His stubby finger pointed toward the door, and I reluctantly followed his demand, once again feeling like a child. I opted for one last look in James’s direction, and it was my downfall. He was watching my every move, and my dad was watching us both, the anger on his face growing by the second.

The moment I walked inside the open front door, I heard the shouting. It was Mr. Russo and my dad screaming at each other, but I wasn’t sure about what exactly. Their voices rose, and when I moved to look out the window, I saw the two men in each other’s faces and at each other’s throats. I wondered if this would be the day that they physically came to blows. James jumped between them, holding them at arm’s length apart. The shouting continued, and just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore and was about to head out there, the two men kicked dirt at one another before my dad stalked away, heading straight for me.

I didn’t know what to do with myself as my nerves ran ragged. When my dad entered the house, his face was an unnatural shade of red, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him this mad.

“Pack your things, Julia.”

My stomach felt like it dropped to my knees as bile instantly rose in my throat. “What? Dad, you can’t be serious.” I looked around the room, scanning the house for any sign of my mother.

Where the hell is she? I wondered to myself.

She wouldn’t let this happen without some kind of fight, would she?

I honestly had no idea what my mom would do in this situation. I knew she would feel in the middle, but whose side would she take?

“I warned you,” my dad bit out, his voice cold as ice and devoid of any emotion. “I told you to stay away from him, and you purposely defied me. You think I can’t tell what’s going on? The one thing, Julia,” he said as he pinned me with the harshest look, “the one thing I’ve asked of you. You will not humiliate this family any further. You obviously don’t understand the concept of loyalty even though I raised you on it. I’m sure your great-grandfather is turning over in his grave right now. Get your things and get out.”

My eyes started to water, and I knew my dad would consider it weak if I cried in front of him over this, but I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over if my life depended on it. “Where am I supposed to go?”

“That isn’t really my problem, now is it?”