Page 42 of Mercy

"It's ironic," I say, my voice low and bitter, "because I hoped I'd never see you again."

The cashier hands me the bag and my card.

I grab them, ready to bolt, but my father's hand shoots out, gripping my arm tightly.

"Don't be so disrespectful, Meghan," he growls, his fingers digging into my skin.

Anger flares within me, overriding my fear.

I wrench my arm away from his grasp, my eyes blazing. "Don't you ever fucking touch me again," I hiss. "You should take your own advice about respect."

As I storm towards the exit, my mind races.

I burst through the pharmacy doors, my heart pounding in my chest.

The cool night air hits my face, but I can barely feel it.

My only thought is to get to my car and get the hell out of here.

As I reach for the door handle, a fist slams into the window beside me with a sickening thud.

I let out a startled yelp, stumbling backward.

"We're not done talking, Meggie," my father's voice growls behind me.

I whirl around, my back pressed against the cool metal of my car. "What more could you possibly have to say?" I spit out, my hands shaking.

He takes a step closer, his massive frame looming over me. "I never did anything bad to you, Meghan. Everything I did was for our family."

Something inside me snaps.

A lifetime of pain and anger comes rushing to the surface, and I can't hold it back anymore.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I scream, not caring who might hear. "You traded my body like it was a goddamn baseball card! To your business associates, no less!"

His face contorts with anger, but I'm beyond caring.

The words pour out of me like venom.

"Do you have any idea how disgusting it was? To be a child—a fucking teenager—and be used like that?" My voice breaks, butI force myself to continue. "You were supposed to protect me, not... not pimp me out for your own gain!"

As I say the words out loud, the full weight of what he did to me hits me all over again.

I feel sick to my stomach, but I can't stop now.

I need him to understand, to feel even a fraction of the pain he caused me.

"I was just a kid," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "Your kid. How could you do that to me?"

My father shakes his head, his eyes cold and unapologetic. "You don't understand, Meggie. Certain things needed to be done so our family could get the power we have now. Sacrifices had to be made."

His words hit me like a physical blow.

Sacrifices?

Is that what he calls destroying my childhood, my innocence?

My hands ball into fists at my sides, rage coursing through my veins.

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