Saving You Losing Me

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

CLARA

A tom finally drops me home after ten, and as I head through the door, my father is waiting.

His expression is furious and his eyes flash as he hisses through gritted teeth, “You have some explaining to do.”

He points to the formal living area and as I head that way, my legs tremble but my expression remains impassive. Inwardly I am freaking my shit out, but am outwardly composed because I need to be when dealing with situations like this.

He slams the door shut behind us and faces me with fury blazing from his eyes.

“You common slut.”

“Excuse me.”

I should be very afraid right now because I have never seen him so angry and I urge my voice not to shake as I say roughly, “I’m guessing you are referring to my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend.” He rolls his eyes. “Spare me the labels. That man is not your boyfriend and never will be.”

“Then maybe you should tell him because that wasn’t the impression I got when he kissed me goodnight.”

It comes from nowhere and my head snaps sideways as my father lands a painful blow on my cheek. Tears spring to my eyes and my hand instinctively flies to my face as I stare at him in horror.

He is shaking with anger and yells, “You will never see him again! I forbid it.”

I’m guessing this is not the best time to defy him, but I’m so angry I foolishly go there, anyway.

“You can’t stop me. I’m eighteen now.”

“Do you think a birthday changes the rules, Clara?”

I’m more afraid of the way he laughs softly, his eyes flashing with danger, causing me to shake inside.

“You are my daughter and I tell you what to do, no matter what the date is on your birth certificate.”

“What do you mean?” I slump down onto the seat, trying not to cry as he towers over me with a force that takes my breath away.

“You will not see him again. Tomorrow, you are going to stay with your Aunt Dora in Connecticut for what’s left of the summer. You will be her companion until college starts, where you will complete your time there with no interruptions.”

He paces up and down, his voice hard and edged with threats.

“If you see or speak to that man again, you will lose everything. Your home, your college fund and your trust fund. You will no longer be a daughter of mine and will be dead to us.”

I choke back my tears and attempt to breathe. I don’t know why I’m shocked because I expected this. Not the blow to my face, but the lecture, definitely.

Swallowing hard, I say quietly, “If I agree to your demands, I will be giving up something important to me. This is my life and I ask that you allow me to make my own choices, whether you agree with them or not.”

“Choices?” He laughs out loud. “You are eighteen, Clara, not twenty-one. You have no choice. It’s our way or the highway.”

“Then you will leave me with no alternative.”

“What are you talking about?”

I shrug, wondering if this bluff will pan out how I hope it will.

“I will offer you a choice, then.”

“Me?” He folds his arms. “What are you talking about?”

His gaze is dismissive as I shrug. “You can let me continue my relationship with Atom and allow me to make my own decisions, and I will keep your secret.”

“My secret?” He laughs out loud. “Why don’t you tell me what my secret is and then I’ll decide?”

He appears almost amused until I say roughly, “The one where you take the staircase to Vikki’s room in the middle of the night. The one where you harm her and use her for your own pleasure against her will. The one where you rape your staff while your wife and daughter sleep and expect her to cover it up.”

The blood drains from his face, telling me I am right, and he gasps, “She’s lying.”

“She told me nothing. She is probably too scared.”

A little of his confidence restores. “You’re delusional. You have seen nothing.”

“I wish that was true, but I have suspected for some time and set up my phone to record the entire sordid act a few nights ago.”

He stares at me in disbelief as I continue. “My boyfriend has a duplicate of the recording, and I instructed him to take it to the police if I was forbidden from seeing him. I’m aware the local cops would do nothing, so he has the number for the FBI programmed into his phone and he only needs to press send. You see, daddy–”

I stand, inwardly shaking but outwardly cool and collected. “I am your daughter, whether you want that or not. If you stop me from living my life, or ever touch me again, I will walk out of here and never look back. You will watch me giving up college and moving in with the local MC club, surrounded by your friends who won’t want to be associated with you because of it. You will be disgraced and frozen out and I will be happy because I’ll be with a decent man who loves me. So, what do you say? Let me continue seeing the man I love and explain it away to your friends as a wild phase, or face prosecution and public humiliation knowing that you put your foot down like the big man you think you are? Now the choice is yours.”

“You bitch.” His voice shakes, but he slumps into the chair, his eyes wild and disbelieving.

“I’ll take that as a compliment and one day you will realize that I am more like you than you are comfortable with. So–”

I rub my face and say dismissively, “Good night daddy. Don’t worry, I won’t be inviting my boyfriend home to meet you. I would be too ashamed—of you, that is. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I’m going to bed.”

As I leave the room, I am shaking inside, still amazed that I managed to get the words out. He spoke of choices and yet soon realized what that really meant. I am so done with being manipulated and told what to do and my life begins now, wherever that may take me.