Chapter 23
Lukas
“Idon’t know what I ever did to deserve such an ungrateful, disobedient daughter! I told you multiple times to cut ties with that boy and stay away from him, and yet you intentionally went against me!”
I stayed in the hallway. My gut roiled as the full truth crashed down around me, but I couldn’t leave just yet. I had to make sure Elsie was okay before I bolted out of there.
Yet the longer I stayed, the sicker I became.
William Middleton was yelling at the top of his lungs. Yelling at Elsie Clarke. I could only assume he was her father.
She’d said she'd never had a relationship with him before her mom died, so that might explain the different last names. But why wouldn’t she have told me?
And more importantly, where the fuck did he get off thinking he could treat her the way he was? Every fiber of my being wanted to walk back into the library and lay into him for speaking to his daughter that way.
“You have always been such a disappointment, Elsie.” His voice sounded tired. That irritated me to no end.
“I’m sorry,” Elsie’s weak voice carried out into the hall. I clenched my fists to prevent myself from walking back in there.
“You’re not. You would have stopped seeing him the second I told you.
You’re just sorry you got caught. I have allowed you to live here again, even though I could have easily let you find somewhere else to live!
You’re an adult in my house, but it is my house!
You will obey me, or you will leave with nothing but the clothes on your back! ”
“But all of my books—”
“No, Elsie. Everything you have is because of me, and if you can’t follow simple rules, you will leave. With nothing. Do you understand me?”
The silence that lasted the next few seconds resounded in my chest. Nothing he said was acceptable. He was her father, yet he treated her as if she were nothing to him.
“Yes.”
Elsie’s voice broke my heart.
But the yelling had stopped, and I took that as my cue to get out. I had to leave before he caught me eavesdropping.
Once I was in my car, I sped away, gripping the wheel so hard I thought it might snap.
Too many things had happened. Elsie’s father was a man I hated more than almost anyone else on this planet. I considered him absolute scum. Tonight, he proved he was exactly who I thought he was by the way he spoke to his very daughter.
But he was Elsie’s father. And she had never told me.
There were so many opportunities for her to tell me. And she didn’t. She knew exactly how much I hated Aster and everyone on her defense team. Elsie knew I was on Alicia Vane’s team.
The pieces all clicked at once.
Elsie hiding in the back of the courtroom. Hiding next to my car. Leaving the restaurant suddenly when her father and his colleagues showed up. Not wanting me to pick her up, take her home, or come into her house.
She was banned from seeing me, yet she continued to do so. She never told me.
I tried not to be mad or hurt. But I couldn’t stop it from settling in.
If she had just told me who her father was, I would have been on her side. I would have heard her out.
Surely she didn’t support him in the defense of Aster; otherwise, she wouldn’t have helped today, right?
My mind spun as every moment with her replayed in my head, along with the last twenty minutes.
I’d been so worried I was pushing her too far with that kiss.
But the way she was looking at me, my lips, and leaning into me, I was certain she wanted to kiss me too.
And when I finally touched my mouth to hers, her entire body lit up, and I could feel the electricity between us.
And it all came to a crashing halt the second that door opened.
The look on her face was one I won’t soon forget, if ever. Pure horror. Regret. Shame.
All feelings I wanted to wipe away for her.
I gripped my steering wheel even harder to prevent myself from turning around and going back to her house. I needed to make sure she was okay to be in a house with him.
Once I finally made it to my flat, I walked inside ready to punch a wall. Instead, I got out my phone and sent out a single text.
Need to know that you’re okay
When there was no response for ten minutes, I picked up my keys, ready to drive all the way back to check in on her. I was still furious and hurt, but none of that mattered if she wasn’t safe.
Just as I reached for the front door, my phone buzzed.
Elsie
I’m fine. I’m sorry.
I couldn’t bring myself to respond.