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He wore a strained expression, just like he always did around me. Everything about our relationship felt forced and fake, and I hated that he was there. I didn’t want him intruding on my new life. Didn’t want him to play any part of my new future. I wanted him gone. But a part of me also realized Thorn had done this for me. Brought him God knows how many miles away, so he could see his daughter again. I hoped it would be the last time.
“Hello,” I said in the most pleasant voice I could manage.
He leaned closer and kissed my cheek. I had to fight my impulse to run away.
I’d never been close with my father, especially after my mother’s death. He was a drunk. An addict. He’d all but kicked me out after Mummy passed away, and I had to fend for myself at the tender age of fifteen. Madame had been more of a parent to me than my father ever had, and try as I might not to, I still resented him for it.
Thorn cut in, shaking my father’s hand pleasantly with a big smile on his face. He still didn’t understand, but I felt the tension between the three of us. It was obvious something was amiss in this family reunion, and Thorn was starting to realize this wasn’t all it had been cracked up to be.
My father didn’t say it was nice to see me. In fact, he spent the next thirty minutes talking to Thorn while picking up copious flutes of champagne from the trays the passing waiters were carrying. I got more and more embarrassed as the minutes passed and I realized my father had smelled out Thorn as a man with money, a man who could potentially invest in one of his ‘projects’ – ideas that were doomed to fail because my father never carried them through. Shame burned through me like a hot knife in my back, and the pain of being ignored yet again stung more than ever.
Finally, after an hour of mindless chatter and being ignored, knowing even Thorn’s patience was being tested, I excused myself. I felt Thorn’s eyes on me while my blind father kept on talking, and I dashed towards the balcony that overlooked the city. I took a deep breath out there, filling my lungs with cold, fresh air and feeling the relief of being free again. No matter the shackles Thorn put on me, it still felt so much better than the pressure of my father and taking care of him when it should have been the other way around.
I heard footsteps coming after me, strong and intimidating, the movements belonging to someone assertive and confident. I felt a hand on the small of my back the next second, and Thorn appeared in front of me.
“You alright, little Rose?” he asked, and I could sense the hint of worry in his voice. “You disappeared on me.”
“I just…” I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I appreciate you bringing him here, but… I don’t want him in my life.”
“Why not?” he asked roughly, the first hint that this was something personal to him. “He’s your father.”
“He’s never been a father to me,” I replied, my bottom lip shaking. “My mother was all I had. He was just a user… He tossed me on the street two weeks after she died.”
“I know,” he said, surprising me with his words and making me look up into his eyes. “That’s why I sent my sister to help you.”
“But why bring him here?” I asked weakly. “Why try to make amends? It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it.”
“I thought it would be nice for you,” he said. “To see someone from your past. To know he’s taken care of.”
A grimace took over my face and I looked away, to the city below us.
“The only person I care about is right here with me,” I whispered. “And the other – Amber – you took away from me.”
The tension between us was palpable. It was a subject I was afraid to broach, and I knew he was hesitant to talk about my friend’s faith. Still, I kept on hoping blindly that Thorn knew what he’d been doing when he took her to Carina’s father. Praying, hoping that my friend was alright.
“A topic for another time,” he finally said, his voice forgiving. “Now come with me, Rose.”
He extended his hand, and I didn’t hesitate before taking it. He smiled at me and led me back into the room. Somehow, I knew things would be okay. As always, Thorn understood.
Nine
Rose
We got into the car hours later.
Thorn had dismissed my father once we got back from the balcony. The way he treated him just because of me shocked me. He didn’t give a shit about him, his patience gone and his kindness peeling away until he was nothing but cruel. The conversation he’d had with my father would replay in my mind over and over again, and I finally knew I’d be safe from him, that he would never be able to hurt me again as long as I stuck to Thorn’s side.
