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“So because we didn’t want you addicted to sugar, we were terrible parents?” I can see him rolling his eyes from here.
I ball my hands into fist and fight the urge to punch the wall beside me. “No, not because you didn’t want me addicted to sugar. Have you really forgotten what happened that day? What event made me grow up instantly and leave my childhood behind?”
He doesn’t speak. He is either ignoring my questions, or because of the decades of drug and alcohol abuse, he really doesn’t remember what happened all those years ago.
So, I share the events with him.
“Two hours after I ate the cupcake, my life turned into a living nightmare. Mom overdosed and fell through the glass coffee table. The police dropped off an eviction notice because you gambled all our money away and didn’t pay rent. You camehome drunk and saw Mom unconscious and blamed me for not being a better daughter.”
I wish I could forget the events that day, erase them from my memory, and replace them with happier ones.
“That’s not true.” Dad’s voice is full of disbelief, as if I read that scenario in a horror story and claimed it was my life.
No longer able to sit here calmly, I stand up and take a few steps in his direction.
“We lost everything that day! The house, our clothes, my toys, and all our belongings. Hell, I even lost my friends because you kept borrowing money from their parents to feed your addiction. Gambling and getting high was your only priority.”
“You make me sound like a monster, like I’m the villain and you are the princess.”
I sit back down on my mattress and shrug. I wouldn’t have used the words villain and princess, but that sums up my childhood.
“If the shoe fits. You didn’t just hit me that day, you unleashed your anger on me and lost control. I was an innocent little girl, and you beat me until I was an inch from death. You threatened to kill me if I told anyone the truth, so I had to lie to the police just to get medical attention.”
He gives a half-suppressed laugh. “There you go, exaggerating again. I’ve never almost killed you. If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you a long time ago. It would have saved me a lot of money.”
I inhale deeply and clench my teeth together. I can’t lose my temper right now. At least not while I’m a hostage in Giuseppe Rossi’s house.
“I don’t know what fantasyland you’re living in, but you need to snap back to reality. I had to get over twenty stitches. Two of my ribs were cracked. My ankle and wrist were broken. Bruises covered my body, and my right eye was swollen shut.”
I squeeze my eyes tightly together to keep the tears from falling. I won’t let him win. I’m not the helpless girl I was once. I’ve grown up and made a life for myself. Besides, Giuseppe Rossi and Vincent don’t need any more dirt on my family.
But even that thought doesn’t keep me from continuing my tirade.
“I snuck out of every seedy hotel we stayed in because I didn’t feel safe being that close to you. I stayed late at school just so I wouldn’t have to be around you. How Mom was able to stay sober is a mystery because you left your drugs lying around like you wanted her to kill herself.”
“That would have been a better ending to our story.”
Against my better judgment, I lower my voice and calmly ask, “What happened to Mom?”
“She divorced me for some rich banker the year after you left. As far as I know, they moved to California and started their own family.”
My heart constricts with pain. Mom started another family without trying to look for me? I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. She wasn’t the best mother I could have asked for, but she was nowhere near as bad as Dad.
“Good for her.” I reply dryly.
“Don’t be jealous, Alex. I heard the guys you work with are professional hockey players. Talk about unlimited income. You should get knocked up by one of them. You will be set for life.”
I want to say too late, but I keep my baby and the father a secret. If anyone would blackmail Joseph for millions of dollars, it’s my dad.
I scoot closer to the corner and close my eyes. Concentrating on my breathing will help me relax and focus on my true problem- getting out of here. If the light wasn’t on, I’d probably be able to sleep some.
Dad huffs and mumbles from the other side of the room, but I ignore him. I never should have gotten that upset about my childhood. It’s not healthy for the baby, and it happened a long time ago. Dad is dead to me. His opinions and excuses don’t matter anymore.
I let my thoughts wander to Joseph, Francesca, and Arturo.
Do they know I’m locked up here?
Did Giuseppe send them the pictures he took of me?