Chapter Seventeen
Emma
“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Damien asks.
I nod and square my shoulders. “It’s time,” I say. I take a deep breath. “But I have to admit that I am a little nervous.”
Damien hooks an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close. He kisses the side of my neck and pleasant shivers run down my spine.
“It’s time,” Damien says firmly. He reaches for my hand and squeezes. “And I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
“And I’ll be right beside you,” I counter.
Damien nods. “Let’s go.”
We emerge from the back of the taxi into the sunlight. Damien shaved his beard and his gorgeous mouth is pressed into a firm line. His hair is neatly slicked back, and he’s wearing a dark pair of trousers and a crisp white Oxford shirt that shows off his deep tan.
I’ve never seen him look more handsome. As we cross the street onto my block, I squeeze Damien’s hand again. When my parents’ mansion comes into view, Damien whistles under his breath.
“Damn,” he mutters. “I always knew Jason had expensive tastes but this is insane.”
I nod. “It is a bit … much,” I say. “I never really thought about it until I left, but it all seems kind of gaudy, doesn’t it?”
Damien nods. We start up the driveway and my heart starts to thud in my chest like a jackhammer. Suddenly, I wonder if this is a bad idea. Damien’s appeal isn’t for a few days, but I wanted to confront my father about his behavior toward me and my mother. Damien even suggested grabbing a few of my things, but there’s nothing in that house that I need.
Because everything I need is right here. The most important thing in my life is my relationship with Damien, and that’s all that matters.
As we get closer to the mansion, I see my father sitting on the porch. There’s a highball glass in his hand and my palms start to sweat as we near.
“It’ll be fine,” Damien whispers. “You’re a badass tough girl now, Emma.”
I blush. Even though his words are far from the truth, hearing them still makes me feel good. It’s true that I’ve become more confident since meeting Damien. Maybe watching his courageous behavior was all it took to make me into a strong woman.
I expect my father to call out something rude, but instead he gets to his feet and starts to laugh. The sound is evil and chilling – just like the laughter I overheard that night in the hallway. His cackling curdles my blood and for a moment, I want to turn and run.
But I’m not going to do that. I owe it to myself, and to Damien.
My father doesn’t stop laughing until we’re on the steps of the porch. Up close, I can see that his face is bright red and his eyes are glassy. It’s frightening, almost as if I’m watching someone in the grip of mania. Damien squeezes my hand reassuringly.
“Well, this is just perfect,” my father sneers. He shakes his head. “My disappointment of a daughter and a crook. A match made in heaven!”
His words fill me with anger and I glare at him. “I know what you did,” I say unsteadily. “You framed Damien and had him sent to prison!”
“The fuck I did,” my father growls. “Like I’d waste my time on that prick.” He shakes his head and tosses the last of his drink down his throat.
“Lying doesn’t make it less true,” I counter angrily. “You ruined his life!”
My dad crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow at me. “And I should care about that why?”
“You’re a bad man!” I cry. “You’ve always been a bad man, Dad. You couldn’t even love me like a father is supposed to love his daughter!”
“Bullshit,” my father says. He rolls his eyes as if talking to me is a waste of time. “I’ve always given you exactly what you deserved.”
“You wanted to send me to a fat farm!”
My father bursts out laughing again. “You’re goddamned right I did,” he said. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? I’ve seen cottage cheese smoother than your thighs!”
Tears start to sting my eyes but I blink them away. I have to be strong – not just for myself, but also for Damien.
“You were a terrible father,” I say. “And nothing you can do or say will change that now.”
The front door opens and my mother steps out onto the porch. My heart leaps into my throat – I don’t want my father turning on her, too. But she walks out holding her head high. When she sees me with Damien, she smiles.
“Get back in the house, Ramona!” My father yells angrily. “This doesn’t concern you!”
“If it has to do with Emma then yes, it actually does concern me,” Mom replies calmly.
My father is clearly stunned. Mom has never spoken back to him before.
“I’ll give you one last warning,” my father growls. “Get the fuck inside, or I’ll make you sorry!”
“Oh, shut up, Jason,” Mom says. She turns to me. “I hope you didn’t let him upset you.”
I shake my head. My father lifts a hand in the air as if he’s about to slap my mother, but she catches his wrist and drops it before stepping back. For a long second, my father stares at Mom with hatred in his eyes. Then he turns his attention to me and Damien.
“You two are ungrateful bitches! You don’t appreciate a single fucking thing I’ve done for this family!”
My eyes widen and I look at my Mom as Dad continues ranting.
“I put a roof over your heads! I fed you! I gave you the clothes on your backs and all of this!” My father gesticulates wildly as he yells. “All of this is yours because of me! And yeah, you’re fucking right – of course I framed that asshole to get this. You really think we could have been rich if I hadn’t sent Damien to prison?”
My jaw drops and I turn to Damien. He looks equally shocked, but he doesn’t speak. My father, however, doesn’t notice. Mom gives me one last look before taking my father by the shoulders and guiding him inside.
Damien and I are left standing in silence.
“Did that … really just happen?” I ask in disbelief.
When I turn to look at Damien, there’s a strange smile on his face as he pulls his phone from his pocket. The light shows red for recording, and slowly, he turns it off.
“Yeah,” he says slowly. “It did. Holy shit, baby girl. Our lives just changed big time.”
Grabbing my hand, we make our way back to the car. Because did my dad just admit to committing a crime? Did Jason know what he was saying? Or did he just dig his own grave?