chapter 65

DANI

I'm standing from a distance, watching Brandon burst into tears..

His face is buried in his hands. He's curled up in the couch. I think I'm witnessing his rock bottom. This is the first time that I've seen this man break down this badly in the eight years that I've dated him.

"I want to fùcking die!" He cries. "I deserve to fùcking die. I know I'm a horrible man. And I know I've been a horrible boyfriend to you. But I never thought I'd be a horrible father! What kind of a dad kills their own child! I'm just like my father! Maybe even worse!"

Brandon's parents were horrible but he particularly hated his father. He swore he would never be like that man. A man who forced him to work at a restaurant when he was twelve and then pocketed the peanuts he was making. A man who denied him food when he didn't a pass a paper. A man who slammed his head on the wall when he complained about a minor thing. A man who didn't allow him to spread butter or jam on bread because that's not a 'manly'