Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jessica’s POV

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Standing there at the front door of our unit, I took a deep breath the cool night air filling my lungs like a temporary balm. But just like that, the load of everything crashed back down–the awkward tension with Aaron before I’d bolted for the diner, the words we’d hurled, the way I’d pushed him away. It all pressed on my chest, making my hand hover over the doorknob.

Instead of going in, I slid down against the door, my back scraping the wood as I hit the porch floor.

I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them, and tilted my head back to stare at the night sky.

Stars winked faintly through the haze of city lights, distant and indifferent, like they had better things to worry about than my mess of a life.

I sat there for what felt like forever, but was probably just a minute or two, letting the quiet seep in.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I looked at the screen to see Fallon’s message.

A genuine smile tugged at my lips, warming me from the inside. I was about to pocket the phone when another text popped up. It was Rose.

“Where were you at, you stupid bitch? I came to your rickety diner to look for you. You weren’t there.”

A surge of red–hot rage burned through my veins, incinerating the last dregs of my peaceful moment.

I contemplated answering her, unleashing the stored venom, but in the end, I chose to ignore her. Rose wasn’t worth even a splash of my saliva.

Instead, I went to my call log and scrolled for my father’s number. It was a long scroll, mostly occupied by Aaron’s frequent

entries.

Finally, I reached my father’s contact. I hadn’t saved it; never saw the need. I just knew it by the last four digits, etched into my brain from reluctant check–ins over the years.

If it weren’t for movies, books, and social media glimpses of “normal” families, I’d have grown up thinking this was how it was supposed to be–dads treating their kids like burdens, especially after losing the mom.

In the 21 years I’d been alive, Dad had made me feel like an afterthought at best, a curse at worst. I couldn’t help but wonder about Mom.

How had she endured him as a wife? Did he ever love her, or was it all a facade?

Beyond his perfectly attractive features, he had a heart darker than the color black. Was this what she wanted? And, the most important question of all: Was I even a wanted child?

All these questions popped up randomly, and whenever they did there was a burning ache in my chest, a crack I never realized was open until I thought about the sad, brutal reality of my life.

My fingers hovered over the call button, hesitation knotting my stomach, but I tapped it anyway. It rang once. Twice. Three times, but nothing.

On the fourth ring, the line connected with a guttural “What?!” He didn’t just ask; he growled into the phone, the sound sending a fresh jolt of pure fear straight down my spine.

I swallowed hard, my fingers instantly clumsy on the device.

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12:00 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 26

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Flashes hit me, childhood memories like splinters of ice driving to my mind: the back of his hand across my check for spilling milk, endless screaming and scoldings that left me cowering, the constant hunger pangs from nights I went without dinner because I’d “misbehaved.”

The fear was instant and absolute.

“Father,” I finally managed, my voice barely above a breath.

“What do you want?” he snarled. “Thought you were off the surface of the earth already. Maybe six feet with your mother.”

His words pierced my heart, a familiar, agonizing sensation, but swallowed the pain down and tried to stay strong.

“Unfortunately for you, Dad, I’m still alive. And in your face. But I’m afraid you’ll soon have a funeral for a child if you crave one so badly.”

There was a moment of dead silence before his tone changed, laced with cold suspicion.

“What the fuck do you mean?”

“Your daughter Rose,” I spat, my voice gaining strength, and a semblance of control.

“She’s not entitled to a dime of my money. If she wants to celebrate her birthday like some princess, she can work for it, just like I do. Tell her to stop causing scenes in my life–showing up at my job, throwing tantrums. I owe her nothing. The next time this happens, one of us will be in a coffin, and she’s likely to be the one.”

When I finished, he exploded. He yelled, his voice cracking with rage, insulting me viciously.

“You ungrateful little shit! Who the hell do you think you are? You’re a mistake, Jessica—a fat, ugly mistake that no one will ever want. You should’ve gone with your mom the day you were born, spared us all the trouble!”

He paused, taking a ragged breath, then continued his twisted argument.

“You, in fact, owe me and Annie for taking care of you, giving you high school education, clothing and feeding you. So indirectly, you owe Rose.”

In my mind, I screamed back: Bare minimum, Dad. That’s the bare freaking minimum for a parent, and you didn’t even do that right!

I raged internally.

I begged for scraps of food, worked odd jobs around the house just to eat.

My clothes were Rose’s stained, worn–out discards. And high school? That was a scholarship I earned through sheer grit, not a penny from you. You didn’t contribute shit.

But out loud? I said nothing.

My thumb hovered over the end call button, and I pressed it, cutting him off mid–rant.

The silence that followed was deafening.

My head fell onto my drawn–up knees, and I let the tears fall, crying silently for the horror of my life and wishing, for the thousandth time, that my mom had either survived or simply taken me along. Because the horror of it all… this life, this family–swallowed me whole, leaving me hollow and wishing for an escape that never came.

My phone buzzed again, vibrating against my thigh. I lifted my head, and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, sniffing back the mess.

When I glanced at the screen, I saw it was an email from an anonymous source.

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12:00 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 26

My brows furrowed, a prick of unease cutting through the grief With shaky, fidgety fingers, I tapped it open.

Dear Jessica,

Have you thought about my offer? The time is ticking, and it’s ticking fast.

Regards,

Kennedy Tyrone.

My heart almost lodged itself into my throat, hammering with panicked recognition.

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I remained frozen on the porch, reading the email over and over again, the chilly air suddenly feeling suffocating.