Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Spoken like the man I know.”
His lip curls. “You want to help me?” He steps toward me. “Fine. Help me. Don’t let my daughter marry that son of a bitch.”
10
OPHELIA
Afew days after my dinner with the Foxes, I decide I’m going to see my father whether he wants me there or not. I can’t put off telling him about the engagement any longer. Invitations will begin going out within the week, and beyond that, I need him to explain his letter telling me to stay away.
I walk into the prison, hearing the sounds of guards calling out, of heavy metal doors clanging open or closed. The smell of the place is stale, like body odor and old food, and the thought that my father will spend the next ten years in here is too much.
I wait at the small table the guard had pointed to, jittery, anxiously bouncing my leg. At least he’s in a federal prison so the offenders aren’t violent. Or at least not as violent as they could be? I don’t know. It looks pretty bad from my perspective.
A door opens, and a guard walks into the visiting room. Following him is my father.
He stops short because he was expecting his lawyer, not me.
I stand up.
“Phee?” My father takes me in, exhales, something warring in his tired eyes. He crosses to my table.
“Dad.”
“What are you doing here? I told you not to come.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not how family works.”
The guard who brought Dad in clears his throat, and Dad glances at him. “Sit down, sweetheart.”
“Sweetheart?” I repeat as we both sit.
“You lost weight, honey,” he says.
“Yeah, well, it’s been a rough few years.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he says after a deep sigh. “Hurting you is the one thing I never wanted.”
Tears well in my eyes at the sight of him like this. I reach over, put my hand on his. “That letter?” I shake my head. “I’m not abandoning you, Dad.”
Dad grits his jaw, eyes narrowing as he studies me. Anxiety builds in my belly. I can already see how he will look at me when I tell him about the engagement.
“I brought this for you,” I say, getting the photo I took from the house out of my bag.
Dad looks down at it, surprised. His head tilts to the side, a bittersweet smile forming on his lips. He traces Mom’s face.
“I thought the movers had packed it up and taken it. Best case scenario.”
I shake my head. “I’d put it away.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” He looks up at me. “You look so much like her.” His eyes shine with unshed tears.
“How are you doing in here?” I ask.
“It’s not so bad. I’ll get used to it. Don’t worry about me. How is school?”
“Good. Fine.” I bite my lip, hesitating before finally asking. “What happened with the plea deal? You said… I don’t believe you took that money. You couldn’t have. You wouldn’t.”
He draws a deep breath in but remains silent.
“I just don’t understand, Dad,” I say.
“Cutting a deal is not the same as being guilty, sweetheart. I just weighed my options. Ten years in here is better than twenty.”
I shake my head, feeling like I’m missing something. What he did, it just doesn’t fit. Although his lawyer wasn’t able to discuss any details with me, I know he was also taken aback by Dad’s decision to reverse course.
“We don’t have much time. I need to discuss something with you, Phee.”
“I need to tell you something too.”
“I can guess what it is. Silas Cruz paid me a visit a few days ago.”
“Silas was here?”
“He mentioned something I don’t want to believe is true.”
“Silas Cruz is a self-satisfied—"
“Are you engaged to Ethan Fox?”
Blood rushes my face. I open my mouth, but words don’t come.
“So, it’s true,” he says, reading my expression.
“I was going to tell you today. It’s one of the reasons I came.”
“How long have you been engaged to him?”
Shit. “Doesn’t matter.”
“How long, Ophelia?”
“A year. Just under a year.” I can’t quite hold his gaze.
He shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing. “And you didn’t think I needed to know?”
“A lot has been going on.”
“So, you didn’t think I needed to know that my daughter is engaged to a Fox?” he asks, voice firmer. “When is the wedding?”
“June.”
He looks shocked. “He moves fast.”
“It’ll be after graduation. And once we’re married, I’ll work for the company, Dad. I’ll take over the low-income housing project. I will head it up so it will continue.”
Now it’s me to surprise him. “What?”
“Mr. Fox was going to put an end to the project, and this way—”
“Are you being blackmailed into marrying Ethan Fox?” he asks, raising his voice.
“No, no, it’s not like that. I mean, it’s faster than I wanted, but it’s fine. Ethan and I have known each other for a long time—”
“It’s hardly a reason to marry. What the hell are you doing, Phee?”