Page 85 of Something Borrowed

He pulls his mouth tight.

“You look like shit. Have you showered since you got here?” he snaps, tossing a set of fresh clothes onto the bed. I stare at them, then I stare at him, not saying a word.

He paces around the room as though he was strolling through a park on a summers day. His hands tucked into his pockets.

When he gets to the window, he reaches up and yanks the curtain open, flooding the space with glaring white light.

I blink against it, scrunching my eyes to narrow slits.

“Where is Rufino?” I mutter, finally finding my voice.

“Speak up, girl, I can’t understand you.” He huffs, looking bored.

“Where is Rufino?” I scream, my fingers digging into the blankets.

My father laughs, tilting his head to the side while he watches me with amusement.

“He’s not coming. Haven’t you figured it out by now? You were nothing but a game for him. A little side fling.Entertainment. He used you, Verity and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

“You’re wrong about him.”

“I’m not. The only report I’ve had about the man you love, since you last saw him, is that he was seen at Collision, partying up a storm. Enjoying his life and freedom from the burden of you. He’s already forgotten about you. You are nothing but a blip in his past now.”

I shake my head. It can’t be true. He’s just saying that to mess with me.

Swallowing hard to push the tears away because I don’t want my father to see me crying, I stand up off the bed. I’m lightheaded from not eating enough and my clothes smell of sweat.

I did shower, but I had nothing else to change into.

My father looks me up and down and his lips curl into an expression of disgust.

“Shower. Then come out and have dinner with me in the living room.” He sighs.

“Are you going to let me go?” I ask, glaring at him with defiance.

“No, Verity. Until you accept that your life belongs to me, you will never leave this room.”

“How do you decide that?” I scream. “What makes your choices better than mine?”

He walks up to me and grabs my face in his hands.

“You look just like her.” His fingers dig into my cheeks, then he pushes my head to the side and lets go, wiping his hand off on his pants as though I was something dirty.

“You killed her didn’t you.” I whisper, filled with hate.

The edges of his mouth curl up into a grotesque smile.

“I don’t know why you would think that.” He shrugs, acting innocent.

“Now clean up, get dressed, and come have dinner with me.”

“No.” I say again, glaring at him. “Just kill me now and get it over with.”

He slaps me hard across the face. Heat and pain burn into my cheek.

“Then rot in here until you die.” He snarls, spinning away from me and storming towards the door.

It slams shut behind him.

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