Chapter 33

My daddy and I went inside his car to talk about what happened. It was the only safe place for us to discuss private things. In the car, the silence between us felt heavy, almost suffocating, until my father finally spoke, his tone serious.

“Just tell me the truth, Katrina. Did you feel unsafe with Damien?”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t hold them back. “Dad…”

“Tell me,” he urged, his voice tightening. “Because what I saw back there was my little girl pleading for help. I won’t let my daughter go through that.”

“It’s not what you think, Dad,” I tried to explain, but the words felt hollow.

“Don’t lie to me, Katrina! I know what I saw. You were unsafe in that room with him, weren’t you?”

I broke down, unable to keep it in any longer. “Dad… Damien and I already broke up. He cheated on me.”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white. “That scumbag…” he muttered, his voice heavy with disgust. “I knew it.”

Tears streamed down my face as I whispered, “I didn’t k