She stops herself as my dad crushes her into his chest. I listen to her exaggerated blubbering for the next thirty seconds, too shocked to roll my eyes.
“Come on, darling. Let's go in and get you cleaned up.” He takes her hand gently, wiping the drink off her face with his sleeve, before he looks at me again. “As for you, Cordelia...we're way past disappointed. I expect you in my office in thirty minutes. Don't try to leave. This time, the gate stays shut. Don't even think about getting any bright ideas from your brother. If you wreck anything around here, if you damage my property, I won't be bailing you out next time.”
They turn and start heading for the house. No fucking way.
I run forward, stamping my feet, feeling several shards of glass stuck to my shoes. Ugh.
“Dad – wait! She's lying to you! I watched the bitch come out with that cocktail and throw it in her own face. She's nuts. Rehab hasn't helped her a bit.”
Evie makes an exaggerated whimpering noise and then rips her face off his shoulder, wailing into the open. It'd be embarrassing if it weren't so sick.
Dad stops, turns around, and gives me a look like he's ready to kill. “Cordelia, shut your damned mouth. You've already said enough about my wife. I can't believe I trusted you once. You're in no position to judge anybody else's relationship when you've been bedding your own goddamned brother.”
I'm not sure what's crueler – his words or his glacial tone.
I stop in my tracks and watch them go inside, her clinging to him, and him holding onto her every miserable word. It's an open sky tonight, just a little after sunset, the stars struggling to come out through all the Bay Area's intense light pollution.#p#分页标题#e#
For once, I know how they feel in the infinite blackness. I'm being suffocated in my own home.
Dad's waiting behind his desk, angry as an interrogator. I've rarely seen him like this outside the office, and right now, he's all angry executive.
“Dad, before you start, I –“
“This isn't about you, Cordelia. Not anymore. This is about the good of our family, and a future you're too damned immature to deal with. You won't be seeing any more of Evie's son. If he steps foot on my property again, I'll have him thrown behind bars.”
Oh, this is starting out great. So now he's going to treat the love of my life like a fucking criminal?
“You're overreacting. She's playing you dad, playing you again. I can't believe you're so blind. Evie was in my face a little more than a week ago, calling me a slut, and you stood up for me.”
Dad purses his lips. His eyes darken, and he folds his hands, giving his knuckles a swift crack.
“She was right. I was wrong. The only thing I regret is how blind I was when she tried to warn me about her screwed up, piss poor excuse for a son. I gave him the benefit of the doubt because of what he does for this country. I let my guard down, and yours too.”
“But dad...” I pause, hating how determined he sounds. I can't believe he's already made up his mind on lies. “It's not like that. You have to talk to Chris, let him explain. He'll tell you everything from his point of view. You'll see he's not just trying to get me into bed.”
“Oh, give me a goddamned break, Cordelia.” He rolls his eyes and sits back in his chair. “I've heard it all. I know what these Navy guys are like, especially the elites. They'll tell a woman anything she wants to hear. It's not about love. Even if I thought he was Prince-fucking-Charming, he's still your stepbrother, and I'm not going to have my colleagues staring at me like I'm some kind of fruitcake who thinks anything goes with his daughter.”
“I'm not a little girl anymore,” I shoot back, digging my nails into my thighs so hard it hurts. “You can't control me. I'll be out of school soon, on my own, making whatever way I want.”
“That's where you're wrong.” He folds his hands, leans forward, staring coldly into my eyes. “I'm giving you an ultimatum – if you want that fancy college degree, you'll go to therapy and forget all about your SEAL stepbrother. And no, talking to a doctor isn't an option anymore, not after you threw an alcoholic beverage in my wife's face.”
I'm too stunned to fire back. My heart feels overloaded, like it's been paved over in stone. All I want to do is run upstairs, stuff my face into a pillow, and scream and scream and scream until I pass out.
“I'm proud of you, and I've been glad to pay your tuition all along to move you in the right direction. However, you'd better believe I'll leave you out in the cold if you insist on losing your mind. There's no shame in getting help, honey, and we all need it sometimes. Lord knows I did after your mother walked out. I'll support you the same way I'm supporting Evie. But I'm not going to sit back and watch while you're lashing out, thinking I'll ever endorse this sick, twisted tryst you've had with that man. I swear, sometimes I think he's turned you into a crazy –“