“I told her I couldn’t do it.”
His eyes widen as he drops his hands to his sides. “What?”
“I mean, I can’t do that, right?” I confirm, finally gathering enough courage to look him in the eye.
“She’s my daughter, Kate.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I know she is. And I know you love her more than anything. More than me. More than Theo. But if she wanted a relationship with you, she would’ve been cultivating it before she found out about us, right?”
A curse slips past his lips as Mack’s chin drops to his chest. Because he knows I make a good point. He knows Hazel is far from innocent in this entire situation. But he also knows it doesn’t matter whether or not she’s innocent because he’s her father. And dads? They’re supposed to be there for their kids and do anything for them––no matter what.
But at what cost?
Shoving aside the tiny voice in my head telling me to walk away, to make this easier for him, I step closer to Mack and repeat, “Mack, if she wanted a relationship with you, she would’ve been cultivating it before she found out about us.Right?”
“Yeah, but…” His voice trails off, leaving a crack in my chest the size of the Grand Canyon.
But.
He said but.
“She’s my daughter,” he argues, looking more broken than I’ve ever witnessed. “I’m her father. I’d do anything for her. I have to be willing to do anything for her.”
“And I get it,” I breathe out. The bite from my nails making tiny crescent shapes in my palms grounds me as I fist my hands at my sides. “I do. I get that I should walk away and leave you alone. I should make this decision easier for you. I should bow out and say it’s okay. She deserves your love more than I ever could. But here’s the thing, Mack.” I wipe at my cheeks, finding them damp. “I don’t want to.”
His eyes are bloodshot as he looks up at me again. Tortured. Broken. Defeated.
“I don’t want you to either, Kate. Trust me. I don’t want it at all. The past couple of months? They’ve been…fuck, Kate. They’ve meant everything to me. But what choice do I have? She’s my daughter.”
“Your daughter who has had every opportunity to reach out to you, yet she hasn’t.”
