Page 68 of Wicked & Wildflower

The ruined goods.

Worthless.

“All because the only thing you’ve ever really cared about is her.” I swallow, my throat constricting.

My father doesn’t bother responding.

“Well, unfortunately for you, all I’ve ever really cared about is Darby too. So, no deal. Leave me alone. Leave my child alone. Leave my sister and my brother-in-law the fuck alone. Or I’ll take your precious little files, with all your fucking fraud, right to the authorities. I hope you’ve cleared those offshore accounts, Daddy.”

My father doesn’t deny anything I’ve said, doesn’t try to hide it or cover it up.

At least now I know exactly where things stand.

He simply responds, “You won’t do that, Dahlia. I know you won’t.” There’s a pause, and I know it’s because he’s readying himself to drop whatever bomb will obliterate me next. “Because you’re still holding out for the one thing you’ve never gotten from me…” I canfeelhis cruel smile, can see it in my mind. “My approval.”

A sob rips out of me, and I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop it.

How did I get here?

How did I let him win again?

“All you’ve got to do, Dahlia, darling, is come back home. All three of you.”

I can’t listen to another word of it. I can’t keep playing his games. I pull the phone from my ear, ending the call before tossing it across my office in a fit of frustration. Another wail escapes me as I sink to the ground behind my desk.

Suddenly, my door is thrown open, and Everett appears. His eyes work rapidly to take in the scene before stopping at my face. Cataloging my tears, my trembling limbs, and heaving breaths,he’s immediately slamming the door closed, taking purposeful steps to remove the space between us. When he reaches me, he sinks to his knees.

“What happened, Wildflower?” My mouth opens, but it’s another sob that escapes. His eyes are frantic, darting around the room in search of the source of my pain. He sports a desperate expression when he looks back at me, pleading and begging for an explanation. “Tell me who did this.”

I shake my head; words are beyond me.

Leaning back against the wall, Everett wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest. I fall into his lap, my tears soaking his warm skin as I bury my face in his neck.

One of his hands comes around the back of my head, soothing me as he brushes his fingers through my hair. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”

“Can you come in with me?” I ask. “I can’t deal with Tana alone right now.”

Everett gives me a soft nod from the passenger seat of my car as I pull into the school lot. In addition to all of the other shit I’ve been hiding, I haven’t told anyone about the note left on my car after Lou’s soccer game weeks ago. It never happened again, so I figured it wasn’t something worth getting everyone up in arms about.

I’m convinced it’s the other parents from Lou’s school, their weird, sick way of hazing the new girls in town. I can’t be surethat the note was aimed at me and me alone; they could’ve been referring to Darby too. But apparently, happiness and regularly scheduled orgasms have provided her with a no-fucks-given attitude, because she has taken well to ignoring the rumors and sideways stares.

The people whispering around town that she’s pregnant—that Leo only proposed so early to do the right thing by her because she trapped him—particularly upset me. As if these fucking assholes have any idea what she has gone through.

Despite Everett and Leo’s insistence that Tana’s disdain for me is due to some teenage grudge, I refuse to believe anyone is actually that petty. Plus, the real answer is clear as day to me; I’m used to it. I had a kid at nineteen. Even though I’m twenty-nine and she can’t be a day over thirty-five, she’s only ever going to see me as a trashy teen mom.

Tana also happens to be the receptionist at the elementary school, meaning in order to sign Lou out, I’ve got to interact with her. I don’t want to believe that Tana and her group of petty parents would be the ones leaving threatening notes on the hood of my car, but I can’t imagine it being anyone else.

Well, that’s not true. My father would do that, but he’s not here.

So, that leaves them. With everything else that’s gone on today and the need to plaster a happy smile on my face when I see my kid, I can’t face Tana alone.

After breaking down in Everett’s arms in my office, I told him everything about the conversation with my dad—leaving out the blackmail, of course. Because nobody knows about that, not even my sister. I know if I told Darby and Leo, they’d insist I return the thumb drive to get my father off my back. Darby wouldn’t support me turning him in. Despite all he’s done to us, she wouldn’t be able to do that to him. As pathetic as it is, he might’ve been right in assuming I can’t do it either.

I know she and Leo would insist they fight this battle themselves. Leo has no fear, but he doesn’t know my dad. That man used me once before to tear them apart, and they lost ten years because of it. I can’t risk him finding a way to do it again. I owe that to the two of them.

I told Everett everything else, though, every gross detail of my father’s words and motives. For the first time in my life, I allowed someone else to see how worthless I am in my parent’s eyes. The throwaway kid—the lost cause.

He held me through it, whispering reassurances in my ear. I could see rage and devastation on his face, but he didn’t voice any opinions of his own. He only listened.

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