addicted vol 2 | rafe cameron

𝟕 | 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
↴rafe's point of view

I practically storm through the entryway of Tanneyhill, everything that happened in the last hour still a blur in my head. My future with Juliet is completely unraveled and unclear.

A brief shuffle of papers sounds from the dining room, so I step inside, finding my father sitting at the table.

"Dad," I pant. "I need to talk to you."

He doesn't even look up at me.

I take a few steps forward to sit in the empty chair across from him before inhaling deeply. "It's about the case."

This catches his attention. "What about the case?"

"I don't think we should..." I sigh, clearly struggling to get the words out. "We can't put the blame on John B."

He stares in disbelief before chuckling lightly. "It's a bit late for that, son."

"I know that, Dad, but... there has to be something else we can do."

"There's not," he says firmly, looking back down at the papers. "Unless you want to get us both thrown in jail."

I purse my lips.

"What's with this sudden interest in being morally correct?" he asks.

"Juliet won't talk to me knowing that John B is being blamed for something I did."

He freezes. "You told Juliet?"

"She found out," I interject quickly. "I wouldn't outright tell her, Dad."

Panic lights up his eyes. "You have to bring her here."

I jerk back. "What?"

"Son, we cannot risk her going to the police to testify against you. Testify against us," he says with anger. "Get her here."

"No, no, no. I can't do that."

"It's an order."

"She's not gonna do anything, Dad. If you're gonna worry, worry about Sarah!"

"Worry about your sister? Our family?"

"Yes, my sister!" I practically shout. "You know as well as I do that she would just... rat me out as soon as she got the chance, and—"

"—I don't know that," he interrupts.

"But one of us has to go down, that you do know, right?" I stare at him, a new thought suddenly taking over my mind. "Who would you pick?"

He's silent, avoiding eye contact.

"Dad, who would you pick? Between us?"

"Son, I don't pick between my children. I love you both." He blinks. "I love all my children equally."

"But dad, dad... if you just had to—"

"I don't have to."

"Okay, well you are going to have to." I raise my voice. "Alright? You realize that. Sarah went off with our enemy, right? Someone who tried to steal from us? And, and... I tried to protect our secret from my girlfriend, because... I value that between us. Dad, I'm here with you! I'm helping you, I'm putting you before everyone else!"

He stands up abruptly, but before he can walk past me, I grab his shirt.

"Dad, I saved your life," I remind him, thinking back to when he told me this in the Bahamas. "I just need to know who you'd choose."

"Stop it." He grabs my face with his hand. "I need you to stop it," he says, letting his words sink in for a moment before walking past me.

I feel a hot rush of anger surge through my veins, along with the immediate and intense urge to throw something. So, I stand up quickly, grab the chair I was sitting in, and loudly throw it against the wall. "You just can't do it, can you?" I laugh, walking toward my now frozen father. "You can't do the hard thing."