“I’m sorry, baby girl, I know you’re hurt and angry, and the thought of this is more than likely making you sick, but honey, believe me, Kayla is the best choice. She knows what you went through, knows that none of it was your fault, and she was your mother’s best friend. They talked constantly and stayed in touch even when she moved. But you need to understand, we don’t have any other option,” he sighs, “it’s only for a year, baby girl, and then you can leave and come home. It’s just a year.”
“Yeah, Dad,” the disdain leeches from me as the reality of the situation I now face starts to fully hit home. “It’s only a year. Logan hates you; he blames us for everything that happened. He said he wanted to make me pay for the pain I put his family through. Please don’t ask me to do this.”
“Sweetheart, I need to tell you something.” He looks almost ashamed to admit the truth. “Logan doesn’t know what happened to you all those years ago or why I reacted the way I did. We all thought it was best not to tell him, you had suffered so much, and his parents didn’t want the guilt to tear him up. Just meet with Kayla and talk to her; she will tell you the same thing. She will want you there with them, and together maybe you and Logan can put this all behind you and heal properly.”
I didn’t know what to do or think. I got the answers I needed, but I was leaving even more confused. Looking back up at Dad, I offer a tight smile, and I squeeze his hand.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try, for you.” I pause as the guard indicates that our time is almost up. “I love you, Dad, and I wish this nightmare was over.”
Looking over at the guard, as if to ask a silent question, Dad waits for him to nod in reply before walking around the table, grabbing me, and pulling me in for a tight hug. He whispers in my ear, “I know, baby girl, now I need you to be the warrior I know you are. We probably won’t see each other for a while, but just know I love you, and I will always be here for you.”
With a soft kiss to my forehead, he motions to the guard that he is ready to leave and is escorted out of the room. I wait a moment before following him out, stopping to gather my things from the front office, and saying goodbye to the guards before my long trip home.
I have to spend the next year living with Logan’s family for reasons I am still not sure I understand. But if I have to be there, I’m going to find the truth in what Logan knows and why he thinks I need to suffer any more than I already have.
I need answers. If he truly doesn’t know what happened to me, what exactly does he blame me for, and why does he hate me so damn much?