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“I know this was a stupid decision on my part, but I don’t regret it.” I wasn’t sure why I’d decided to come clean to my father at the end of my relationship. A part of me believed that it would fix everything, that maybe my father was putting pressure on Axel to walk away, but Axel couldn’t tell me. My father would never do that, but just in case I was wrong about that, I had to ask. “Axel and I have been in a relationship for a couple of months now.” I told him, and I was terrified of the repercussions, but I was also relieved to get it off my chest.
He had no reaction at all. His eyes remained hard like I hadn’t said anything at all. There was no body language either, no sigh, no clenched jaw…nothing. His fingers continued to pinch his wineglass, and he didn’t take a drink.
When he didn’t react, I continued. “It kinda just happened…and I discovered just how wonderful he is.”
My father pulled his fingers away from the glass. He crossed his arms over his chest and sank farther into the chair.
“Everything seemed great…more than great…when he suddenly broke up with me. Just days before that, he’d talked about us having kids, and then he came to my apartment and dumped me.” I did my best not to get emotional about it when we were in a public place, but I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Something doesn’t feel right. He wouldn’t do that to me, wouldn’t hurt me like that. I asked him to tell me the truth, but he makes up these stupid excuses that don’t make sense. So…” I looked at my father, uncomfortable by his hard stare. “I know that this is a long shot, but…I have to ask. Did—did you say something to him?”
My father turned his head and looked elsewhere, his arms still crossed over his chest. His features were unreadable. It seemed like he wouldn’t address what I said at all because the silence continued for so long. “Are you asking me if I interfered in your private relationship?” he asked coldly. “A secret relationship I had no knowledge of until you told me about it a couple seconds ago?”
Fuck, I’d pissed him off.
When I didn’t answer his questions, he spoke. “No. I didn’t speak to Axel.”
His stare became so uncomfortable that I looked out the window instead. “Sorry.”
He was quiet for a long time, ignoring his glass of wine, ignoring me. He seemed to find his center because he spoke again. “I’m sorry that you’re hurting, sweetheart. But you shouldn’t have gotten involved with Axel for many reasons. You may think he’s a good guy because you like to see the good in everyone, something I love about you, but Axel is unworthy of your respect. I told you he served years in prison for rape and assault.”
“But I know he didn’t do it.”
“Why?” he asked coldly. “Every guilty man says he’s innocent. Doesn’t mean that he is.”
“It’s just not who he is. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
My father looked away again, releasing a quiet sigh. “I’ve seen him do a lot more than hurt a fly.”
If my father wasn’t the reason Axel broke up with me, then there must be another explanation…like he really did just want to break up. Maybe it had been fun because I was Dante’s daughter, and that high had worn off. Or maybe he’d just lost his attraction to me.
“Sweetheart.”
My eyes found his again.
“He’s not good enough for you,” he said. “Forget about him.”
When we finished dinner, my father waved down the waiter to grab the check. Before the waiter could even hand him the bill, my father had his card out to be taken. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” My father left me alone at the table and walked behind me to the other end of the restaurant.
I sat there alone, the tablecloth covered in crumbs because I’d made a mess from digging my hands into the bread basket. After telling my father the truth, I’d felt a little better, so my usual appetite had returned.
I grabbed the last piece of bread and ripped off a corner before I popped it into my mouth, knowing I couldn’t ignore a slice of fresh bread right in front of me, even if I was full. At that moment, a couple passed by as they were led by the hostess. I wouldn’t have noticed them if the guy didn’t stand out so much.
Six foot something in a button-down shirt with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, he walked behind the blond woman, his slacks tight on his rock-hard ass. His back was like a mountain, massive shoulders leading to a narrow waist.
I’d never felt this sick in my life.
Toward the other side of the restaurant, they took their seats. The man faced me to pull out her chair for her, and once I got a full look at his face, I recognized him.
It was Axel.
He took the seat across from her.
Then I recognized her, Cassandra from the gala, the one who had been making a pass at him right in front of me.
And now she got him.
He was too busy to text me back all day, but he wasn’t too busy to take her to dinner. He’d just fucked me the night before, woke up next to me in his bed, but he was out with someone else.
In that moment, everything made sense.
He’d been seeing her behind my back since the moment they’d met. He preferred her to me, so he carelessly dumped me. My father hadn’t intervened. Axel had just replaced me with someone better.
I was in the middle of the restaurant with my father in the bathroom, so I couldn’t cry. I’d have to hold back those tears until I got home, where I could sob my heart out in private.
I pulled out my phone and stared at Axel’s message box. I was tempted to text something nasty in the hope he would read it in the middle of his date, but then I realized he wouldn’t care. He didn’t care if he hurt me—that was how he dumped me. I typed out a message but hesitated before I sent it.
My father appeared at the table. “Ready to go, sweetheart?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t think about it further before I pressed send. Goodbye, Axel.
