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Reaching Dad’s office on the first floor, I knock on the door.
“Come in, honey,” he calls out.
Pushing the door, I step inside.
Nothing’s changed in this room. The shelves lining the walls are still stuffed with his favorite books and his desk remains untidy with piles of old folders and stacks of documents.
“What’s up?” I ask, eyeing the tumbler of whiskey on his desk.
“Where have you been over the past couple of months?” he asks in a grim tone.
Shit, I curse in my mind. I was hoping he wouldn’t badger me about my whereabouts until I could figure out a good enough lie.
“I was away for a while,” I say, struggling to keep a straight face. “I should’ve called you but I lost my phone. Besides, it’s not like we always keep in touch.” I shrug my shoulder in an offhand way.
“I was out of my mind worrying about you!” he hisses, looking angry.
“Dad, I’m exhausted,” I say. “Can we please talk about this another time?”
“No. I’ve spoiled you to bits. I know it’s all my fault but it’s time you became more responsible. You can’t just disappear out of the blue like that. What if something serious happened to you? We’d never know if you need our help!”
He’s absolutely right. If I’d stayed in regular touch with my friends and family, Jake would’ve never dared to sell me off to the Black Widow. He knew no one would find out in time to track my whereabouts and that’s why he boldly committed such a crime.
“I’m all right, Dad,” I say, pretending to be frustrated with him. “Can I please go to bed now?”
“Did you buy a new phone?”
“No, not yet, but I promise to buy a new one tomorrow.”
An annoyed huff escapes him. “If you’d gotten a new one, you’d have known about the charity gala that the Richmonds have arranged for tomorrow evening.”
“Why would I care about that?”
“Because I sent you the invite to your email a month ago. You’re going to this event,” he says firmly.
“What? No way, Dad!”
“They’re expecting me to be present with my family,” he says, looking grim. “They know you paint. They’re expecting you to buy a few pieces for the charity. Don’t disappoint them.”
“Dad, no. I’m too exhausted from my trip. I’ll need a week just to recuperate from it.”
“Are you tired from your trip or your breakup?” he asks, fixing me with a suspicious look.
“It’s not about the breakup.”
He scoffs. “Just look what you’ve done to yourself. You’re all skin and bones. People will think I’ve starved you and tortured you for days!”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip to suppress the sob that threatens to burst out of me. Without knowing anything, he’s able to guess what happened to me.
“I’m done listening to your excuses, Rory. It’s time you grew up and understood your responsibilities. This family needs your support.Ineed your support.”
“You have it,” I say, desperate to get out of going to a party when my mind is still too sore from the trauma I endured until a week ago. A tear rolls down my cheek. “Please don’t make me go, Dad.”
“You’re going,” he says stiffly. “Go to bed early so that you can get some proper rest. The party is in the evening, so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for it.” The stubborn expression on his lined face tells me there’s no room for me to argue. He’s serious about me attending the charity event.
“Fine,” I say through clenched teeth and turn away from him. Swallowing down a choke in my throat, I hurry out of the room before he can press me about my “breakup” with Jake.
Going back to my room, I lock the door before sinking into the bed.
