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Kneeling before him, I take his hands in mine. “Look at me, Dad.”
When he doesn’t, I try a more coaxing tone. “Please, Dad. Look at me.” When he slowly opens his eyes, I smile gently at him. “Look at me closely,” I say. “I don’t look starved anymore, do I?”
His gaze roves all over my face before lowering down my body. “No,” he whispers in a choked voice.
My smile grows wider. “I’m no longer a victim. Seth, Oliver, and Simon helped me heal. You helped me heal.”
“Me?” he scoffs. “I didn’t do anything for you. I didn’t even know about the hell you went through!”
“That’s not true,” I say, reaching up to brush his tears away. “You protected me all this time. Do you remember that time I disappeared from your party?”
His expression changes as he remembers the incident I mentioned. “Yeah,” he says, glancing toward my mates. “You got together with your friends and went to visit someone you knew.”
I shake my head. “We lied to you,” I say. “I was forced to follow the members of the Black Widow that night.”
“What?! Those evil assholes came into my home?” Dad shouts but the next moment, he falls silent. “What the hell am I saying? Senator Vaughn was one of them, wasn’t he?”
I nod with a grim look on my face. “He took me away,” I tell him. “He wanted me to tell him where the rest of the rescued omegas were hiding. That monster would’ve tortured me until I broke down to reveal the information I knew. The only reason I escaped his clutches that night was because Seth, Oliver, and Simon came to rescue me in time.”
“What?” Dad has gone paler as he stares up at my mates. “What is she talking about?”
“You were the first one to notice Rory missing that night,” Simon says. “If you didn’t come to us and tell us about her, we wouldn’t have known in time that she was taken from us.”
“You’re the reason we were able to reach Rory in time,” says Oliver. “Without you, our efforts would’ve failed. That’s why, don’t blame yourself for failing to protect Rory. Even without knowing anything, you’ve been watching over your daughter. You’re the reason we still have her with us at this very moment.”
Silent tears run down Dad’s cheeks. My heart breaks to see him in so much pain. Not knowing how to console him, I simply rise to my knees and hug him.
“My poor child,” he sobs, hugging me tight. “My baby! I still can’t believe how much you suffered while I remained absorbed in my own world. I should’ve taken better care of you.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Dad,” I say. “You always tried your best but I kept shutting you out. Everything that happened to me was my own fault. Stop blaming yourself for my stupidity.” Loosening my hold on him, I sit on the couch beside him. “Stop feeling sorry for me. I’m doing so much better now.”
“We can’t change the past,” Seth says in a gentle voice. “We’d all like to erase the pain Rory suffered but the only thing we can do is to heal her and show her that we’re there for her.”
“I wish I could’ve killed that rat bastard with my own hands,” Dad says as his grief turns into rage.
“Ah, don’t worry about that,” Oliver says, grinning. “Your daughter already fulfilled your wish.”
“What do you mean?” Dad asks with a confused look.
“Rory shot Jake,” Simon says with an identical grin. “She made him writhe on the floor like a worm before handing his ass over to us.”
Dad stares at me. “When did this happen?”
“On a mission that I participated in,” I say with an awkward chuckle.
“On a mission?” Dad says, looking furious. “Don’t tell me you followed these men into an actual military operation!”
“Well, I had to go with them,” I say. “I was the only person who could access Jake’s house without arousing any suspicion. But, don’t worry. They were right there to keep an eye on me. I was safe with them.”
Dad lets out a long exhale. “You’ve been living a secret life of your own and like a fool, I believed every lie you told me.”
“I was trying to protect you, Dad,” I say, hugging him. “It was hard for me to keep these secrets from you but I chose to do so to keep you from getting hurt.”
Dad pats my back. “I would’ve killed Jake sooner if you’d told me,” he says angrily. “I would’ve never forgiven him for what he did to you. He’d have paid with his life for hurting you.”
“Jake has paid the price of his betrayal,” I say. “He was killed by the people he trusted. I’d have liked his suffering to last longer but it’s fine. He’s gone from our lives forever and we can all forget about him.”
“I need to talk to you three,” Dad says, turning his attention to my mates.
