To Capture a Heart ✔️

Chapter 46

The smell of vodka filled my nostrils as soon as I entered the house. It filled my lungs and sent a stench around the whole house.

Dad laid across the sofa, a bottle of alcohol resting on his chest. Loud snores leave his mouth and I use that as my signal to run up to my room and change my outfit. By the time I got back down, dad was stirring before he sat in a slump on the couch, rubbing his eyes.

Our eyes meet from across the room and dad's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Kaylee? Where's your brother?" He mumbles, wavering as he stands on his feet. "Where is he? He's not in his room."

"He's at mum's. Didn't she tell you?" I ask, confused as to why mum didn't tell him that Louis was staying with her for a while.

"Aah, right. She did." He flops back onto the sofa, gripping the bottle of alcohol. "That's right. I forgot."

"Dad... can we talk?"

"About what?"

"About everything. About how you put someone in hospital. About how you... punched me-"

"I didn't fucking punch you!" He yells. "It was that fucking boy you've been whoring around with-"

"Seriously? You're not gonna own up to something you did? What..." My voice breaks, but I refuse to shed another tear for the man. "What kind of father are you? What kind of man are you?"

"Don't you fucking dare blame me, Kaylee. You lied to me and snuck around with some boy, when you should be focusing on college. Do you even attend your classes anymore? Do you even care about your future? You should be ashamed of yourself."

I laugh heartlessly, letting my emotions do the talking for me. Because I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being pushed around and being seen as the bad guy, when he's the one putting his hands in me.

"No. No, you don't get to manipulate me anymore. You don't get to act like your always in the right and I'm always wrong. I'm the liar?" I laugh again. "I know you haven't been visiting mum, so that was a lie. And, yes, I do care about my future. Which is more then I can say for you. Because, right now, you are throwing away any future you could have had."

I step towards him, pointing my finger at him. His eyes are wide, and his jaw is clenched. I didn't care how angry he got.

"My whole life, I have been trying my hardest to hold this family together. I thought that I was the only one with fucked up parents and a fucked up life, because, you made it seem as though the rest of the world was picture perfect. Well, guess what? I get it now. I get that everybody's lives are fucked and messed up and I'm not the only one. My life isn't the worst, and some people are going through a shit ton more than me.

It made me wonder... how bad was your childhood if you ended up like this?" I gesture to his body. "It doesn't set me up for a perfect future, I'll tell you that. But, I'm going to work for it. I'm going to try my hardest and have the best damn life I want, which is more than I can say... for you." I nod my head multiple times, turning away from him. "I'm gonna go. I'm gonna enjoy my summer. And I'll be damned if you ruin it."

With that, I walk out of the room and out of the house without looking back at him. I may not be free of him, but I know that if he even tries to touch me, I'll fight back. I'll fight back with every goddamn part of me.

***

I get into Ferris' car, looking over to him. He scans my face, worry etched into his features.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" He asks, hurriedly, his palms on my cheek. I lean into his touch as it soothes me, slowing the rush of my breathing.