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The rage was boiling inside and it was taking everything in me to not destroy everything in my path. My footsteps were loud and heavy and I was making my presence known as I stomped in the direction of my father’s office. My hands reached the knobs and I twisted them, before shoving the doors open. There was enough force behind my movements that had them slamming into the walls.
“What the hell?” my father said loudly as he jumped up from the plush seat behind his massive mahogany desk. He narrowed his eyes as he realized it was me. “What are you doing, Malakai? What is wrong with you?”
My heart pounded erratically in my chest as I paused just inside his office and stared him down. “My tolerance for you has officially dissolved.”
He let out an exasperated sigh as he rounded his desk and stood in front of it. “It is the middle of the night. What do you want?”
“I want nothing from you,” I seethed. I stepped farther into the room, closing the distance between us. “All I ever wanted was a real father and you proved that wasn’t an option. I accepted it many years ago that I would never be what you wanted me to be, but you crossed a line tonight. You will not speak to Winter, you will not look at Winter, you will forget her existence.”
He rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. “You’re really here aboutthatgirl? Jesus, this is pathetic. She’s nothing, Malakai, and you need to realize that.”
It took me two and a half strides to reach him. My hand was fisting the collar of his shirt and I pressed it against his throat as I lifted him onto his toes. My fist was beneath his chin and his hands were wrapping around my wrists. “That’s where you are wrong, Father. She is everything. If you even breathe in her direction again, I will kill you myself.”
“Malakai,” my mother gasped from behind me, her voice an octave higher than normal. “Let go of your father.”
I stared at him as he didn’t even attempt to fight me off. “Do not fucking try me,Dad.I will not hesitate, even if it lands me in prison for the rest of my life.”
“They still have the death penalty in our state, you idiot.”
“Even better,” I smiled viciously at him. “Then I can track you down in hell and do it over and over again.”
“Malakai!” My mother’s voice was louder and her hands were frantically pulling at my arms. “Stop it!”
I let go of him, abruptly dropping him to his feet as I took a rushed step backward. My breathing was erratic and my heart threatened to pound out of my chest. I came here to tell him off, not put my hands on him like he would have to me. The thought alone shook me to my core. Was I really any different than him?
“You are dead to me,” I told my father as I stared him down. “I put up with your abuse for so many years. I’m done. You won’t do it to me and you sure as hell won’t do it to Winter. This will be the last time you see me or speak to me.”
His gaze hardened as he glared back at me. “Very well. I will have your name removed from the will. You will never get anything from us again."
“I never needed you.” I shook my head at him as a harsh laugh escaped me. “Burn in hell, Father.”
I spun on my heel, leaving him standing where he was as I strode out of his office. The rage had simmered and was replaced with an unfamiliar pain. I knew my father never truly cared about me, but there was no hesitation with him completely removing me from the Barclay family. It was almost as if he was waiting for this moment, he just needed me to be the one to pull the trigger first.
My mother was hot on my heels as I continued to make my way to the front door. “Malakai, wait!”
I stopped short and she almost ran into my back. Turning around to face her, I didn’t miss the look of confusion and torment on her face. “Please don’t try and change my mind, Mother.”
“I won’t do that,” she said softly as she shook her head. “I’m sorry for him. You know how he can be.”
I lifted my hand to stop her. “No more excuses, Mom. I am done. Nothing will change that and honestly, I wish to never speak to him again.” I paused for a moment. “That doesn’t have to change our relationship, but I will ask that you respect my boundaries and do not try to fix this. It is over.”
She swallowed and nodded. “As you wish. I would still like to stay in contact with you.” Her voice cracked slightly. “You’re my only child. I’m sorry I was never a good mother to you.”
“You did your best.”
There were tears in her eyes. It was strange. There was no glossiness from the alcohol. She must have passed out earlier and I had woken her when I rushed into the house. For the first time in a long time, she was more sober than I had ever seen her.
Turning my back to her, I reached for the front door and pulled it open. My mother’s hand gripped my shoulder and I glanced back at her, watching as she retreated.
“I love you, Malakai,” she practically whispered from where she stood.
A muscle in my jaw twitched and I gave her a curt nod before exiting the house.
I couldn’t remember the last time she spoke those words to me.
And I couldn’t repeat them—not to someone who didn’t understand the meaning of love…
CHAPTER THIRTY
