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I thought that maybe, in the worst case scenario, Rose may have been Odi’s mum’s child. That idea alone was enough to turn my stomach. She’s my mother’s best friend. And now I’m finding out that the truth is in fact far, far worse.
The frigid night air hits me as hard as the truth does. Where did the day go? It feels like minutes since the sun was rising, and now it’s already dark. I gulp in the bitter cold in a desperate attempt to ground and calm myself. My feet carry me away from the Abbot property and before I know it, I’m racing down the street, a kid again, hurrying home because I’m late for curfew.
I skid to a stop. Odi’s staring at the rubble of her home. What happened there? Why was the house demolished? Who owns the land? What are they planning to do there?
Anger rises like a tidal wave. I need answers. I deserve answers. I’m so sick of being left in the dark. It’salwaysme.
Silently, I approach Odi from behind.
“You slept with Axel before we left?” My voice is so flat, I almost don’t recognise it.
Her shoulders tense and she wraps her arms around herself. For protection? My anger crests. She doesn’t need to protect herself from me. I’dneverhurt her.
Except I did, didn’t I?
“No. I was a virgin when you all left Deathfalls without a backward glance.”
“So you, what? Just decided to give my father your virginity to punish me?” She must have if he thinks Rose is his.
“I didn’t decide shit,” she snaps bitterly.
“Let me guess, it just happened. The two of you have a real connection. You thought you were in love.”
She spins to face me, her face a furious snarl.
“Fuck you, Mackenzie Montgomery! I didn’t decide to give your fatheranything! Hetook.Because you left me vulnerable to a known fucking predator.”
“Odi. I know my dad. He would never—”How dare she insinuate…what? That he attacked her? That it was our fault for leaving?I feel sick, but there’s nothing left in there to bring back up.
“Burn a child with a fucking poker just for spilling a glass of water?” she screams at me, throwing the past in my face harder than any punch.
“Odi. There’s a difference. Please—” I’m imploring her to say it isn’t true. To change her story. Ineedit to be a lie. I always used to be so glad, so grateful, that my dad was better than Axel and Kaiden’s. I need him to be. I need those illusions to remain intact.
“Please nothing, Zie. How are you the only person in the room who doesn’t see what a fucking monster your dad is? Always has been. He was counting down the minutes until you left, and he pounced before your fucking tail lights had even disappeared from view.”
“I don’t?—”
“Believe me? I don’t really care. I know what happened. That bastard ripped my virginity from me inyourfucking bed! He kept me chained there for days and he terrorised me for months afterwards. I used to close my eyes and breathe in the scent of you on the pillow, and pray it was someone else. Anyone else. He put me through hell, absolute hell, and he didn’t stop until he tore Rose from my arms and disappeared with her.”
“My dad thinks Rose is his.”
Odi nods. “She is. Didn’t give him the right to take her from me though.”
I shake my head. “She’s not.”
“Zie, I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I’m telling you?—”
“My father’s impotent, Odi,” I hiss. Even in the dark, alone, I can’t risk shouting it. “Hecan’tbe Rose’s father.”
“He’s not impotent. He had you.”
“He’s not my biological dad,” I admit. Only a handful of people on this earth know that. It’s my biggest secret. One I’ve had to kill to keep. One which keeps us all alive.
“W-what?”
“You can’t tell anyone. He’d kill us all if he found out.”
“He doesn’t know?” She stares at me in disbelief.
