All Chapters of Father's Secret, Daughter's Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Kassy’s POV “You have to call off the engagement.” My father didn’t ease into it. He didn’t clear his throat or soften the blow with small talk. He didn’t even look at Jamal when he said it. The words came out cold, absolute, like a verdict already decided long before this evening. I blinked, convinced for half a second that I’d misheard him. “I’m sorry… what?” I asked. “You heard me,” he said, his gaze fixed straight ahead. “You cannot get married to him. I don’t want it.” The room went unnaturally still. Jamal sat beside me on the couch, his posture stiffening, his hand hovering near mine but not quite touching it, like he wasn’t sure whether he was allowed to. I could feel his confusion radiating through the small space between us. This was not how this was supposed to go. I had imagined this moment a hundred different ways—my parents smiling politely, my mother asking wedding questions too soon, my father giving Jamal that measured, intimidating stare he reserved for impor

Jamal’s POVThe phone felt like a live wire in my hand. I stared at Lily’s message until the letters blurred into meaningless shapes. I missed my period.Those four words carried the weight of a death sentence. I hadn’t even finished grieving the child Kassy and I just lost—the child whose absence had left a hollowed-out crater in Kassy’s soul—and now, the universe was playing a sick, twisted joke on all of us.I met Lily at a small park three towns over, far enough away that we wouldn’t run into anyone who knew the "perfect" Kassy and her "devoted" fiancé.When I saw her, the guilt hit me so hard I felt nauseous. She looked pale, her eyes darting around nervously. This was Kassy’s sister. My future sister-in-law. A woman I should have protected, not someone I should have shared a bed with in a moment of weak, grief-stricken madness.“Tell me you’re sure,” I said, my voice barely a whisper as I sat on the bench beside her.“I’m sure, Jamal.” Lily’s voice was flat, devoid of the playfu

Jamal’s POVThe summons had been a cold, handwritten note left on the windshield of my car. My study. 8:00 PM. Alone.I told Kassy I was going over to her parents' house to "smooth things over" with her father. She had kissed me, her eyes full of a tragic kind of hope, and told me I was the bravest man she knew. I felt like a fraud. I wasn't brave; I was just a man trying to outrun a landslide.Walking into Greg’s house felt like walking into a trap. I found him in his study. The room was dark, lit only by a single lamp on the desk and the dying embers in the fireplace. He was standing by the window, his back to me, holding a glass of scotch.I sat. My knees felt like they were made of water. "Sir, I know we started on the wrong foot. I love Kassy. I want to make this right.""Do you?" Greg finally turned. He didn't look angry. He looked... disgusted. "You want to talk about 'right'? You want to talk about the 'truth'?""Yes," I said, trying to steady my breath. "I have nothing to hid

The organ music was so loud it made the floorboards vibrate. The cathedral was packed with people who had come to see the "perfect" wedding, but the air at the back of the church was cold enough to kill.Lily stood at the entrance, her makeup so perfect she looked like a statue. Greg stood beside her, his back like a rod of iron. He offered his arm, and they began the slow walk down the long white carpet."I know you’re hiding something from us," Greg whispered, his lips barely moving.Lily didn't look at him. She kept her eyes on the altar where Ethan was waiting. "It’s a wedding, Father. Try to look happy.""I know you never wanted this boy," Greg hissed, his grip on her arm tightening. "You were drunk that night we went out. You told me Ethan was just a rebound. You said your heart still belonged to that good-for-nothing Marion. The one who eloped with your best friend.” "That was a long time ago," Lily said.

The dinner table was set for a massacre.Greg had gone all out—crystal glasses, heavy silver, and enough wine to drown the tension that usually hung over the family like a smog. He’d sent the message to the family group chat days ago: Family dinner. Sunday. Bring your partners. No excuses. Usually, these dinners were a chore, but this time, the "black sheep" of the family, James, had actually replied. “Okay Pops, that’s a great idea. I have a huge announcement to make anyway,” he’d texted back.The house was buzzing. Kassy was busy helping her mother in the kitchen, while Lily sat at the table looking like the picture of bridal bliss, despite the fact that her stomach was a ticking clock. Ethan sat next to her, his "pastor’s son" mask polished to a high shine. He looked so holy you’d think he had a direct line to heaven. Jamal, meanwhile, looked like he wanted to crawl into the floorboards. He couldn't l