Page 47 of The Black Lotus
“Sorry. Would you like water? Or a soda? I could add ice to the tea.” Watching him fumbling to make me more comfortable in a place I don’t think I ever could be makes me soften as I relax into the couch.
“Water would be nice.”
He retreats into the kitchen, coming back with two waters, one for me and one for Aster. Taking the bottle from my dad, Aster’s arm tightens around me, pulling me into him. My dad’s eyes flash with something I don’t dare put a name to, collapsing into a chair opposite and spreading his legs wide as he leans forward.
His fingers twist between his thighs, his body nearly vibrating with tension as he takes a deep breath. “Sharon comes,came, from a…” His thumbs dance as he finds the right words to say, silence filling the room with a heavy weight. Aster and I impatiently wait; my leg bounces while his fingers tap along my shoulder, sending goosebumps skittering along my back and down my arms.
Dad looks up at us as he breaks the silence. “Her family is complicated. Where she came from. How she grew up.”
“What, was she in some kind of cult?” I scoff.
“The family she was a part of came from a lot of money. Old money. She grew up saying yes sir and ma’am and if she stepped out of line she was punished.”
I sit up straighter, scooting towards the edge of the cushion. “Is her family tied to something dangerous? Like the kind of danger I should be scared of?” He says nothing, just stares at me as if his eyes are answering my question.Holy fuck.Will we be punished for killing her? Another problem to deal with on top of everything else? Aster must be thinking the same thing because he’s intently listening to my father as he leans forward with his leg slightly bouncing.
“Her family was heavily involved, but she left when she was of age. She could never perform the sacrifice they require of all their members.”
“Will they come for me since I killed a family member of whatever her family was a part of?”
“No. I won’t let that happen. I know her family. They weren’t fond of her rejection, but they also can’t know she is dead. I promise I will take care of it.”
“So they will come for me?” I lean back, gripping my water bottle in my lap as Aster places his bottle on the side table and wraps his arm around me, holding me close. Fear wraps around me like the claws of a bird capturing their prey. Not only do I have Aster's mother and other serial killers to worry about, now I have Sharon’s family with their endless money and power.
I’m dead.
“Serena.” I look up at my dad, my eyes blurring from unshed tears, Aster’s hands steadying my shaking ones. “There are no cameras on that property, and you got rid of all evidence of you being there. I will go back and do a deep clean and scrub the place of everything. I’ll send a message to her family telling them she went missing after leaving me a message ending our relationship. Yes, they will look into it and me, but I’m sure, with your boyfriend's help, we can get away without any consequences. No one else’s blood will be shed.” He levels his gaze at Aster.
I trust my father’s words, something is telling me we will get away with it, that they will find nothing linking us to Sharon’s disappearance. But another part, a small voice in the back of my mind is telling me thatthisis not over. That what I did cannot be hidden and we all will pay the price for my actions. Taking a sip of my water, I let the cool liquid wash away the rest of my worries, hoping that little voice is a liar.
“Back at the farm you said she killed your mother; what do you mean?” His eyes bounce back and forth between mine, searching for the truth I know will shatter him.
Breaking my father’s heart is not something I ever wanted to do. Old Serena would have shredded it, but New Serena is dreading it. I cap the water bottle and place it on the coffee tablebetween us, stalling. I don’t want to tell him the real reason why the love of his life withered away slowly.
“You know how every villain loves to tell you their wicked plans and the reason behind them when they think they’re getting rid of their nemesis?” He nods, his hands clasped in front of his mouth, his arms digging into his knees. “Sharon was no exception.”
I bite my bottom lip and look my father in his eyes. “She said she was Mom’s nurse, and when Mom started getting better, she injected her with a drug that made sure she was dying slowly and painfully.” My eyes water, my voice cracking as I acknowledge the truth. “So, the doctor was right. Momwasbeating the cancer, but Sharon didn’t like that.” My dad’s fingers dig into the back of his palms, his jaw clenching as he listens. “She said she didn’t want to share you. She needed to get rid of Mom to make that happen and when it was taking too long for her to die, when Mom was fighting to stay alive, she started poisoning her.” I look away, not wanting to see the look in my father’s eyes. “Then Mom begged me to kill her, and I did. So, while Sharon didn’t deliver the final blow, she was the reason Mom never got better.”
My dad gets up calmly and walks away, my heart aching in my chest. I sob, and try to chase after him, but Aster grabs my wrist, shaking his head and stopping me from moving. I reluctantly sit back and flinch when I hear glass after glass shatter. I don’t know what my father is destroying, but it sounds endless. He starts to yell, his words incoherent, but just as soon the breaking started, the sound stops, his quiet sobs filling the sudden silence.
Aster and I sit in silence waiting for my father to return, and when he does, his clothes are wrinkled and his normally styled hair falls over his face. He falls back into his seat acting as though he never left, running his fingers through the black strands in an attempt to put it back in place.
“Thank you for telling me.”
His voice sounds dead. Broken. Unlike anything I’ve heard before.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” I ask, nervous to set him off further.
His head whips up. “You called me Daddy,” he whispers in awe. “I-I just needed a minute, but yes, Daddy is okay.” He forces a tired smile.
I return a sympathetic smile as my lip quivers. “I killed her the same way she tried to kill Mom.” The words leave me before I have a chance to stop myself.
His mouth drops open, then he laughs. A full blown belly laugh, one I haven’t heard since I was a child. Swiping the tears from his cheeks, he says, “My daughter, the karma of justice is impressive. Delivering the same treatment to that witch? You are your mother’s daughter.”
Standing up, I walk around the coffee table, dropping to my knees and hugging my father, the two of us crying.
“Your mother would be so proud of you.” He swipes the tears from my lashes, cradling my face in his hands.
Sniffling and looking up at him, I summon the courage for one final question. “Aster told me something that I’ve wanted to ask you about.”
