AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finally, he turns his gaunt face to me. His weight loss makes him look like a bird of prey. “Looks like congratulations are in order.”
The guard who just let Charles in takes a step towards us, but I wave him off. “It’s okay, Xavier. I’ve got this.”
At least, I hope I do.
I straighten my back and square my shoulders. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here because I wanted to see you.” Charles looks nervously towards the guard.
“Huh, how ‘bout that? So there’s really a first for everything.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Lucky for you, most things aren’t fair. If they were, you’d be in prison. Or worse.” The threat sends his gaze sweeping around the room, and I know who he’s looking for. “Relax. If he was here, you never would’ve made it through the door. But you should go. He’ll be back soon.”
Charles’s eyes darken. “He’s not a good man, Laila.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” I scoff. “Now, get out.”
He lunges closer and grabs my hand before I can scurry out of reach. “You’d really choose someone like him over your own father?”
I rip myself away from him with just enough time to stop Xavier from tearing his arm off at the shoulder. Then, with one more whispered word to Xavier that it’s all okay, I turn back to my father. “I’d be careful if I were you.”
His eyes narrow to slits. “The man ran me out of town with nothing but the clothes on my back.”
“Aww. Did you expect a going away party?”
“I expected my only child to have a little more sympathy for her only living parent. If not for me, then at least out of respect for her mother’s memory.”
I take a step forward, my hands tucking into fists. “How dare you bring up Mom?!”
“She loved me,” he declares, chin held high and haughty.
“Everyone makes mistakes.”
His teeth grind for a moment, but then his shoulders slump and his face falls. When he speaks again, his voice comes out raspy and hollow. “I want to see my granddaughter. I want to watch her grow up, Laila.”
The words suck the air out of my chest, leaving my lungs feeling as cold as ice. “You didn’t care to watch me grow up. Why would you care about Nina?”
“Like you said, everyone makes mistakes.”
I can see it now—the machinations behind his every decision. There’s a reason for his tears and the pout of his lip. Nothing he does is uncalculated and it never will be.
“You’d know, wouldn’t you? You’ve made more than your fair share. After all the mistakes you’ve made, the least you can do is be honest about why you’re really here.”
“I want to make amends?—”
“Bullshit!” I cry. “Let me take a wild guess. You’re here for the house. Well, I’ve got news for you: it’s not my house anymore. I sold it. The deal closed a few weeks ago.”
He swallows. “I know.”
I almost want to laugh. “So that’s it. You came for your cut.”
“I need to survive, Laila?—”
“Get a job.”
“How can you be so cold?”
