Page 69 of Losing a Piece of Me

“No, you haven’t heard anything yet.”

My sister looks at me with tears running down her cheeks. “Why did you do this? On today of all days?”

I feel my anger diminish just a little. “I didn’t know he was going to show up. This wasn’t my plan, trust me.” I look back at my dad who still has his back turned toward me. “Can we please go home and talk about this?”

“You are no longer welcome in my home.” His voice is cold - so cold, it feels like my heart freezes and shatters.

He’s the one that screws up yet I am the one that gets disowned?

“Fine, this is how you want it?” I place my hands on my hips and feel Striker come up behind me. “We can do this here.”

“Lex.” His voice is calm and controlled. It’s rough, filled with emotion and warning. He reaches for my hand but I jerk it away.

“No, I’m not going anywhere until they know everything.”

My dad rubs his temple and closes his eyes. “Let’s hear it. Tell me what you think you know.”

“I know everything. I know how you carried on an affair with Striker’s mom. I know that you got her pregnant and when she refused to terminate the pregnancy, you paid her to leave.” I scoff. “You’re no better than he is.”

Everyone is stock-still for a long moment.

“Is that true, Dad? Did you carry on an affair with his mom?” my sister asks. Her voice is shaking. She doesn’t know what to believe.

He spins around to face us all. “There was no affair! It was business!”

Striker stiffens at my side. “What does that mean?” I can tell by his tone of voice that he’s offended. My dad carried on a relationship with Striker’s mom, got her pregnant, and paid her to leave, but he’s saying it was just business?

“None of you know a goddamn thing!” He looks directly at Striker. “Your father’s drinking problem goes back further than you think.” He places his hands on his hips again, holding back his jacket.

“He only started beating you after your mother left. Before that, she was the target.”

Striker starts pacing. “Are you saying my mother was beat by my father? If that’s true, why did she leave me to be treated the same way?” He stops and looks at my father.

“She barely made it out alive. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have. I helped her. She wanted a divorce and custody of you. When your father found out, he went mad. He beat her and left her to die.”

We all stand completely still, listening intently.

“I had an appointment with her one afternoon. When she didn’t show up, I was worried. I went looking for her. I found her lying on the bathroom floor, beaten and bloody. I called an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital.” He pauses, looks at his feet, and rubs his forehead.

When he looks up, his eyes are bloodshot, like he’s holding back tears. “I did everything I could. I got her away from him, but you…” He shakes his head. “There wasn’t anything I could do. Your mother could have fought for custody, but then he would’ve known where to find her.”

He takes a step forward. “I gave her money, yes. But it was so she could get away from him and start over. Not to bribe her to leave because of a pregnancy.” He looks at me and my sister. “I’ve never carried on a relationship with anyone other than your mother. Ken is just…” He takes a long breath. “Ken is just Ken. He’s pissed off at me because I helped her escape him. There was no affair, no pregnancy. Only his drinking and abuse.”

We’re all in shock. My dad didn’t have an affair. Ken lied to me to get me away from Striker, and it worked. For six years, it worked.

I turn to look at Striker, who is pacing again, chest quickly rising and falling. His jaw is set and a scowl darkens his face. He’s hurt and pissed off.

I move into his path and he stops, looking at me with hurt-filled eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper before moving in to hold him.

His heat sinks into me and warms even the deepest, darkest parts of me.

I feel betrayed. But him? I can’t even begin to imagine what all is going through his head right now.

“I know where she is, Striker,” my dad says.

He pulls away from me and looks at my dad. “You’ve known where she was this whole time?”

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