weeks away from the election. Do you know what kind of father I would look like if I just shipped you off to be someone else’s problem in some foreign country right as I was about to go into office?”
So once again this had nothing to do with what was best for me. It was all about his image. “Yeah, I do,” I said, my voice having gone stone cold. “You would look like exactly the type of father you are.”
My dad reacted without thinking and smacked me across the face. The hit wasn’t hard enough to knock me over, but it wasn’t just a slap, either. I instantly felt welts rise on my stinging cheek and would not have been able to stop my eyes from tearing up even if I’d tried. Which I didn’t.
To his credit, my father looked as surprised by his actions as I felt, but he didn’t apologize. “If you have anything else you need to get off your chest, you’d better say it now,” he warned me. “Because you will not have another outburst like this again, do you understand? Not at home, and especially not at school. I will set up regular weekly appointments for you with the psychiatrist, and you will go to them until he tells me you are better. Now, I’ve got to go. I have a meeting tonight and won’t be home for dinner. You are not to leave the house under any circumstances without Ethan so call him if you absolutely must go somewhere, but respect his time. He has already been briefed on all other instructions.”
He turned to Ethan then and handed him my prescription. “Make sure she gets these, and if you have any other questions call me.”
Ethan nodded and my dad walked away calling out “I’ll be ready to leave in two minutes, Randy,” as he headed up the stairs.
After he was gone, the only noise in the room was the sound of my sniffling until I felt a hand come down soft on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Grace,” Randy whispered.
I wiped the snot from my nose with my sleeve, not caring in the least how pitiful I looked. “I’m fine,” I muttered and shrugged out from under Randy’s grip. It hurt too much to know that my dad’s bodyguard cared more about me than my own father. His gentle touch was salt in the wound.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I really thought you’d be relieved with his choice.”
“Don’t worry about it. You did your best. Ethan does fit all of my requirements. Not your fault I wasn’t more specific.”
Nobody said anything else until my dad came back downstairs. “Be a good girl. I’ll be home around eleven,” he said, and then kissed my cheek as he breezed past me out the door.
I don’t know if he meant to kiss the cheek that he’d probably just bruised or if he was just so busy he’d already forgotten what he’d done, but it made me sick to my stomach and I was hit with another wave of tears.
When the door slammed shut, Ethan crossed the room to me so fast it startled me. He was full of so much rage I nearly screamed. “Was that the first time he’s done that?” he demanded.
“He didn’t mean to,” I mumbled miserably. “I’ve never stepped out of line like that before.”
My answer wasn’t good enough for Ethan. “Has he ever hit you before?” he demanded again, raising his voice to nearly a shout.
I looked away, hiding the red side of my face from Ethan’s view. “No.”
“If he ever tries it again—”
“He won’t. He has too much to lose to make a mistake like that again.”
Ethan reached his hand out and I flinched away from him reflexively. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, and then pulled my chin up to examine my face.
As his fingers came into contact with my skin, I gasped. Ethan tried to hide the fact that he felt something too, but I saw the way he flinched and nearly pulled his hand back.
I was shocked at how tenderly his fingers brushed my stinging face. His touch was as soft as a feather and flooded me with a feeling of goodness that I couldn’t explain. It was so calm and relaxing that my eyes
So once again this had nothing to do with what was best for me. It was all about his image. “Yeah, I do,” I said, my voice having gone stone cold. “You would look like exactly the type of father you are.”
My dad reacted without thinking and smacked me across the face. The hit wasn’t hard enough to knock me over, but it wasn’t just a slap, either. I instantly felt welts rise on my stinging cheek and would not have been able to stop my eyes from tearing up even if I’d tried. Which I didn’t.
To his credit, my father looked as surprised by his actions as I felt, but he didn’t apologize. “If you have anything else you need to get off your chest, you’d better say it now,” he warned me. “Because you will not have another outburst like this again, do you understand? Not at home, and especially not at school. I will set up regular weekly appointments for you with the psychiatrist, and you will go to them until he tells me you are better. Now, I’ve got to go. I have a meeting tonight and won’t be home for dinner. You are not to leave the house under any circumstances without Ethan so call him if you absolutely must go somewhere, but respect his time. He has already been briefed on all other instructions.”
He turned to Ethan then and handed him my prescription. “Make sure she gets these, and if you have any other questions call me.”
Ethan nodded and my dad walked away calling out “I’ll be ready to leave in two minutes, Randy,” as he headed up the stairs.
After he was gone, the only noise in the room was the sound of my sniffling until I felt a hand come down soft on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Grace,” Randy whispered.
I wiped the snot from my nose with my sleeve, not caring in the least how pitiful I looked. “I’m fine,” I muttered and shrugged out from under Randy’s grip. It hurt too much to know that my dad’s bodyguard cared more about me than my own father. His gentle touch was salt in the wound.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I really thought you’d be relieved with his choice.”
“Don’t worry about it. You did your best. Ethan does fit all of my requirements. Not your fault I wasn’t more specific.”
Nobody said anything else until my dad came back downstairs. “Be a good girl. I’ll be home around eleven,” he said, and then kissed my cheek as he breezed past me out the door.
I don’t know if he meant to kiss the cheek that he’d probably just bruised or if he was just so busy he’d already forgotten what he’d done, but it made me sick to my stomach and I was hit with another wave of tears.
When the door slammed shut, Ethan crossed the room to me so fast it startled me. He was full of so much rage I nearly screamed. “Was that the first time he’s done that?” he demanded.
“He didn’t mean to,” I mumbled miserably. “I’ve never stepped out of line like that before.”
My answer wasn’t good enough for Ethan. “Has he ever hit you before?” he demanded again, raising his voice to nearly a shout.
I looked away, hiding the red side of my face from Ethan’s view. “No.”
“If he ever tries it again—”
“He won’t. He has too much to lose to make a mistake like that again.”
Ethan reached his hand out and I flinched away from him reflexively. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, and then pulled my chin up to examine my face.
As his fingers came into contact with my skin, I gasped. Ethan tried to hide the fact that he felt something too, but I saw the way he flinched and nearly pulled his hand back.
I was shocked at how tenderly his fingers brushed my stinging face. His touch was as soft as a feather and flooded me with a feeling of goodness that I couldn’t explain. It was so calm and relaxing that my eyes
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