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Kairi

Thinking about Atlas and Davis had me feeling all kinds of emotions I was tired of feeling. I hadn’t slept. How could I? With Atlas lying next to me, breathing deep and steady, sleeping peacefully like everything was normal.

I rolled over carefully, pulling myself out of bed, trying not to wake him. I needed a moment to think, to breathe without him. I got dressed in a hurry, checked Dion to make sure he was still sleeping, and decided to let Atlas take care of him for the day. I grabbed my keys and left. I don’t know when during the drive I decided to go to my father’s house, but that’s where I ended up. I needed advice that could help me make sense of this mess.

When I walked in, he was sitting in his usual spot, flipping through channels with his coffee beside him. My daddy was always up by 7 a.m. Mrs. Shirley was probably knocked out on her meds, recovering. He looked up, surprised to see me.

“Kairi? Hey, baby. What brings you here?”

I collapsed onto the couch, rubbing my temples. “I had to get out of the house.”

He frowned. “Where’s Dion?”

“With Atlas,” I muttered.

“Atlas?” His brow furrowed. “What do you mean, with Atlas? Your friend’s husband? He was there when I dropped him off yesterday too.”

I sighed, sinking deeper into the couch. “I have something I need to tell you.”

My daddy’s eyes narrowed. “Go ahead.”

I hesitated, blowing out a breath. “In college, I met Atlas and thought he was interested, but he ended up dating Ashlen. But he wouldn’t leave me alone...” I told him everything. When I finished, Daddy was shaking his head, but I kept going, explaining the present.

“He’s... he’s moved in. He’s staying at the house. Acting like we’re some family, and I... I don’t know how to stop him.”

The disappointment was clear on his face. I thought he was going to take my side—imagine my surprise when he didn’t.

“You lied to everybody about Dion’s father. Told me the same lie you told Davis.” His voice bounced around the space between us. “You led Davis on? Because it doesn’t seem like you liked him all that much if you couldn’t be truthful. Kairi, I didn’t raise you to treat people like that.”

His words hit me the wrong way.

“Daddy, you didn’t teach me much,” I snapped, the bitterness spilling out. “You were a zombie after Mommy died. I had to figure out everything on my own.”

He stared at me, the hurt plain on his face. My heart clenched.

The guilt was instant, heavy.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

“Is that right?” His voice turned cold. “You think you were the only one hurting? That I wasn’t doing my best to hold everything together, to keep our lives from crumbling? But you’re right. I wasn’t there for you the way I should’ve been. And I’ve apologized for that. But don’t think for a second that excuses what you’ve done here. Think about what you did to that man—being lied to about something so important. I would’ve done worse if your mother had lied to me like that. I love you, but don’t come here looking for sympathy.”

I nodded, fighting back the tears. “I know. I know I did this to myself.”

There was a long pause before he finally spoke again. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Atlas thinks we can make this work. He’s acting like everything’s already decided, like I don’t have a choice.”

He sighed. “And maybe you don’t,” he said bluntly. “Maybe it’s time you stop fighting everything and start taking responsibility for what you’ve done.”

I blinked, stunned. “You think I should just go along with this? With Atlas?”

“I think you’ve been running from your choices for too long,” he said, steady. “It’s time you face the consequences, Kairi. Stop making things worse by fighting him at every turn. Or fight him, ruin your career, and risk losing Dion.”

I didn’t have an answer. I just sat there, staring.

It felt like I’d backed myself into a corner so tight, even my own father thought I deserved whatever came next.