33. Rosalie
THIRTY-THREE
Rosalie
“ R osie, thank God you’re okay,” he says, his voice softer than I expected.
There’s something about him in this moment that makes him look so different. Maybe it’s the way his shoulders aren’t squared like they always are. Maybe it’s the way his tie is slightly loosened, his usually perfect composure absent. For once, he’s not the untouchable businessman, not the image of power and control he projects to the world. Right now, he’s just my father.
But that doesn’t make this conversation any easier.
“Dad,” I say, meeting his eyes, willing him to really hear me. “Do you see it now? That I’m not your perfect little girl?”
His brows furrow. “What? What are you talking about?”
And for the first time in a long time, we’re not in some gala hall, not surrounded by people he needs to impress. There are no expectations here. No scripts to follow. No walls between us. Just the truth I’ve been holding in for so long, pressing against my ribs harder than the pain ever could.
I place my hand over his. “Dad, I’m in this situation because I did drugs. Because I’ve been doing them for years. Behind your back but sometimes even in front of you, just because I wanted your attention.”
He inhales sharply, his fingers twitching under mine, but I keep going before he can say anything.
“Every gala you organized, every event you made me attend, I was high. Every time you found me asleep in weird places, I wasn’t just tired, Dad. I was using. And you always brushed it off. You pretended it wasn’t happening.”
“Rosie…” His voice wavers, his face caught somewhere between regret and disbelief.
“No, please,” I whisper, gripping his hand tighter. “I need you to see me. Really see me. You put me on this pedestal, made me out to be this perfect daughter while pushing Riley aside like he didn’t matter. Do you even know how much that hurt me?”
Tears burn at the edges of my vision, but I refuse to blink them away.
“You try to fix everything with money,” I continue, voice shaking now. “But money didn’t fix this. You had to save me. Again. And instead of being mad at me, instead of holding me accountable like you do with Riley, you just…you focus on revenge. You want to go after some guy instead of dealing with the real issue. Dad, what has that ever solved?”
His expression cracks, just for a second. His eyes meet mine, and there’s something there—something raw, something I’ve been waiting to see for so long.
“Rosie…” His voice is hoarse now. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s just…in my eyes, you are perfect.”
A broken laugh bubbles out of me. “But I’m not.”
He nods slowly, something shifting in his gaze. “And that’s okay.”
I furrow my brows. “What?”
He leans back slightly, rubbing a hand over his face, and when he looks at me again, he seems…tired. Not in the way of exhaustion, but like a man who is seeing the truth for the first time.
“I think I spent so much time trying to hold onto this idea of a perfect family,” he admits. “But let’s be honest. Your mother doesn’t love me. I’ve neglected Riley because—God, because I was jealous. Because he’s better than me in so many ways, and I was too blind to admit it. And you…you were just left outside of all of it. And I’m sorry, Rosie. I’m so, so sorry for not being there for you like I should have been. I failed you.”
He pulls me into his arms, and I don’t hesitate. I clutch onto him, let myself be held, let myself be small for just a moment.
“I wanted you to see me,” I whisper against his shoulder. “I wanted you to know that I wasn’t okay.”
He holds me tighter. “I see you now. I do. And I’m so sorry it took you almost dying for me to finally open my eyes.”
We sit there like that for what feels like forever. Just holding on. Just existing. Just being a father and daughter without all the weight of the world pressing between us.
Eventually, I pull back slightly, wiping at my damp cheeks.
“I want to be able to come to you when I’m struggling,” I tell him. “I don’t want you to pretend my problems don’t exist.”
“Please, Rosie,” he says, gripping my hands. “Come to me. Always.”
I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat.
“And Riley?” I ask, searching his face. “Give him a chance too.”
He exhales deeply, then nods. “I will. I swear it. I’ve already lost too much time with you both.”
A new round of tears threatens to spill over, but this time, they feel different. Lighter, somehow. I lean into him again, let myself feel the warmth of his presence.
“I love you,” I murmur.
His arms tighten around me. “I love you, too, sweetheart. More than anything.”
A moment later, he leans back, studying me carefully. And then, of all things, he smiles.
“Can I say something?” he asks.
I blink at him. “Uh…sure?”
“I think Jay is a good guy.”
“What?”
“I offered him a life-changing amount of money to leave you, and he refused.”
My stomach plummets. “Dad!”
He sighs, holding up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I admit it. It was a terrible idea. A stupid, desperate attempt to protect you in a way that wasn’t even necessary.”
I lift an eyebrow. “You think?”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “But it showed me something important. That there is someone in this world who chooses love over money.”
I stare at him, heart pounding, because for so long, I never thought anyone would.
But Jay did.