Empire of Desire(Empire #1)(96)

Her.

So even though she’s in pain, I won’t console her like I usually do. I won’t bring her tea and joke around until she smiles again. This is out of necessity. To protect her.

Which reminds me that I need to protect her from her fucking mother, too.

The snake who couldn’t just fucking disappear like she did the night she threw her own daughter away.





34





Gwyneth





Dad came up with a plan.

Or more like expulsion.

He told Nate to go to the Seattle branch of W&S; it’s been around for a couple of years and has been growing noticeably. That way, he can stay away from me.

It’s not that Dad cares about the Seattle branch, it’s that he wants to separate us with everything he has.

Over the past week, he’s been setting things in motion for the separation of property and threatened Nate to shred the power of attorney agreement. Nate did it because he’s been mostly placating Dad. Besides, he doesn’t need power of attorney now that all properties legally belong to my father.

Then Dad insisted that he divorce me, and that’s when Nate said no. He also said no to leaving because, “Fuck you, King.”

Those were his exact words the other day.

I don’t see him much anymore, because Dad has kicked up the overprotectiveness a notch. Obviously, I intern with him now and he takes me everywhere, including to his ruthless showdowns with Susan that he usually doesn’t want me to witness. Then we go home together and he keeps watching me with that cold stare of his.

Something changed in Dad after the coma.

At first, I thought it was because he found out about me and Nate and lost it, but there’s something else.

There’s a troubled look in his gaze and agitation in his soul that seems to be consuming him. He’s harsher now, more ruthless than I’ve ever witnessed before. Though he was probably like this to the outside world before, he’d never directed it at me. It’s not that he’s stern with me—he’s still my dad, in a way, but he’s also become merciless.

His weird sense of smell has kicked up to higher levels, too. The other day, I crossed paths with Nate in the hall and we touched hands, since that’s all we can do now, and Dad smelled him on me. No kidding, he said, “Why the fuck is the bastard’s cologne on you?”

So yeah, something is up.

It’s almost like that time before his accident when he was disheveled and out of sorts. Fear that events will repeat themselves again keeps me up at night, roaming the house like a ghost. Especially with the way he dismissed foul play to be the reason behind his accident.

He said it’d been a while since he’d had maintenance done on his car, but the tone of his voice was wrong.

Everything is wrong now.

Not only do Dad and I have a gap between us, but also Nate and I keep growing apart.

With each day, the empty hole inside me grows bigger and deeper, and soon enough, it’ll swallow me whole.

“Maybe they just need time,” Jane tells me while we’re having lunch with Chris in the IT department.

“I don’t think time will fix it.” I glide my fry in the ketchup but don’t eat it. I’ve lost my appetite lately. “He asked me to file a restraining order against Nate. He won’t stop.”

Chris steals a fry and throws it in his mouth. “That shouldn’t be a surprise, though.”

“Don’t you dare say I told you so.” I give him the stink eye.

“I’m just saying, Gwen. Fathers don’t like anyone fucking around with their daughters, especially overprotective ones like yours.”

Jane gulps at that and clears her throat. “I still think it’ll be fixed with time. They’re best friends, right? That should mean something.”

“If by something, you mean that he keeps threatening to kill Nate, then sure, it means something. You know, I always heard stories about my dad and his coldness, but this is the first time I’ve witnessed it firsthand and it’s terrifying. I want my dad back.”

Chris steals another fry. “You know the only way to do that is to separate from Nate, right?”

Moisture gathers in my eyes as I nod. Because Dad is making me choose anyway. No matter how much I’ve begged him and told him my feelings for Nate, he doesn’t believe them.

The thought of separating from Nate leaves me breathless, with insomnia, and so hollow that I hear its cracking sound sometimes.

I leave all the fries for Chris and jerk up. “I’m going to get some air.”

“I’ll come with you.” Jane stands and interlaces her arm with mine.

Chris, however, takes all the fries and tells us to go without him.

“You’re strong, Gwen. Really.” Jane rubs my arm when we’re in the elevator, heading to the parking garage. “I wish I had your strength and wasn’t so much of a coward.”

“You’re not a coward, Jane. You just hate people, which is okay. You’re okay.”

Her gaze gets lost in the distance, staring at nowhere and nothing. “I don’t hate people. I just don’t know how to deal with them, so I choose to stay away because…I’m good at that. Running. Staying away. It’s how I survive. Truth is…”