Page 149 of Collateral Damage
I made a tourniquet for his leg.
But Dad…
Dad never resurfaced.
The sobs come harder. I could never blame Cooper for my father going into the water. He died trying to save him, and he wouldn’t have gone in if he didn’t care about Cooper in the first place.
And now Cooper hates me. How is that fair?
The accident was an accident—but what Cooper did to me was on purpose.
Wiping away the tears, I roll over and retrieve my phone, not letting myself read his texts or listen to his voicemails. I delete them all. If he really wanted to talk, he could’ve come here.
Right before I block his number, I send him a final text, my fingers shaking with every letter I type.
Sybil: You got your revenge, Cooper. I hope it was worth it. I’m truly sorry about what happened to your leg. I wish I would have known you blamed me for it. We should have talked about this a long time ago, and I regret not coming to the hospital when it happened.
Regarding Top of the World, I know you were involved in screwing me over. It makes me sad for both of us, but it happened. I’ve decided it’s best to cut off contact. You and I are toxic, and there’s too much bad blood. Please respect my decision, and let me move on. I’m blocking your number and banning you from my building. I hope you have a happy life and find the healing you deserve.
I realize it’s a long text—a big blue chunk he might not even read, but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t write it for him. I wrote it for me.
Sixty-Four
Cooper
Past - Age 27
I’m standing alone, eyeing the bar. I shouldn’t be, but being at Ethan and Arden’s wedding reception is testing my resolve. As if sensing my unease, my father strides over, gripping my shoulder.
“How long have you been sober?” he asks.
I turn on him, and he releases me. “How did you know?”
“I make it my business to know what my sons are up to. As far as I can tell, you haven’t had a drink in months. You also removed the bar cart from your office. I’m impressed.”
I guess I wasn’t inconspicuous, but I don’t want this to be a big deal. “Thanks. I haven’t had a drink since New Year’s Eve.”
It’s March. It’s the longest I’ve gone in a decade.
He nods slowly. “Do I want to know what happened on New Year’s Eve?”
My eyes shift to where Sybil is chatting with some friends across the room. Excusing the fact that we’re here to celebrateEthan and Arden’s elopement, it’s obvious Sybil is responsible for this party.
“No,” I tell my father, embarrassment coloring the back of my neck. Now that I haven’t touched a drop for a few months, I realize how much alcohol controlled me. Not anymore. The only thing I want controlling me from now on is myself.
“Well, I’m proud of you,” he says, and I shouldn’t care that he’s proud of me, but I do. I’ve been programmed to seek his approval. “It takes strength to give up a vice like that.” He turns so we’re shoulder to shoulder, his gaze also flicking to Sybil. “You’ve given up two vices, it seems.”
The comment makes me pause. Doesn’t matter that I think she’s the most beautiful person I’ve seen in real life. I don’t want her anymore.
It feels good to be free of her.
Ethan and his new wife dance nearby, the two lost in their own bubble of love, and a pain of guilt twists my gut. I don’t want to use their engagement party as part of my plan, but once I let Dad in, he helped me plot the whole thing.
Tonight is, unfortunately, an important element of the story we’re creating here. The first reveal has to come publicly, with all the Kings and Laurences, so they can’t bury it with lawyers.
Ethan’s going to be pissed, and Arden will be hurt, but I don’t see another way. There are casualties in war.
“We should speak in private,” Dad says, and I follow him from the ballroom and into an empty hallway.
