or not, that changed everything about them for the better. That introduced them to things that they never before knew they needed and experiences that would forever go unrivaled. That was Ethan for me. Ethan was it for me. There was no point in looking for love if he and I were completely done.
He continued on and I watched him until he disappeared. The minute that he left my sight, the incision in my heart stretched. On unsteady legs, I ambled back to my car and sat there for a few minutes, letting my sorrow consume me.
MY BLURRY TEARS were still able to guide me home. I noticed my father’s silver Mercedes in the driveway and it brought with it a different feeling of dread. Leaden legs were somehow able to pull me out of the car and into the house, and both he and Roderick were standing in the kitchen as though I was the guest of honor that they’d been waiting for. Roderick’s face was apologetic, but my father looked pissed.
“Where have you been?” he asked, noticing my puffy eyes and heavy shoulders.
“Out,” I answered, brushing past them to the stairs.
I heard my father’s voice ring out the minute the bottom of my foot hit the first step. “You stop right there, Alexandra. Turn around and face me when I’m talking to you.”
I did as I was told. There was no longer even an ounce of the urge to fight left in my body.
“Now, where have you been?” he repeated.
“Out,” I repeated. “If you have a question, just ask it.”
His face reddened. “Alexandra, Roderick told me everything. He told me about your errant behavior and your relationship with Dr. Ethan Stewart. Alexandra, how could you? After everything your mother and I have given you? After everything you’ve accomplished?”
I groaned. “Daddy, no offense, but I don’t want to talk about this. Ever.”
A sound rumbled in his throat that made me think of an angry dog baring its teeth.
“Like I said before, Alexandra, don’t think that I will lose you like I lost Gia. I treasured watching the two of you grow up. I put so much effort into protecting you from the evils of the world and making sure that your lives were perfect. Look at how Gia repaid me.”
I turned to face him. “What exactly did Gia do? I’ve been curious. How did she disappoint you?”
“She could have been so much more,” he replied. “Gia possesses so much intellect, yet she wastes it on easels and crass words.”
“Do you think Da Vinci was a disappointment?” I challenged. “You have all sorts of renowned, expensive art pieces around the house, but somehow Gia’s decision to become an artist is a disappointment?”
He squared his shoulders. “I wanted her to be a scientist. I wanted both my girls to be PhDs, but I gave you a pass since you’d decided to help Roderick with his running for senate. That was noble of you and I respected that. But now, with your trysts with the doctor, no other man will want to touch you. Alexandra, you’ve been sullied. Do you know how big of a man it makes Roderick to still want to marry you despite the way you’ve damaged yourself?”
My eyes flickered over to Roderick and he looked away.
“Because I’m not a virgin?” I asked.
“You let some random man take your innocence,” my father proclaimed.
“I see Roderick didn’t tell you everything,” I murmured. Neither seemed to hear. “Look, James, what I think you’re missing is the part where you love your children for who they are, not what you want them to be. Gia is not a disappointment. Actually, based on the strict way we were raised, I’d say she is a complete success. She was able to still retain her own mind even when you tried to warp it. I was not as strong, at least not in the beginning. I only wanted to please you. I enjoyed being seen as a star in your eyes, but as I got older, I realized that I wasn’t a star because I was your daughter. I was a star because I was your product. I became so preoccupied with not straying from the path that I turned into this nauseating version of myself. Everyday felt like a noose around my neck, and the only times I didn’t feel like I was being suffocated were the times I was with Ethan.”
He turned away. “I don’t want to hear any more of this. You