Growing Pains

Summary

My father is a fool for love.

He only ever loved his childhood sweetheart, never my mother or me. Growing up, I was the ghost in our own home. Bullied by classmates, abused by the staff—my father saw none of it. Or chose not to.

Then came my eighteenth birthday. It was also the anniversary of my mother's death, and for the first time in years, he came home to have dinner with me.

After the meal, he slid a document across the table. A severance agreement.

“I’ve provided for you for eighteen years,” he said, his voice flat. “My obligation is fulfilled.”