My Dad’s Business Partner
"I don't want this, okay? I don't want any of us—least of all me—tangled with him again. He's a piece of shit and he belongs where he is. I don't want our hands dirty. I want to forget him. Please, don't do this. Don't waste yourself on him. Let me move on—on my terms. Can we just be normal?"
They exchanged a look I couldn't read, then Dad softened. He reached up and cupped my face; his eyes were unexpectedly sad.
Of course that made me hate Ryatt ten times more.
"Okay." His voice was small. "I will not do anything." He pulled me into a hug. His warmth wrapped around me and, for a breath, the weight of the heartbreak eased.
"Thanks, Dad," I whispered, burying my face in his chest. Hot tears