Page 111 of The Fate Of Us

“No, Adaline. I want to know why this boy who made you cry and broke your heart iseating at our table right now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Goldie asked, her innocent eyes darting around thetable before landing on me. “When did he make you cry?”

“We’ll talk about it later—”

“When he left her all alone by the pier, that one not too far from here, because he was off fucking some college slutinstead.”

I know it should shock me, my dad seemingly caring about his daughter’s heart for thefirst time in her life. But it doesn’t. That night was probably the closest we’d been since I was a baby. He let me cry on him, as we pulled back into the driveway of our old house and he pulled me in for a hug.

It was one of the only times he was a father. Not a manager, or businessman; but a father, cradling his daughter through her first heartbreak.

But I couldn’t hold back the gasp after he'd said that.

“Dad, stop it!” I warned again.

“Addy, what is he talking about?”

“Marigold, don’t get involved, darling.” Mom hushed to her.

“Mom, if Goldie wants to say something, then let her speak. She’s not a baby.” I warnedher.

“Watch your tone, Adaline.”

“She doesn’t need to watch anything, she can say what she likes.” Nate glances at me fora second, before turning back to my dad. “And to answer your question, Sir—”

“Nate,” I grabbed his forearm. “Don’t.” My eyes fell to Goldie, before landing back onhim.

I felt him settle when I told him everything with one look.

She doesn’t know about what happened. She thinks we’re still friends, my drawn-togetherbrows and head tilt told him.

Okay, not a word, his nod and slow blink replied.

After a few moments of silence, I watched as Goldie threw her chopsticks back down onthe table, groaning with anger. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

I shook my head at her, dreading the way I could feel myself welling up. “Goldie, I’ll—”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you.” My dad starts, and my heart plummets to my toes. “That littleasshole sitting there is the reason we haven’t seen your sister in so long. He broke her heart and she ran away.”

“What?” Goldie’s eyes, doh-like and glassy, turn to me.

“James, language!!” My mom cries.

“That’s not true,” Nate says for me, eyeing up my dad. “Do you want me to fetch you amirror so you can see the real reason why your daughter left? Because you should know that you,” he glances at my mother. “Both of you, are the reason she finally left.”

“I beg your pardon?” My mother gasps. “How dare you say such things.”

“I mean, it’s very obvious, and if you didn’t come to that conclusion yourselves, you'remore self-centred than I knew you were when I was fourteen.”

I could practically feel the adrenaline pulsing off him as he stood up, dominating theconversation.

“In fact, it’s clear you don’t see it, because the second Addy left, you replaced her with that girl right there." He gestures to Goldie, whose eyes were wide with all types of fear and confusion. I dashed her a shaky smile, but she simply stared straight through me. "And now you’re taking her away from everything she knows to the other side of the world. And for what? For a movie she doesn’t even want to do?”

A laugh that I’d never heard my mom let out before poisoned the air, mocking andpowerful. “That’s nonsense. Where on earth did you get that idea?”

I chime in. “Well, considering that Goldie has told you on several occasions that shedoesn’t want to do it, then I’d take a whack and say that’s where he got the idea from.’

Mom shakes her head, as though what we'd said was a joke. “No, she hasn’t.”

---