Violet comes up to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. “I think you’re acting human, like anyone who has a heart would. I think he is too. There’s a lot at stake. I can’t lie to you and tell you things will work out because let’s be honest, I’m scared for you, but whatever happens, I’ll support you. I’ll do what I can to smooth things over with your dad. But I think you need to talk with Gabriel. Do you know he doesn’t want this?”
His silence tells me so. “He let me leave without a fight.”
“Maybe he was torn. Maybe he didn’t know how to react. Guys are dumb sometimes, no matter how old they are.” She gets a sly smile out of me. “What do you want to do?”
I say the first thing that comes to me. “I want to talk to him.”
Violet nods. “Then let’s go talk to him.”
I sit up straighter. “Wait—as in go home?”
“Yep. Screw classes. Let’s hop in the car and drive to his place. Or work. Or…shit, do you know where he would be?”
I put some thought into the day and time. “Normally, he works from home.” She nods and grabs for her purse and keys. “Wait, what will Dad say? What are you going to tell him?”
“Nothing. We can be in and out, and I’ll be home before he calls. Our little secret.”
My eyes tear up. “You’re willing to do that? Lie for me?”
“It’s not a lie. It’s forgetting the truth.” She winks at me, then pulls me from my seat and drags me to her car as we make the short trek home.
It’s early evening by the time we pull into Gabriel’s driveway. I relay the code to Violet, the gate opens, and we pull up to his lavish estate. Violet gasps. “Is he from some kind of royal descent?” She pushes her head into the windshield, staring up at the house.
“No. He just loves money and power.”
“More than your dad? Wow.” I know she’s trying to ease the tension of what I’m about to do, but with every second that passes, my anxiety threatens to take me out before I even make it inside. “Do you think he’s home?”
Violet parks and we climb out of the car. “I guess we’ll see,” I say as we walk up to the door. Taking the deepest breath I can to fill my lungs with courage, I knock on the door. We stand there, but no one answers. I knock again. Nothing. Violet leans over and turns the knob. The door opens, offering us a view of his stellar foyer.
“You got this. I’m here for you, okay?” I nod, squeeze her hand, and enter the house. Shit, what am I going to say? I should have rehearsed something in the car. Speak from your heart, Hazel. I inhale and take two more steps when someone appears from the kitchen entrance.
Gabriel.
He sees me and freezes, his expression filled with shock. “Hey,” I start, fighting through my nerves.
“What are you doing here?”
I take a few steps closer. “I came to see you. I wanted to—”
“Stop right there. Whatever it is you’re going to say, don’t.” He stares at me with a cold scowl.
I know he doesn’t want to hear me whine like a child. And I get that. But I need him to know how I feel. “I’m not leaving until you hear what I have to say—”
“Hazel, don’t—”
“Just listen to me. I know we can’t be together. I know that when we started this, it was just sex. But I love you, and I think you love me too. We deserve to be together—”
“What the fuck?” My head whips to the right. Dad is standing there, eyes wide, his face turning crimson. He whips his head to Gabriel, who doesn’t take his eyes off me. Realizing what I just did, the color drains from my face.
“You—” He pauses, his face a mixture of shock and fury aimed at Gabriel. When he gathers his bearings, he angles his anger back to me. “What the fuck are you doing here? And—what the fuck—what the fuck did you just say?”
Immediate panic settles in my bones, and I suddenly have the urge to run. Hide and pretend I never walked in here and severed three relationships in a matter of seconds. My brain can’t conjure up the right thing to say. There isn’t anything that will repair the damage I just inflicted on us all.
My dad radiates with fury. My panic grows stronger as I catch a glimpse of Gabriel, his expression blank. He’s not going to fight. I’m on my own here. I feel like a child again, terrified and shaking. I want to jump out of my skin. The sound of my pounding heart is like an alarm blaring in my head.
I take a careful step toward my dad. “Dad, it’s not what you think,” I rush out.
“You better fucking hope so.” He turns to Gabriel. “Why the fuck is my daughter at your house when she should be at school?”
Gabriel doesn’t respond.
“Dad, please just listen to me for a second—”
I jump back at his booming voice aimed at me. “I don’t know why you’re here, but get the fuck out, Hazel. Get the fuck out of here!” He takes a threatening step toward Gabriel. “Tell me I heard my daughter wrong, you son of a bitch.”
Gabriel doesn’t move or cower at Dad’s fury. “I can’t.”
My stomach drops when my dad leaps at him, cocking his fist back and slamming it into Gabriel’s jaw. Gabriel doesn’t fight back, allowing my dad another open shot to his nose. “You fucking piece of shit! You’re fucking my goddamn daughter?” His voice cracks. Another punch. Blood splatters from Gabriel’s nose, his lip.
I run toward them, needing Dad to stop. “Daddy, stop! This isn’t his fault! It’s mine!” He whips around, the fury in his gaze halting me. “Get the fuck out of here. Wait for me at home. I’ll deal with you later.”
He turns back to Gabriel. “How could you? How fucking could you!” he yells, his voice hoarse. The anguish in his tone kills me. Pain and regret bleed from Gabriel’s gaze, and I can’t help but hate myself for what I’ve done.
“Daddy, please! Stop!”
He grabs at the lapels of Gabriel’s shirt, shoving him into the wall. A vase knocks over, shattering at their feet. “You’re fucking dead. DEAD! I’m going to murder you with my bare hands—”
“Daddy, stop! You’re hurting him!”
“I told you to leave. Why the fuck are you still here?”
Gabriel finally reacts, shoving my dad off. “Watch how you talk to her,” he growls.
Everything happens so fast. Like two wild animals, they attack. Hit for hit—each punch landing on its target, blood splattering against the walls and across their expensive dress shirts. I stand there frozen, forced to watch with wild eyes. My heart races. I grab at my head, forcing my brain to stop the madness. A shrilling scream tears up my throat, and I almost throw up from the intensity. But my screams fall on deaf ears. The only saving grace is when Violet takes control of the situation.
“Heath, that’s enough,” she says, her voice stern.
Dad whips around. “What the fuck are you doing here? Did you know about this?” He aims his anger at her now. He releases his tight grip on Gabriel, wiping blood from his cut lip, and walks toward Violet, then abruptly turns back, facing Gabriel. “You’re fucking dead to me. Stay the fuck away from my daughter.”