Page 144 of The Truths We Burn

It’s to make sure I never become like them, all those people surrounding me. I refused to become what they want me to be. I’ll never allow anyone to try and mold me into the image they picture ever again.

And that feels far more important than not knowing who I am.

“There you are,” I hear my father say. “My beautiful daughter. I got that dress for you in Paris on your sixteenth birthday, didn’t I?”

I glance down at the Hepburn-style black chiffon dress. It melts against me because it had been custom-made for my body and also from the heat of being outside all day. I knew the long sleeves were going to make me sweat, but I suppose when short sleeves and spaghetti straps are out of the question, you work with what you have.

Plus, I’d worn this dress for a reason.

“Don’t give yourself that kind of credit. Rosemary bought this for me.” I look back up at him with a look so harsh, it could slit his throat.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Conner says before clearing his throat. “Sage, it was lovely talking to you.”

I watch him disappear into the party, leaving me alone with my dad for the first time in over a year.

I look at Frank in his dusty-pink blazer and cream slacks, ashamed that I’m even related to this man. It feels wrong to stand by his side, showing my encouragement, while I know who he is underneath.

A murderer. A fraud. A money-hungry swine.

This is one role I don’t want to act out anymore. My family died the day Rosie did, and when this is all said and done, I want to have all ties severed from my Donahue lineage.

“You don’t have to make this so hard, Sage,” he breathes, opening the door to the backyard. “I’m still your dad.”

I look over at him, not able to put away my look of disgust.

“My dad?” I scoff. “A father is a man who would do anything to protect the family he built. You are a cheap, weak man with absolutely no backbone. You are nothing to me except the man who murdered my sister.”

I search his eyes for any form of regret or sadness, but I see nothing. He’d done nothing but given me half his chromosomes and ruin my life. That’s it. And soon, he won’t even be that.

He’ll be a corpse.

“Ah, I see you’ve found her!” Stephen Sinclair makes his appearance, a smile on his face as he comes into my space as if he is allowed and kisses me on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you, it’s been too long. I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by to chat on campus. With all the disruptions last semester, I’ve been putting out fires left and right.”

I lift the left side of my mouth in a half-smirk, not missing the implied statement about literal fires that had been started. I’m not sure of Stephen’s involvement in all of this, but I would be naive to think he wasn’t at least aware of what Rook and his friends were up to.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” I say mockingly.

“Quoting Voltaire. I always told Easton you were too smart for your own good. I hate that things couldn’t work out between the two of you. You were so good together.”

Didn’t work out? That’s what he’s going with?

I mean if anyone was thankful for ending the relationship with Easton, it was me, but didn’t work out?

He acts as if he didn’t blacklist me the second I was hauled off to the loony bin. My mental health episode would have been a stain on his family’s reputation, and he couldn’t have that.

“It’s from Spider man, actually.” I tilt my head, taking a sip of my drink. “Mary is much smarter than me. I think they make a much better fit than we did. He is much more docile.”

I knew where the quote originated from, but I’m in the mood to be a smartass. He, along with his family, don’t deserve an ounce of my respect.

Stephen isn’t the only person in this space that can play dirty. If he wants to take digs, he better get a fucking shovel, because I guarantee my hole will be deeper than his at the end. I lost a lot of things this year; my razor-sharp tongue was not one of them.

He laughs, and it actually sounds real. Like me challenging him is the most humorous thing he’s experienced in years.

“Maybe you’re right,” he says, sobering up a bit. “However, I’ve got some business that needs attending to on the East Coast in the next few weeks. I’ve asked your father to join Easton and me. I think you should really think about coming along. It might be a nice little vacation, and maybe you and Easton could rekindle.”

My brain goes to high alert. It’s no longer a game of who can outwit who.

What is he doing with my father?