Page 8 of My Ex’s Dad

After another minute, my dad lets me go, reminding me to be careful, but I’m too stressed to pay much attention anymore. Skidding and slipping on the long icy drive that hasn’t been cleared of snow yet, I grit my teeth.

As I struggle to steer the car, his words continue to clog my thoughts, hinting that he might not be able to rely on me.

Since I graduated from a culinary program out of state a couple of years ago and came home to work at the bakery, I’ve tried to be the best daughter and employee for them. I wanted to do my best for them at the same time I’d attempted to appease Roman.

And for what?

My parents can rely on me. And they should be able to trust my ideas.

“Because they’re not worthless. I’m not worthless.” I hold my breath as the tires spin around another curve in this ridiculously long driveway.

“I don’t need anyone to validate my worth,” I growl, stepping on the gas some more to get through this curve.

“I am a strong woman, dammit. And this can be a new year with new beginnings and growth.” I furrow my brow, turning too sharply to get back up on what I think is the driveway.

Instead, I spin out and smack head-first into a parked SUV that the snow shielded from my view until I was right on it.

“Fuck!” I lurch forward and then slam back against the headrest. Curling my fingers around the steering wheel, I tense up and stare ahead at one of the dark SUVs that the Sokolov men drive.

I just hit one of their cars. In the middle of a snowstorm, far from civilization.

So much for a clean cut.

Wincing as I lift my head, I dread that he might be here after all.

4

ANTON

Vivid red pulses at the center of a blob as it drifts from west to east. It freezes on the screen, but the glitch is short-lived. The weather radar map restarts, and the angry red middle seems even larger and wider, with rings of orange, yellow, and green around it.

It paints the same picture though.

A storm is passing through. And it’s bringing a lot of snow.

“Ice, too,” I mutter, working my head side to side to get rid of the kinks. Driving out of the city usually calms me. Or rather, Viktor driving my car out of the city does. It’s an escape, and I sure as hell needed one after this shitty morning.

Elena showed up at my office. That was the first sign the world was against me. She begged to talk, and I slipped out a side door rather than dignify her popping in.

Then I got the news of a failed shipment. That was a time-consuming pain in the ass to contend with, even though I personally didn’t need to do anything while my men handled it.

After that, Roman wanted to visit me since he and his girlfriend were in the area. Like I had the fucking time to chitchat and socialize with my inept son.

More issues cropped up over the course of the day, but the text from Elena was what pushed me over the edge. My patience was shot. All goodwill vanished. She sent me a selfie of her holding up an invitation to the Grayson Ball, a gala and fundraiser I always make an appearance at. Her caption that suggested I would take her pissed me off even more, and that was when I called Viktor to prepare for a few nights at the vacation home upstate.

A little spell of distancing myself can’t hurt.

This storm means I’ll be out here for as long as Mother Nature decides. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Exhaling a long breath, I pace back through the large lounge at the back of the house. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal the wintry beauty. Glass panels curve upward and present an all-encompassing view that reinforces what the radar shows.

Lots of snow. Falling so thickly that it’s impossible to see the forest beyond.

Standing still to watch the snow sheet down, I feel alone. And lonely. It’s not just that I’m out here far from the city. It’s the isolation that cuts me, the ache of having no one, sharper on days when I can’t tell a soul how shitty my day was. Scowling that I could be this vulnerable, I stare into the darkness peppered with white.

Fuck. I’m in my head too much.

But it’s not only my head. This loneliness I never asked for is in my heart, too. It’s a deep hole in my soul that I doubt anyone will fill. A missing piece I sincerely don’t think I’ll find in anyone I’ll meet in this life⁠—