IAN
I pushed the door open like a man possessed, Emma's voice still echoing in my skull like a fever dream I couldn't shake.
That one word had done more damage than any blade ever could father.
She stood there, startled… eyes wide, lips parted like she didn't expect me to be the one walking through that door. As if she hadn't just spilled her heart out to my mother. As if she hadn't just confessed that if given the chance, she'd do it all over again. Break me all over again.
"What did you mean by your father?" I asked, my voice low… dangerous pretending I didn't hear her last word.
"What did that bastard do that was worth destroying us for?"
She looked away. "Ian… let's not talk about it. It's in the past already."
The past?
I let out a bitter laugh, one that scraped at my throat like sandpaper.
