Page 65 of Fallen Petal

Chapter 32

Malia

He doesn’t look like the man I expected to see. I was prepared for the worst, ready to face a broken man, guilt-ridden and pained by the despair her disappearance must have caused him.

I had my first words laid out, a little monologue that was supposed to offer him consolation when nothing else could. I thought I’d have to face the anguish of guilt, knowing that I’m partly to blame for his current terror.

I felt sick to the stomach as I stood in front of his door, bracing myself as I waited for him to open it for me.

My concerns were washed away and replaced with something else when he finally did.

“Malia,” he said, his eyebrows flying up in surprise. “What brings you here?”

I’m struck by the ease in his voice. That’s not how I expected to find the man whose daughter has recently disappeared into thin air.

“I… I just wanted to check up on you,” I stutter. “To see how you’re doing. Since Liliane—”

“Abandoned her only living relative? Turned her back on the man who raised her, who did everything for her?” he cuts me off, anger lacing his stance as he crosses his arms in front of his chest as he leans against the doorframe. “You were in on it, weren’t you? I’m sure she told her best friend about her plans.”

I swallow hard. So, he found the letter. “Excuse me, what—”

“Oh come, don’t play dumb with me, Malia. I read her letter. I know what she’s up to. She probably went back to that boy,” he bellows. “She never listens to me, never has, never will. Ungrateful and wayward, just like her mother. I’m done trying with her.”

I stare up at him, appalled at his reaction. Even when factoring in the letter, I expected him to worry about her, to be sad about her leaving, and to feel pushed down by the guilt of driving her away with his overbearing behavior.

But this?

“Aren’t you worried about her?”

He scoffs, lowering his gaze, and for a split second, I see the sorrow cast over his face that I expected to find.

“I was always worried about her,” he says, sounding offended. “Day and night I worried about her, because I know what’s best for her. But where did that get us? She ran off. Just like her mother did back then. She doesn’t deserve my concern, not anymore.”

“You don’t really mean that,” I utter.

But Robert just shakes his head, the expression on his face hard and unforgiving.

“I meant it,” he insists. “This time I really do. She’s abandoned me once before, and I came after her. I won’t do that same mistake again.”

Violent pain throbs through my chest, reeking of guilt and regret. I was so sure to do the right thing, but with just a few words and eyes that lack the sorrow I needed to see, Robert managed to make me doubt everything.

Did I do the right thing?

Was Jayson right all along?

Did I not see her, not listen to her—just like her father never did?

Did I just make a very big mistake?

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