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My dad blinked and groaned, touching the back of his head where I’d struck him. “Ow.” Struggling to sit up again, he grunted as the tall cop kept him down.
“Sir, best not to move. The ambulance is here to—”
“Ambulance?” Dad scoffed. “I don’t need a damn ambulance.” Pushing the officer away, he slowly sat up and reclined against my bed with another wince.
“Jack. Are you...are you okay?” Mum dropped to her haunches, pressing her hand to his forehead.
Dad smiled softly, love blooming in his eyes.
The touching moment broke my heart because I’d caused this disaster. I’d hurt my darling dad because he was hurting my soulmate. And that soulmate was now running through the streets, most likely terrified, hopelessly trying to stay hidden, all while an armada of police was after him.
God, what a mess.
“I’m fine, my love.” Dad cupped Mum’s cheek before his fingers strayed to the back of his head again, tracing where I’d struck. “That’s a decent bump.”
“You might need a scan. Just to make sure nothing’s fractured.” The tall cop stood, his knees popping.
Dad shook his head. “It’s just a bruise, nothing more. I’ve been concussed enough times in my youth from sports to know the headache will go. I’ll be fine.” His eyes danced over the chaos in my room before finally settling on me. “Neri...” The way he said my name wasn’t full of anger like I’d expected but soft with aching betrayal.
I couldn’t stop my shakes this time. Or my guilt. Oceans and oceans of it. “I’m so, so sorry, Dad.”
He dropped his hands into his lap with a sad shrug. “You struck me.”
“You were hurting him.”
“Because he was hurting you.”
“He wasn’t.” I stepped toward him but stopped as he held up his hand with a wary scowl.
“I failed you, little fish. He’s well and truly brain washed you and—”
“No, you’re wrong.” Fury blew through me, and despite my guilt and fear, I couldn’t play nice anymore. “You didn’t fail me. No one failed me. Aslan thought the same thing, and that’s why we’re in this bloody mess. He didn’t fail me just because he wasn’t at that party to save me. And you didn’t fail me just because you failed to kill a boy who never deserved your fists. He was trying to help me.”
Drifting forward, I struggled to keep my temper under control. “He’s only ever tried to keep me safe, Dad. And if you forget what you saw and listen to what I’m saying, you’ll know I’m speaking the truth.”
“I saw him on top of you, Neri. He was between your legs and—”
“Consensually,” I hissed.
“They’ve been sleeping together for months, Jack,” Mum murmured.
“What?” Dad scrambled to his feet, swaying a little. “Is that true?”
The two police shared another look as they shuffled on the spot. Their obvious discomfort thickened the air. They’d been called to a domestic violence incident on Christmas night and ended up witnessing teenage drama and miscommunication.
And I’d well and truly had enough.
Marching into my dad, I stabbed a finger into his chest. “I’ll tell you what I just told Mum, and then we’re leaving. All of us. We’re all going down to the station, and you’re going to help me straighten this out.” Inhaling, I prepared to hurt my father for the second time.
He would never look at me the same way again.
I would lose the closeness with him because he’d always see me as his damaged little girl, not the feisty fish that drove him up the wall.
I mourned for that.
I cried for that.
It was why I didn’t want to tell them in the first place.
But I loved Aslan more.
And I no longer cared what anyone thought of me, including my own parents. “I was raped, Dad. By a boy named Ethan. At Zara’s almost a month ago. The only person who knew was Aslan. By my choice, not his. Without him, I wouldn’t have coped. You owe him your thanks, not your hate. You owe him for all the nights he’s held me while I cried and for all the days he made me feel strong when I wasn’t.”
Tears shot to his eyes. “Nerida, I...” He couldn’t finish, choking on a cry.
I turned to the police and snapped, “Tell them to stop searching for Aslan. Right now. And let’s go. I wish to make my statement.”
Grabbing a grey cardigan from my wardrobe, I marched out of my room without another word.
I stomped down the corridor.
I opened the door and found two worried EMTs on the doorstep.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I drifted to the front gate and looked into the falling night.
Nightmares crowded my mind that Aslan was already caught and detained.
Hope did its best to fill my heart that he was hiding and safe.
And tears stung hotly as my mother and father joined me on the garden path. Without a word, they hugged me tightly as a policeman spoke into his radio. “Stand down on the search. We’re heading back to the station to make a statement.”
