Dad's best friend secret baby

Chapter 28

Evie

I'd never been hit by a moving train, but I assumed this was what it felt like.

Like your insides were twisting unnaturally, and your organs were being torn apart.

Don't call me that. You're not the daughter I raised.

Watching Dad go was like being stabbed with many knives at once.

Everything in me wanted to run after him, tell him to stay, but my limbs refused to move.

My hands were heavy with guilt as they clutched Sophie even tighter.

My worst fear had come to pass. Dad disowned me.

Heavy footsteps from behind brought my attention to it.

Still with Sophie's head tightly secured on my chest, I turned to Ethan.

The anger I expected to feel in me was numb.

I should be angry... yell at him for bringing me into such a mess.

But that would be unfair. Indeed, it was equally my choice just as much as it was his.

I could have said no... stood my ground... stopped him. But I didn't.

Dad had never spoken to me in that manner. I'd never done anything to warrant it.

But in a split second, that had changed. My life had changed... for the worse.

Sophie untucked her head from my chest.

Her eyes were teary. My heart ached at the sight. I wondered what was running through her head.

Her dad's bloodied face was not a sight she needed to see. Not especially when she was recovering.

She sniffed and then ran to her dad.

I turned around to see him cleaned up.

Except for a few blood-stained bruises on his lips and above his eyebrows, his face wasn't bloody.

He'd cleaned it up because he knew it could possibly be triggering for Sophie.

"It's okay, Sophie." He leaned down to wrap her in a hug before rising to his full height with her. Her head was now on his chest.

"It's okay, baby," he cooed, patting her back. "I'm sorry for making so much noise."

I noticed a subtle limp in his step as he brushed past me and out of the kitchen without sparing me a glance.

The guilt clenching my heart overrode any meaningless feelings.

Finally rising from my kneeling position, I found my phone in my pocket, dialing Dad's number as I held my breath.

With each passing second, the phone rang. Hurt sank my bones when he didn't pick.

I tried again, hoping, but it was futile.

More tears streamed down my cheeks.

Of course. What did I expect? I betrayed his trust. I let him down.

My knees gave way, and I crumbled to the ground.

My sobs were uncontrollable. What have I done?

Confusion tugged my nerves.

I fisted my hair as if the physical pain would deflect the one in my heart. What do I do now?

Instinctively, I focused my eyes to see the mess in the kitchen.

There were small streaks of blood on the floor, the knife was on the floor, and shards of glass littered the corner where he'd fallen.

Chaos.