Page 287 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 9
“Great,” he said. “I’m glad you understand.”
“Yeah, I definitely understand.”
“I should be getting back.”
“Go for it.”
“Oh, and Mila?”
“Yes?” I let a small piece of me feel hopeful. But just a small part. Because my dad had stomped on my heart so many times I’d lost count.
“When I said we’d only pay for this last year of tuition that really did meanjustthe tuition. We’ll be switching over to a new phone plan at the end of the month and we won’t be transferring your number. That gives you some time to make the appropriate arrangements.”
I forgot that he also paid for my shattered cell phone.Great.“Not a problem,” I said. I could pick up a few extra shifts at Sweet Cravings. Besides, he’d always been wrong about the money and gifts. They didn’t fill the void of him not being around. They made me feel cheap and unwanted. And I didn’t need his fucking handouts. I didn’t need him in my life at all. I was as done as he was.
“Have a good summer, Mila.”
I wished he meant it. I wished his words didn’t have the double meaning, because all I heard was that he didn’t want to hear from me for at least the rest of the summer. But most of all, I wished my father wasn’t such a dick. I think I hated him more than I hated Aiden. And that was really saying something. “You too, Dad.”I hope the rest of your life is everything you want it to be. But it won’t include me anymore.I hung up the phone. I tried to wipe my tears away, but they kept falling.
I’d wasted so many years of my life trying to be enough for him to love me. Why wasn’t I enough? Why was I never enough? Hisnew family wasn’t better than me. They were just shiny and new. He’d probably get bored again in a few years and break all their hearts too. I felt a little better knowing that his assholeness had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him.
I took a deep breath and got up off my bed. I was done being a steppingstone. Anyone who didn’t want me in their life? It was a two-way street. I didn’t want them either. And I didn’t need to wait till the end of the month to rip the Band-Aid off. There was a cell phone store at the end of the boardwalk. I’d get a new phone right now. A new number. And cut all the toxicity out of my life for good.
Those Summer Nights - Chapter 22
Saturday
Two hours later, I was walking out into the sunshine with a brand new phone. About 30 minutes into standing around and waiting to be helped, I had considered coming back. Saturday afternoon probably wasn’t the best day to go. Especially since I had Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which had to be less busy. But at that point I had already waited a while. Besides, now it was done. And two hours was a short amount of time to waste given the fact that I’d wasted 21 years on my dad. Now I was free. I wasn’t even going to give him my new number. Not that he’d be missing it…he never called me anyway.
I pulled out my phone from the bag and squinted at the screen in the sun. It was an older model than the one I used to have, but it was surely just as good. It’s not like I needed all the new fancy camera functions. I wasn’t exactly the type that was taking selfies for Instagram nonstop like the girls I had just passed on the boardwalk.
The tech guy helping me had tried to transfer all my contacts into my new phone and I practically had to tear it out of his fingers. I didn’t need all my old contacts. All I needed my phone for was communicating with three people – my mom, Kristen, and J.J. That was it. And by communicating, obviously I meant texting because calling people was the worst thing ever. Phone calls should have been un-invented years ago, if un-inventing things was a thing.And voice mails. Don’t even get me started on the demonic ways of voicemails. Anyone who leavesvoicemails should be bitch-slapped into next week by the phone they used to commit such a heinous crime.
I pulled out the piece of paper I’d scribbled my important numbers on, which had caused quite the eye roll from the tech guy, and put them into my new phone. And then I shot off three texts, letting the only three nice people in my life know how to contact me now.
Kristen responded immediately. “New phone? Exciting! But do you know what’s more exciting? The package that showed up an hour ago with your name on. Get your ass home before I give in and open it myself!”
I thought about what on earth it could be as I walked down the boardwalk. But it only took me a few seconds to realize what it probably was. Well, there were two options really. Either it was anything I’d left at my dad’s house that he wanted to get rid of, which may have been one book or something else small. I’d never even had my own room at his new house. Whenever I’d visited when I was younger, I was always sent to the guest room.How fitting since that’s how he views me.I was too naïve to realize it at the time. I’d just considered the room temporarily mine since I didn’t live there. For years I’d always given him the benefit of the doubt when I should have been throwing hot coffee in his face on a daily basis.
The other option for a surprise package wasn’t quite as insulting. Maybe it was the stuff I’d asked Aiden to ship back to me. If that was the case, it was good news. It meant I got all my stuff back and that he was most likely done calling me nonstop. I smiled to myself. He couldn’t call me anymore even if he wanted to. I had a new number. Win win all around. And if it was my stuff from hisapartment, that meant I could wear that cute dress I’d left in his closet. Otherwise I’d surely be squeezed into God knows what of Kristen’s. Not that she had too much time to torture me. J.J. was supposed to come pick me up in less than an hour.
I walked up the steps to my apartment. As I rummaged around in my purse for my keys, the door flung open.
“You have to see what’s inside before I die!” Kristen said as she thrust the box into my hands.
It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. There was no mailing or return address. And it wasn’t a standard brown shipping box. It looked more like a clothing box but it was wrapped in a sparkly white wrapping paper with a pink satin bow.
“How do you even know it’s for me?” I asked. I had never gotten a present wrapped so elegantly before. Not even for my sweet sixteen. Kristen was probably wrong. It was probably dropped off at the wrong house.
“Oh. That. One sec.” Kristen disappeared into our apartment.
I kicked the door closed and followed her.
“It came with a note.” She handed it to me.
“You read it?”
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not freaking mail fraud, it didn’t even come via the post office. The present was just sitting on the front step when I got back from work. So Ihadto look. How else would I have known it wasn’t for me?”
