Christian

The anger bubbling inside of me was so out of control, I felt as though I could murder someone. That someone was either one of two people. Ethan, or Carrick. For he was no longer my father. A father who loved his child would never pay another man to take her away from you. What he had done was unforgivable and despicable. I hated him with every fibre of my being. I left Ana with her parents and Riley, too out of control myself to do the job at this present time. It broke my heart to see her in such pain, but I couldn't comfort her whilst I was in this state. I would return for her later, when I had done what needed to be done. ever

What needed to be done constituted a range of very simple things. Saying goodbye to my siblings and mother. Packing up my belongings and driving back to California with Ana. I'd be back intermittently to visit Riley, but I vowed I would never step foot in that house ever again. I would build my business from the ground up, and I would be the most successful businessman in all of Seattle. I would never ask my dad for another penny, again. As for Ethan, he was going to be getting far worse than a beat down. I would make sure any career he pursued would be over before it even started.

As I drove, thoughts of Ana filled my mind to the point of agony. Picturing her with that scumbag made me want to tear my eyes out just so I wouldn't have to see. Him kissing her. Touching her. She was my girl. The worst part was that I knew I deserved it. For all these years, I'd taken her for granted. Her time, her love, her commitment to me. Yesterday had been the final straw. Selfishly, I had asked her to give up her dreams for me. I wanted her to stay with me here as I pursued my business. Now I couldn't think of anything worse than staying here. I wanted to move far away and never look back.

The lights were on in my house as I parked up. Mia was in her room; I could hear her loud music through the speakers from upstairs. I went into the living room to find my mom, but instead found my father. He was on the couch, nursing a large dram of whiskey and looking like hell. I didn't care one bit.

"Where's mom?" I demanded.

"Charity event for work," he replied, not bothering to look up. He took another sip and I saw red.

"Well, you can tell her goodbye for me then," I said. "Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't see her."

He finally looked up.

"Sit down Christian," he said tiredly. "Isn't it time you stopped this attitude?"

I laughed. "Attitude?" I asked incredulously. "You think I have an attitude? What do you call paying Ethan Kavanagh to fuck my fiancé?"

He looked at me hard then, sitting up slightly.

"He… he did what?" He asked.

"You heard," I growled. "And she was drunk, did you know that as well? Or did you ask him to make sure she was? Hell, maybe you gave him the alcohol."

He stood up, throwing the whisky down onto the ground. It made a splash on the ground, seeping into the hard wood floor.

"I would never," he said, horrified. "I had no idea Christian, believe me…"

"Why should I believe you?" I asked bitterly. "You disgust me. I never want to see you again and when I've got the funds, I'm going to burn your business to the ground."

"That degenerate," he raged, now pacing. "I never told him to…" he couldn't even say the words. They got stuck in his throat. "I asked him to pursue her. To date her. To court her like a gentleman. All I asked him was to lead her astray from you."

Taken aback by his brutal honesty, I was quite speechless. I had expected a string of denial, but instead he had given me truth.

I gathered myself. "He told you he thought she was needy," I seethed. "You should have known he was scum then."

He looked at me bewildered. "He told me he liked Anastasia," he said, with such a sincerity that I almost believed him. "He told me that he had liked her ever since she had met him. Do you honestly think I would have sent him after her if I had known he would have used her? I didn't ask him to touch her. That's absolutely despicable. I didn't ask him to even hold her hand for fuck-sake! All I wanted was her to doubt her feelings for you and move on."

His truth came pouring out now, in torrents. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back angrily. I would not let him see me cry. I would not let him know how much he had hurt me.

"How is she?" He asked, pain etched into his features. Upon closer inspection, I could see he had faint tears in his eyes also.

"How do you think?" I bit out. "How could you do that to her? I've loved her ever since I was five years old. I love her more than life itself. How could you?"

"I know you love her!" He cried. "But you were just about to get married! I had no choice! Believe me, I didn't want to have to do this Christian. I thought the relationship would fizzle out in high school. When it didn't, I actively tried to separate the two of you by whatever means. If that meant telling her she wasn't good enough for you then so be it. If that meant making her think I didn't like her, so be it."

He sighed, clasping his hands together. "So many times I wanted to pack our bags and move far away to another state. I asked your mother so many times but she wouldn't have it at all. Of course, I couldn't tell her the real reason I didn't want you with Anastasia, so I had no other choice but to stay. You asking for her hand in marriage was the final straw. I had to do what I had to do."

I just stared at him, unable to comprehend what he was actually admitting to.

"Why?" I asked, hollow. "Why do you hate me so much?"

He looked at me long. "I don't hate you. I love you. I love you both."

The anger came back in waves. The nerve. I smashed my fist into the coffee table, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. The pain was a welcome rush of release.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO BREAK US UP?" I screamed, the anger practically exploding out of me. "WHY DO YOU HATE HER SO MUCH?"

"I do not hate her," he said, glaring at me as he exaggerated each word. "For Christ's sake, I love the girl. I just don't want her with you and I never have! It's not right!"

"WHY?" I screamed again. "WHY isn't it right? Because she's not rich? Who the fuck cares about that! I don't give a fuck so why do you?"

He took a deep breath, as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He didn't look at me as he spoke. He said it so quietly, I wasn't quite sure I had even heard.

"Because she's my daughter. Because she's my daughter Christian."