Broken

45.

Izel

I rushed over to the man and hugged him tight.

This man was my father.

The guy i've been seeing in pictures of me when I was younger.

"I- I thought you were dead?" I cried.

"You thought I was dead? What would make you think that?" He frowned.

"Mom told me you passed away due to a bad car accident." I wiped my tears.

"No, not at all, obvious - But Im sorry I had to be so secretive about this. My people are helping me get to you." He sighed. "I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't been around."

"I am."

"When you were younger, your mom set a restraining order against me because I was selling drugs out of the house, while you were there, and I understand now why she was mad about that. Every since then, I wasn't allowed to see you or talk to you. I still can't, because of the restraining order. I heard about your mother - I just want you to know that I've always been here Izel and I would never leave your side intentionally." He hugged me again.

"Is this why you told me to meet you here? No one can see you with me?" I looked up at him.

"Yes. They're still keeping major tabs on me, so, I'm really breaking the law by seeing my own daughter." He shook his head. "But that wasn't going to stop me."

I took in his looks, and I looked just like him, besides skin. His skin tone was way darker, but we had the same eyes, same smile, and nose.

I favored my mom a lot though. Me and her had the same skin tone, same hair, same body and everything.

"I'm sorry but - N-no one ever told me your name. They always said 'your dad'."

"It's Jonah." He chuckled. "Since your mom passed away, who do you live with?"

"I uh - I moved out before mom passed." I looked away from him, trying to avoid this conversation. "Where do you live?"

He gave me a strange look before answering my question.

"I live over on McCarthy Drive."

"Hey, I know that street." I smiled.

It was two streets behind where August and his family lives.

"Good - So, are you going to tell me why you moved out so soon? And I suppose you have a job too." He rose a brow.

"I moved out because things weren't going so great with mom and her new husband.. I don't have a job, but I have a boyfriend and he begged me to move in with him and his family so I wouldn't have to go through that anymore."

"What happened?" His frown was deep.

I cleared my throat.

"Her new husband was abusive - and uh, he raped me almost every night when he was drunk and -" I stopped talking because I felt like I was about to cry.

I didn't want to cry because then I'd seem weak.

"You don't have to say anything else. It's fine. I'm glad you're okay." He hugged me again.

"Thank you." I hugged him back.

I felt my phone vibrating and August name flashed across the screen.

"Is this a calendar alert?" My dad frowned at the phone.

I tried my hardest to hold my laugh in because I was the same way when I first met August.