Page 64 of The Other Half

I bite the inside of my cheek and nod. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry for the way things have turned out.”

I nod again, because I have nothing nice to say to that. It’s going to take a lot more than a cool car for me to forgive everything he’s done.

“I’ve always wanted what’s best for you,” he continues. “I want you to be with someone who deserves you, someone that treats you right.”

I grip the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white. What the hell does he know about treating anyone right? “He never treated me badly.” Until you fucked everything up. I turn back into our driveway and put the car in park.

“Your mother wants a divorce.”

“I know.”

He sighs. “I don’t want you to ruin your life over a boy. And I know your mom is much more lenient than I am. I won’t be able to monitor your every move anymore if you two move out.”

Thank God. “I’m not going to ruin my life, Dad.”

“You can keep this car if you promise to stay away from him. Go to college, focus on your studies, and find someone that’s worth your while. There are going to be plenty of boys to choose from.”

He’s got to be kidding. What a pathetic attempt at a bribe. “You don’t get to choose who I date. I’m an adult.” My voice shakes slightly. I’m prepared for him to hit me again. Or worse.

“You know, I could leave you and your mother with nothing if I wanted to,” he says impassively. “I could walk away and leave her without a penny because we signed a prenup.”

I sit there with my mouth open. What is he getting at? He would leave her with nothing over something as petty as this? Mom would still have her job, and half of the rental income.

“Don’t fuck everything up for yourself now. Do you know what you’d be if it weren’t for me?” He waits for me to answer, but I say nothing, still stunned at his complete 180 in disposition. “Nothing. You’d be nothing. You’d be an average looking girl with average intelligence, that might be able to get into an average college.”

My heart sinks into my stomach. Gee, tell me how you really feel, Dad. I swallow the lump in my throat and pull the keys out of the ignition, tossing them into the center console.

“You know it’s the truth.”

I get out of the car and slam the door behind me. Tears sting the back of my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. I’m not crying over my father anymore, I’ve done way too much of that for one lifetime.

“Where are you going?” he yells at my back.

“For a walk,” I answer calmly. I expect him to say something else or follow me, but instead I hear my front door slam in the distance behind me. I swallow back the tears that are still trying to escape and keep walking.

Chapter 50

Oakley

It’s late afternoon and the sky is overcast. The air is balmy and thick, and it’s cold but not cold enough to snow. Maybe mid-forties. I probably should be wearing more than a thin sweater and leggings, though.

I walk through the gate and out of my neighborhood, knowing exactly where my feet are taking me. The wind starts to pick up and I wrap my arms around myself, to try and conserve warmth and also to soothe the chill in my heart.

I feel a tiny drop of moisture graze my forehead, and I look up. Suddenly I hear raindrops falling all around me, plopping hard against the concrete. It’s the type of rain where the raindrops are big and heavy, and it feels like you’re standing right under your showerhead.

I’m already at the halfway point between our houses, so no matter what I do, I’m going to get soaked. I might as well keep going. I start jogging, only because it feels weird to walk calmly in the rain. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and I see a crack of lightning out of the corner of my eye. Shit. I would choose to be impulsive the one time we have a thunderstorm in the middle of winter.

I break out into a sprint the rest of the way. Finally I can make out my destination in the distance through the sheets of rain. I keep sprinting until I’m running up the wooden steps to his porch. I pause, trying to catch my breath and do something to fix my appearance before knocking, but I quickly realize it’s a futile effort. My clothes are soaked like I just jumped in a swimming pool, and the wet strands of my hair are glued to my head. I ring out my hair like a dishrag, a small stream of water flowing out of it. That’s about the best I can do.

I lightly knock on the door, second guessing myself. I didn’t even consider that his parents might not want me here. Do they know who my dad is too? Probably. Why would he hide it from them?

The door opens and reveals an attractive, slender woman standing in the doorway. She looks a little bit younger than my mom. She has curly red hair and ice blue eyes, and a ski slope nose with just a few freckles dusted over the bridge of it.

She eyes me up and down confused, “May I help you?”

“I–” God, this is embarrassing. “I was wondering if Oliver was here?”

---