“You’ve got some nerve showing up at my house, Martin. Especially after what happened in Afghanistan. Why do this when you’re about to get out?”

“You don’t give a fuck about me getting out, this is about you keeping your hands clean and your retirement.”

The rest of the words flew around me too fast to catch until I heard Kael say, “You’re a fucking criminal!”

Afghanistan. Criminal. My daughter. How dare you. Stay away.

I leaned in to the side of the truck and crouched down small, a feeble attempt to protect myself from what I was hearing. I couldn’t make sense of all of it, other than to realize that my dream of happily-ever-after had just ended. And a nightmare had begun.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

I walked toward my porch. What was this? What was happening?

I could barely feel the ground beneath me as I moved across my lawn. My heart ached and with every breath I became more certain that something was very wrong. I hated that my mind was already doubting Kael. The fact that he knew my dad—before I introduced them at dinner—and that something had gone on between them. He never mentioned it, and that confused and hurt me. And my dad, of all people? Could I trust either of them to tell me the truth? The steel wall around me that I’d lowered over the last couple of weeks was rising again. My defenses were on high alert.

As I climbed the porch stairs my father stepped into the house, still with his back to me. When Kael caught my eye, my dad tracked his gaze and turned abruptly.

“Karina,” my dad boomed, pointing at Kael. “Why is he here, in your house? Why the hell is this guy sitting inside your home when you’re not here?”

My heart was pounding. What the hell is going on? Kael was starting to look different, like a stranger again. Something about the way he stared forward, not appearing to even blink, made my blood run cold. My father’s stern voice made me want to vomit.

“I overheard everything you just said. Tell me what this is about,” I demanded, and when neither of them spoke, I startled myself by yelling, “Tell me what the fuck you’re talking about, right now!” I had never screamed in my house before.

Kael reached for me, but I jerked away. “Karina, I can tell you what’s going on, your dad’s—”

With an icy tone, my father cut Kael off before he could finish. “You’ve already overstayed your welcome, Martin. She’s my daughter, and I don’t need you to speak to her. Karina, we can discuss this when he leaves—which will be now.”