I look at him, really look at him, and try to see him as the father I always knew, but really, I want to rip into him and ask him what the hell happened.
We head to the balcony, where we can talk in private. He takes hold of my shoulders.
“Look at you,” he says, voice heavy with emotion. He seems more like the father I know now. “You look so much like your mother. Please tell me you aren’t hurt.”
“Not physically, no. I’m not hurt that way. In other ways, yes.”
“I’ve been trying to get you back,” he mutters. Something like hope fills my heart. Those few words seep into me, and I feel valued again.
“You have?”
“Of course. Of course, Emelia. Sweet girl. I got myself in deep trouble. Them taking you was the massive price I had to pay.”
“What happened, Dad?”
“I can’t go into it. You have to know that that night, I was just doing what I had to keep us both alive. I would never give you up willingly. No way. And I would never break your heart and spoil your dreams intentionally. In those few moments, as I watched my baby being taken away, everything came crashing down in my world.
Everything I wanted to protect you from. I was ashamed to call myself your father, ashamed I couldn’t keep my promise to your mother to take care of you.”
Tears run down my cheeks. All these long weeks, I’ve floated from one emotion to the next, not knowing what to believe about him.
“Oh, Dad.” I wince and throw my arms around him. He holds me. I enjoy being held like I’m his little girl all over again.
“God, Emelia, I’ve been so worried. We all have. Jacob is beside himself with it. I’ve been doing all I can to stop him from doing something stupid.”
“Jacob…” I mutter.
I never knew that last time Jacob and I saw each other, I’d be walking into this reality where I can’t even call him. I knew he would be beyond worry over me without contact. When I switched on my phone, there were over a hundred messages from him. Messages I couldn’t respond to on Massimo’s command. He said he didn’t put a tracker in the phone, and yes, I could delete a message after sending it, but I’m sure there are ways he would be able to retrieve it.
Dad hugs me hard. The moment, however, breaks when we pull apart and I stare back at him. The sentiment in his eyes falters as he looks back at me.
“Has Massimo hurt you? I’ve been terrified that he has.”
I bite the inside of my lip and think about how to answer the question. I know what he’s really asking. The look in his eyes suggests he wants to know if Massimo has forced himself on me.
“He… hasn’t done anything I didn’t want him to do,” I answer with the truth. I know my answer gives away some element of my feelings.
His eyes cloud, and I’m sure he knows. Dad takes both my hands and sighs.
“Emelia, you are very young. You don’t know how men like that operate. They break women like you. Young and innocent in this mix. You can’t trust him. You cannot. You will never be number one in his life. You will just be a thing. Please believe me on this,” he pleads.
What he’s saying… I know it’s true. I worried about it and saw what I wanted to see through the moments spent with Massimo where I saw his soul.
“He will never love you,” Dad adds. I have to hold back tears. I hope he can’t see my inner turmoil because I feel that sensation of betrayal again.
What hits me hard too is that in these few weeks, I allowed myself to fall for the monster. I fell, and I’m not sure I can unravel those feelings.
“I know,” I answer and dip my head briefly.
“I’m still trying to get you back,” he declares in that low voice again and glances over his shoulder.
“How? Will you do something with the contract?”
“No, that way won’t work. I’m working on an escape plan.” He lowers his voice.
Escape plan? Jesus… like the plan I had?
Escaping with Dad’s help would definitely be betrayal.