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Avalyne
“Get in the car!” My father says harshly, clenching his jaw in a towering rage. I’ve never seen him like this before. His eyes fill with so much resentment that it scares me.
Damien steps in front of me, attempting to shield me from my father’s rage. “With all due respect, Mr.—” He is cut off by my father.
“I’m not speaking to you, Damien. I told you to stay away from my daughter,” he says, taking a few steps toward us. “You did no such thing. Now you want to talk about ‘respect’?!”
My father looks like he is about to wind up and punch Damien, but he knows better. The rage flicks in his eyes, and I step in front of Damien.
“Dad, that’s enough!”
He says nothing but walks past me and gets in his car. The engine roars, but the car doesn’t move. Damien starts stroking my arm, trying to calm me down, but at this point, until my dad and I have a conversation, nothing is going to calm me. I start walking to the car with my mind in a haze.
“You can stay with me, you know… until this blows over?” Damien says with concern.
“This isn’t going to blow over if I come with you, Damien. I have to face the music, and it may as well be now.” I let out a sigh as if I’ve been holding my breath. Damien rubs his hands down my cheek and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. “If he hurts you—”
“He won’t,” I cut him off.
“But if he does. You don’t know men like that,” he continues.
I grab his hands and join them with mine, calming him, “He’s my father. I know him. If I need you, I’ll call you.”
One quiet car ride later, we finally arrive home. It’s like my father wants me to suffer from the cold shoulder he has been giving me. I head upstairs to my room, but my father’s exasperated voice stops me midway.
“Would you like to explain yourself, young lady?” Not the ‘young lady’shit again. I turn to face him.
“Explain myself?!” I snap, running down the few steps I climbed. “Okay, that’s enough, Dad! We both know what you are going to say, so I’d rather go to my room now so that we can avoid this fight.” I say, determined, and for a second, it seems like dad will give up. But of course, he doesn’t.
“He’s not the guy for you, Ava!”
“Exactly! You always say that!” I say, irritated. I’m like a ticking bomb. But unfortunately, I’m not the only one that is one step away from exploding.
“Haven’t you thought there’s a reason why I’m trying to separate you from that man? That heathen?!” He raises his voice which doesn’t bode well. Knowing my father, I recognize he has a reason behind his decisions. Deep inside, I know I should trust him. He’s always done nothing but protect me. But this time, I’m too determined to let this one slide. I feel defensive. He won’t talk about the man I’m falling for like this. My father knows nothing about him.
“Maybe if you stopped treating me like a child and just talked to me like an adult, I would understand!” I shout. I never do that, but the thought of losing Damien because of my father’s ‘concerns’ freaks me out. I’ve just shared my first kiss with him. It’s supposed to be just the beginning of our story. Not an ending…
“Why can’t you trust me, Ava?! Like you always do,” Dad says after letting out a heavy breath.
“Because you don’t tell me anything, Dad! That’s why!” I continue with the rage growing inside of me. Can’t he understand I’m not his little girl anymore?
“Avalyne, please,” he says through his clenched jaw.
“No!” I stomp my foot. “You can’t keep saying ‘he’s not good for you’ and expect me to let go!”
“I told you there’s a serious legal case against him, and I’m involved,” he says harshly. “Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
“I don’t care about the damn legal case!” I snap. I’m so furious that I don’t even recognize myself. “Then who’s good enough for me then? Oliver?” I say both sarcastically and seething with rage. “Because his father is an attorney, and he’s from a ‘good’ family?” I look at my father with resentment before shaking my head and scoffing. “Unbelievable!”
“Goddammit, Avalyne!” Boom. He explodes. “I don’t want you anywhere near Damien Alarie because he’s a goddamn criminal!”WHAT?!
I gasp. My eyes grow wide in pure shock. Did he say a criminal? My heart is beating like crazy, and I don’t know what to say. Hell, I don’t know what to think. I stare at my father blankly, hoping it’s a joke.A bad joke.
“Do you want to know why there’s a court case against him?” He says, intending to continue. He doesn’t even wait for my response. He just snaps, “Because he tortured a man to near death!”
Once again, I gasp. I feel how fear rushes through my body, leaving dire chills on my skin. Dad’s words keep ringing in my head, making everything else a blur.Damien torturing someone to near death? That’s impossible.I’m certain my father has no reason to lie to me. Not in a serious matter like this. But I’m in denial. I can’t believe my own ears. Or, don’t want to…
“Am I supposed to allow my only daughter, the only person I love, to run around with one of the most sought-after criminals in America?”
