Page 75 of Wreck Me

I’m done waiting. Trey and I aren’t making any progress. Everything is a dead end. Other than yearbook photos and class lists, there’s no other connection we can find that would explain my dad’s hate for the Hayes family and why he’s so damn adamant about me staying away.

He’s texted damn near every day, asking when I’ll be in Seattle and when I’ll be making things right with Lexi. I did send her a simple text apologizing for how rude I was, but aftereverything I told her in Maine, I’m pretty sure she took the hint that I wasn’t interested.

My phone chimes again, another bullshit text message reminding me how my life will be over if I don’t deliver, and what a failure I am, just propels me to do one last drop-in to try to talk him off the ledge.

I wake up at four-thirty, having spent the night alone, and I’m not happy about it. Driving back and forth is starting to get to Carter, and he hasn’t spent the night here since our evening at Temptations. It’s been days and I fucking miss having him in my bed.

After getting ready, I get into my SUV around six to start the three-hour drive into Seattle, knowing that I’m just going to have to drive back once I’m done. It’s bullshit, but I’ve got to see him in person and he hasn’t been working at the western office lately. Talking on the phone and giving him the opportunity to hang up on me isn’t an option.

After getting stuck in traffic for an hour, I’m arriving at the office building a full hour later than I had hoped I would. After I’ve parked, I shoot Trey a text to let him know where I am and that I won’t be in the office today, and then send Carter a text telling him I’m thinking about him.

Taking a deep breath, I lock up my vehicle and make the trek to the top floor to no doubt fight with my asshole father. His ass-face receptionist, who I would expect to be here, isn’t in her normal place, so I let myself in through the glass doors and walk to the back where my father’s private office is.

My footsteps pause, the moans and thumping audible through the second set of closed doors catching me completely off guard. Knowing that my mom is in Paris this week, I steady myself for what I’m about to see. Like picking up a shoe after you’ve killed a spider, I have to check to make sure what I’m hearing is in fact, my piece of shit father cheating on mymother. Blood rushes between my ears and I almost can’t believe this is fucking happening.

With a shaky hand, I twist the silver doorknob and push it open. I expected his secretary, whom I’ve suspected of sleeping with him in the past, but what I find is so much better. I quickly pull out my phone and snap a photo, making sure my dad’s face is front and center in the frame.

Lucky for me, they are both facing my direction, and I don’t have to see my indisposed father’s shriveled dick. Instead, I get a front-row view of him barreling into none other than Lexi Fairchild. Her blonde hair is splayed over his desk, where she lies bent over, dress flipped up, my dad right behind her. Neither hears me until I start slowly clapping. My dad’s head shoots up, his face red and angry.

“Get the fuck out, Griffin!” he roars, his voice thundering through the room as he pushes off of Lexi and bends to pull up his pants. Lexi pushes the hair out of her face as she looks at me, her eyes going wild with panic.

“No, I don’t think I’m going to go anywhere.”

“This isn’t what it looks like, Griffin,” Lexi tries to argue.

“It’s exactly what it looks like, Lexi. I’m not blind. We were never going to be together, and I couldn’t care less about what you do, but I highly suggest you run for the hills and figure yourself out before you are tangled any further with men like him. No amount of money is worth this.” It’s more kindness than she deserves after her role in shattering my weekend with Carter in Maine, but I don’t fully blame her. She’s the product of her father’s demands, just like I am, only I’m choosing to break the cycle, and she’s continuing it. I hope she gets her life together before she winds up spending it numb and empty like both of our mothers.

Lexi scrambles past me to leave the office, and I’m left staring at my father.

“I neverwant to hear you say that I’m a disappointment again after what I just walked in on,” I seethe.

He doesn’t say a word, and I turn on my heels to leave. It’s better he stews for a bit, wondering what I’m going to do with the information I just gained on him, rather than fighting it out now. For the first time in my life, I have the upper hand and he knows it.

Once I’m in my car, I start it up to crank up the AC, the heat of the day already sweltering, especially in my office clothes. I always suspected my dad wasn’t faithful to my mother, but to suspect it and see it firsthand are two completely different things. I gave up the fantastical dreams of a kid that my father was going to suddenly wake up and be the role model and protector that all the other kids I went to school with had. But this cements my feelings for the man who created me. All he’s ever cared about is power and how to gain more of it by weaponizing his money.

I’m struggling with the best course of action. I immediately want to use every vile piece of hate he’s ever thrown at me, every time he’s used me, bullied me, left me to fend for myself, embarrassed me, made me this human who is constantly seeking praise and never feeling like he’s good enough for anything, to crumble him. But I don’t want to be anything like him, and that’s exactly what he would do if the tables were turned.

I gave him almost thirty years of my life, breaking myself to become someone he could be proud of, but it was never enough, and it was never going to be enough. I was set up for failure from the moment he had me. He’s always looked at me as a piece of his business, an asset that he can mold and control. I’ve lost too much of myself and too much time because of him. This ends here. Adrenaline is coursing through me as I unlock my phone and quickly bring up Trey’s chat.

Me: Done already

Trey: Fuck bro. That was like ten minutes. I knew driving up there was gonna be for nothing

Me: You won’t feel that way when I show you the photo I just took

Trey: Give me more than that

Me: Sure you don’t want the surprise later? Kinda want to see your face when you see what I found

Trey: Fuckin’ tell me or I’ll cut off your dick and feed it to you

Me: Just walked in on my dad with Lexi Fairchild bent over his desk

Trey: No fucking way

Trey: You were just given the fucking keys to the city brother

Me: No shit.

---