My father claimed he wanted to protect me, that I would be happier because of this decision, but all I’d felt was utter heartbreak. “What exactly are you protecting me from, Father? Not being with Griffin has hurt me far more than anything he did while we were together.”
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing in anger. “It will pass.”
“Maybe. But I’m never going to love another man the way I loved him. My future husband will always be second-best.”
“You’ll change your mind when you meet him. You’ve only been in love once—”
“How many times have you been in love?”
Like a lit piece of wood, the fire in his eyes was slowly starting to rise into an inferno. “Once.”
“Mama was the one, and you knew she was the one. End of story. Griffin is the one to me.”
He shook his head slightly. “I’m not going to change my mind, Vanessa. You should drop this.”
I’d never been so frustrated with my father. He’d punished me when I was a child, and that never upset me the way this did. We’d disagreed in the past, but it was never this intense. “Sapphire told me everything about her and Conway.” I’d never planned on throwing that in his face, but I didn’t have any other option. Today was my brother’s wedding day, and it was the worst time to have this argument, but I couldn’t keep it in any longer.
My father gave nothing away, his expression exactly the same as before.
“She told me he bought her, demanded sex from her, and kept her as a prisoner.”
My father’s breathing increased slightly, but he kept up his guarded expression. He knew this was the smoking gun, all the evidence I needed to prove his decision was wrong.
“How is he any different from Griffin?” I snapped.
Silence.
“How?” I pressed. “Sapphire didn’t have a family, and he took advantage of that. He practically turned her into a slave. He took her virginity because he paid for it. So you’re going to sit there and tell me that’s perfectly okay? That Sapphire should still marry him? What’s the difference?”
He clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening.
“What’s the damn difference, Father?” I couldn’t keep my voice down, my rage escalating. “It’s okay because Conway is the one committing the crime? He’s guilty of exactly the same thing, but you look the other way. Sapphire is an innocent, kind woman, and she’s marrying the man who locked her up in his house for six months. You’re okay with that?”
“Vanessa—”
“You’re a fucking hypocrite.”
My father’s expression hardened because I’d never cursed at him like that before. Speechless, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“It’s okay because Conway changed. He fell in love with Sapphire and became the man she deserved. That’s exactly what Griffin did. He’s a new man now—because of me. You can’t approve of this wedding and tell Griffin he can’t be with me. It’s wrong—and you know it.”
When his fingers pulled together and made a fist, I knew he was pissed. He rested his hand against his jawline, his furious eyes glued to my face. He was sheathing his anger, controlling himself before exploding. After what seemed like minutes, he lowered his hand and spoke. “Yes. It is hypocritical.”
He agreed with me, but judging by his harsh tone, he wasn’t going to change his mind. My reasoning seemed to anger him even more.
“It’s hypocritical, but I don’t give a damn if it is. You are my daughter. That’s the difference between you and Sapphire. I’m your father, and I’m a very powerful man who doesn’t hesitate to take down my enemies. I’ve slit the throat of dozens of men and shot them point-blank.” He pressed his finger to the top of the desk. “I’ve worked my ass off to give you this life that you take for granted. I don’t accept anything less than the best—and neither will you. I may not be a king, but any man who wants you will treat you like a princess. Sapphire doesn’t have a family, but if she did, they wouldn’t like Conway either. But that’s the difference between you two—you do have a family. You have a father who will fight for you until the day he dies. I will not give up until you have the whole fucking world, Vanessa. My daughter gets the best. That’s the end of the fucking story. Be angry. Hate me. I don’t care.” His eyes darkened even more. “I love you and Conway more than anything else in the world, and I will do the right thing for both of you until I take my last breath. Griffin’s father killed my sister. Do you understand how difficult that was for me to look past?”
I didn’t say anything, knowing it would be stupid to speak.
“His father raped my wife.” His voice rose in intensity, spit flying from his mouth. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to let go? But I did—for you. He told me he’s fucked prostitutes, he’s killed people for money, and he wanted to kill my entire family—and I still let that go. I looked past all of that for you.” His chest rose and fell at an exponential rate. It seemed like he might flip over the desk at any moment and smash it to pieces. I’d seen my father angry, but never quite like this. “But I will not look past this. Do you understand me?” He rose to his feet and slammed both of his palms against the desk. “I. Never. Will.”