Chapter 58

Fiona

After I send the congratulatory email off to the staff of the month, my phone rings. Not my office phone but my cell phone which is unusual. I don’t get a lot of calls from anyone other than Isla, and she wouldn’t call me at work like this.

“Hello?”

“Fiona Kate Bowen!” I yank the phone away from my ear, surprised by my maiden name and my father’s angry voice.

“Dad, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I ask once he stops yelling. “Did something bad happen on your trip?”

His huffs of frustration and anger are the only thing that reach my ears for a few minutes before he speaks again.

“Of course not, Fiona. Our trip went perfectly fine,” he growls. “I hear you were up to your usual tricks while we were gone.”

Tricks? If anyone is up to tricks, it’s him and Jack. I’ve never tricked him once in my life.

“What are you talking about, Dad? Did something happen?” I ask again, pushing for an answer he doesn’t want to give.

“I already said nothing happened.”

“Then why are you so angry? You said I’ve been up to tricks, but what are you talking about?”

He groans in anger before answering, “You’re not even divorced yet, and you’re flaunting your relationship with your boss.”

I roll my eyes.

“What of it? You never cared about this before.”

“Fiona, your disrespect, theft, debauchery, and lies are putting me at my wits end,” he snarls, his words confusing me more than anything else he’s said. “You should be taking care of your family before anything.”

I drop my head into my hand and sigh. As with every conversation we’ve had lately, my heart aches at his words.

“Why don’t you just admit the real reason you called me.”

“Real reason? What are you on about, girl?” He questions, sounding unsure, but I know he’s stalling.

There’s only one reason he would call me this angry.

“Just ask me what you really want to ask, Dad,” I tell him, egging him to ask about my mother’s will. I don’t want to bring it up because I want him to admit he had it. He’s the one in the wrong here, not me.

He spoke of my theft and lies, but what about his? He had no right to take the will and keep it from me. He had no right to join Jack and Jessica in their attack against me. Just because you give birth to someone doesn’t mean you can automatically use them however you want, and I won’t allow it anymore.

“Anything you want to say, Dad?” I ask again. When my father stays silent, stewing in his anger, I shake my head.

The audacity of some people astounds me.

“Admit you stole Mom’s original will, created fake documents, and replaced the fake ones so that you and Jack could manipulate me while stealing all of Mom’s money,” I tell him. There’s no use waiting for him to bring it up, I guess. I’d be waiting forever if I do.

“I-I did no such thing!” He screams, making me pull the phone away from my ear again. “Little girl, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never disrespect Elizabeth’s wishes like that. How could you accuse me of something so—”

I scoff at his whiny, angry tone.

“Don’t bother,” I spit, scrubbing a hand over my face. “You’re nothing but a liar and a cheat. Someone that I’m ashamed to be related to.”

“YOU LITTLE—”

“I won’t be your puppet anymore, Dad. Goodbye.”

Slapping my phone down on the desk, I drop my head to my arms and let out a long breath. With everything already happening, I don’t need someone in my life that only wants to use me. I’m getting rid of Jack, and while I wish my father would be someone I could count on, he’s not.

They say you can’t change people, and I guess I should have realized that after my father denied helping me multiple times. He’d rather get money than help his daughter.

Would I be better off without him in my life?

As a little girl, I always thought he’d be there for me, but the realization that he doesn’t want anything except my money makes the crack in my chest deepen. The nail that’s been hammered at every time he hurt me going deeper and deeper until it finally splits my heart in half.

“You alright?” Ethan’s deep voice makes me lift my head. He stands in the doorway of his office, watching me with soft, concerned eyes.

When he sees my face, his eyes narrow, and he moves forward. Then, he kneels beside me and gentle hands cup my cheeks. The butterflies in my stomach start fluttering again at his touch, coming to life like they always do when he touches me.

Leaning into his touch, I savor the warmth he provides.

“Don’t cry,” Ethan murmurs, brushing tears I didn’t know were falling from my cheeks. “What happened? Who was that on the phone?”

“M-my dad,” I mutter, sniffling and trying to keep the tears back.

“Are you okay?”

I nod, but after our eyes connect, and I see the deep sincerity in those green orbs, I shake my head.

Before I can say anything, Ethan is standing, scooping me into his arms, and marching to his office. The pull to him makes me lean into him, and for some reason, I don’t want him to put me down. Lately, any time he touches me, I don’t want him to stop.

My heart calms to a slower, steady beat while my anxiety lessens with each step closer to Ethan’s office. Once through the door, Ethan kicks it shut and walks me over to his desk, sitting me on the cool surface.

A shiver runs through me as the glass touches the backs of my thighs and as my mind sends me images of the things we’ve done on this desk.

“Tell me what happened, Fiona,” Ethan says softly, placing his hands gently on my thighs. I don’t really want to admit what a mess my family is, so I look away, fiddling with the necklace hanging around my neck.

The invisible string connecting us tugs on my heart, urging me to let Ethan help me; to give him the burden so he can carry it for me. However, I don’t want to throw all my problems at him. He has a company to run and business to worry about.

“Fiona, tell me what happened,” he says again, and the sincerity mixed with the hardened order makes me break apart. The gathered tears roll down my cheeks as a hiccup flies from my mouth.

“My father is trying to ruin my life by helping Jack. He doesn’t love me,” I murmur, leaning in and pressing my face into his chest. “Why does no one want me for me?”

Ethan shifts, pulling me closer and sitting us both in his chair. He settles me on his lap, and like he usually does when he comforts me, he brushes his hand over my hair.

“They only want my mother’s money and will do anything to get it, including lie, cheat, and manipulate me. I just want the people in my life to love me without ulterior motives. I-I’m a cash cow to them, and I hate it,” I cry, burying my face deeper in his neck.

Soft hands run up and down my back while Ethan shushes me softly.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Ethan whispers, tucking me closer and pulling me into his forest-y scent. The familiar smell tightens my chest, making it hard to breathe. “He doesn’t deserve you if he can’t love you unconditionally like a parent should. I know this isn’t something you want to hear, but if they can’t love you, you may need to find a new family and a new home.”

My heart sinks even more in my chest, and I squeeze my eyes closed.

“Where will I go?”

“You can come to me until you find what you’re looking for.”

What if you’re the new home I want?

I don’t dare voice the question, but it sits in my mind and weighs on my heart.