Page 8 of Zade (Den of Sin)

Arching an annoyed brow he glares at me when I cross my arms over my chest, “No.”

Zade growls, his eyes darken telling me he expects me to obey, “Sit the fuck, down.”

Something in his angry gaze causes me to freeze on the spot. I want to refuse, but ‌I think maybe that’s not a great idea so I sit back down.

“We need to have a talk that I didn’t want to have right now.”

ChapterFive

ZADE

She sits silently waiting for me to start a conversation I have no interest in having.

“What do you know about my marriage to your mother?”

Amira glares at me like I’m the worst human being she has ever met.

“You left. I know you left and I know you never fucking looked back.”

I grit my teeth; she thinks I never looked back, that’s all I fucking did was look back and after her. Of course, she doesn’t know that, “Watch your language. You’ll speak to me with respect. And you know nothing.”

She leans back in her chair with her arms folded over her chest, “I’m not a stupid kid. I’m a woman.”

My eyes travel up and down her body, “I’m aware.”

Amira is not the little girl I was forced to leave behind. She has grown into a stunning young woman. Since she’s my stepdaughter, I’ll never be inappropriate with her, even once she’s eighteen. Still, I’m a man with eyes, and she’s fucking gorgeous. I’ve always been attracted to brunettes but suddenly long blonde hair and striking emerald eyes have me all tied up in knots. Gone is the skinny little kid I knew what now feels like a lifetime ago. Somehow it feels like she’s an entirely different person. She’s no longer the little kid I helped with homework. I glance at her full-painted red lips and quickly look away.

I clear my throat, “I came home from work and she had divorce papers sitting on the table. I was told to leave, and that I had no claim on you since I’m not your father.”

“So you just left. No figh-”

“Let me finish,” I growl. Amira thinks she knows everything when she knows nothing. As far as she’s concerned I’ve already been tried and convicted.

She closes her mouth, her lips pressed tight, “I left but fought her in court for years. First, I tried to get custody and then I was willing to at least settle for visitation. The judge ruled that since I was not your father, I had no rights. He said if she allowed you to see me that was fine but of course, she wouldn’t.”

I sit here watching her struggle. I’m sure she’s conflicted, she has hated me for years for abandoning her, and now she’s learning her hate may have been misplaced. I never would’ve fucking left her. Relaxing slightly she asks, “Why? Why wouldn’t she let you see me? I don’t understand what you did to make her so angry.”

“I found out she was using drugs the night before I left. I told her it wouldn’t be tolerated. We hadn’t been sleeping in the same bedroom for a couple of years at that point, but I was not willing to have drugs under my roof. I’m sorry if you didn’t know about the drugs.”

Amira looks away, whatever the emotion on her face is, it looks an awful lot like shame as she turns away from me.

Tears well in her eyes before she closes them tight.

When she opens them again, it’s clear she’s stuffed whatever she was feeling deep down, “Do what you want for her funeral but I’m not doing this. On my eighteenth birthday, I’ll be gone.”

She rises from her chair and runs off to her bedroom. This is not about her mother dying. My girl is broken but I don’t know why. What the fuck happened after I left?

I sit at my dining room table sipping my bourbon while I give Amira a few minutes to herself. I will get to the bottom of this. After emptying the contents of my glass I set it on the table and stand from my chair, taking in a deep breath, I walk up to her room. Knocking lightly, I enter to find her staring at a random fucking spot on the wall. I don’t like it. It reminds me far too much of her mother.

“Amira.”

Her eyes snap to mine, hers filled with sorrow, angst, and utter devastation.

I sit beside her on the bed, “Tell me what happened when I left.”

In a small voice she destroys me, “You ruined my life. When you left,” she shakes her head in obvious pain, “You left me in hell. One I’ll never get over.”

I ball my hands into fists, “You shouldn’t have had to take care of her. You were a child. I’m sorry.”

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