Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 45

He follows my gaze. "Yeah."

"Did you reach the next level?" I check the windows again.

"Of course, no thanks to you." He stares proudly at the screen.

I look back at him. "Oh yeah? How'd you manage that?"

"Easily," he smirks, pressing a few buttons to show me his stats. "I've found someone to play with online."

I cock my head back. "You ditched me? You're cheating on me now?"

He waves me off. "You snooze you lose, honey. Someone more appreciative just snatched me up."

I deserved that. I frown. Maybe if I'd stayed home, none of this would've happened. We're in some real bs now. I look at him sadly. "I'm sorry for today."

"Oh?" he smirks.

I frown. There goes my compassion. "My part of it at least, because you did sort of overreact." I kind of wish I didn't say that last part, on account of the fact that it could be the last apology I ever get the chance to give him, but apologies are apologies after all. And I meant it.

He gives me a look, but I see the smile he's fighting. He looks away and stays silent for a while. "It's alright. You've gotta spread your wings or whatever. I get it. Leave me home with our four kids." He uses his old lady voice.

I laugh at the way he says it, reducing our parents to children.

He grins, but then it falters. "I'm just sorry it didn't go as well as planned."

"It's fine." I look towards the door. "I'm going to go to the bathroom really quick. Be right back."

He nods, going to sit down on his gaming chair. "Alright, you're not gonna go cryare you?"

I roll my eyes. "No. Just play your game."

I close the door gently and head towards the stairs. I feel like Mulan or something when she pulled her father's sword from its sheath. I have to do this for my family. I have to protect them.

But even with this resolve, I don't make it down one step. I know I have to decide. I should tell someone, probably Michael what happened. I should urge my family to leave this town right now, my parents careers be damned, but how? I don't know.

I turn back down the hall and go to the bathroom. I look in the mirror. I try to pull myself together and make a plan, but it's hard when I still don't believe what I saw myself. Every time that I looked out the window, it wasn't to make sure they weren't there. It was to see if they were. To confirm what I saw.

But I couldn't because they weren't there.

I sit on the toilet seat and put my hand over my mouth. I just stare at the towels, the walls.

I jump with every noise outside. Every normal house creak. Every abrupt movement from my family.

"Are you alright?" my mother asks.

We hear a knock on the back door. We all stare.

Charlie and Megan stop bickering for a moment. We all exchange looks and I nearly launch myself in front of the entry way, screaming at them to save themselves but I don't. I'm frozen. I stare in horror as my father puts the spatula down, turns the fire low, and heads towards the door.

"Maybe we shouldn't open it," I stutter out.

He turns the handle.

"Dad," I scream.

It's too late. The door's open.

A distraught Carson tries to shove his way in. I gasp. He makes eye contact with me.

My dad blocks him. "Who are you?"

Carson spares him a glance for half a second before looking back towards me. "I need to speak to your daughter immediately."

"You need to tell me who you are, son." My father all but ushers him (read: shoves him) back onto the patio. "Why are you coming through my back door?"

"Because I didn't drive here...?" Carson asks.