Chapter 28

Cedric looks so much olderwhen I enter his house. "Thank you for letting me visit him," I say politely.

He nods, moving closer and opening his arms but retrieving when I take a step back.

"Learning why they divorced . . ." he suddenly says. "We were angry at her, then at you."

"I don't care. Could I see him, please?" I request as calm as possible, though my patience is wearing thin.

"Youhave to understand me, Ameline?—"

"No, I don't have to do anything," I retort, my voice rising. "I was sick. I begged you to talk to me, be with me. You ignored me. They opened my head and pulled out a tumor. I could've died. You two didn't give two fucks about it. It didn't matter how many times I called."

"I had a plan. I couldn't jeopardize it for?—"

"The kid who destroyed your happy family," I finish for him bitterly. "Well, I hope your plan came to fruition, and life is everything you wanted. Now, can I see your father?"

He nods silently, tilting his head so I'll follow him down the hall.

The living room has toys scattered around. I glance at a big family portrait on the mantle. There's Cee, Jamie, and two little boys, probably six and four. Knowing he married Jamie somehow makes me happy. At least they got back together. Is that the plan he tried to explain to me?

I shouldn't be so upset at him, but I don't know if I'll ever see past the way he treated me.

"Big brothers are supposed to take care of their little sisters," I whisper accusingly as we head up the stairs.

"I know," he says remorsefully.

"You did a pretty fucked up job," I continue.

"I regret every moment of it. I even tried to look for you, but it seems like Ameline Lewis disappeared. I searched for Mom and Declan's last name, too," he says as if trying to convince me that he looked through the seven seas. "But you were nowhere to be found. It wasn't until Gabe told me you were in town that I was able to get ahold of you."

"Decker," I clarify in a flat tone instead of telling him that Mr. Google isn't a private investigator, just a fucking search engine. He could've paid for one.

He glances back, brow furrowed. "What?"

"My last name is Decker now. I changed it when I married Gabe," I state matter-of-factly.

He frowns, clearly surprised. "You married Gabriel?"

"Yeah, he proposed when your father left me destitute." I let out a bitter laugh.

"Have you been living with him all this time?"

"Nah, we had a rough start," I simplify what happened between Gabe and me in just five dismissive words. Though, the world of hurt would probably fit in an entire encyclopedia. "We separated—love wasn't enough to keep us together back then. I moved to New York. But Izzy, on the other hand, didn't have any trouble finding me."

He shrugs helplessly. "I wouldn't know where to even start looking for someone. After I helped her with the divorce and she moved back into town, I hoped she would assist me with Dad, but . . . she had changed a lot."

"She neglected them. Cora and Caleb," I state plainly. "Obviously, I'm not in your position, but you should've checked on them more often."

"Jamie told me I should call CPS on her numerous times. She wasn't very kind to Cora especially. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. We couldn't afford another kid," he admits regretfully.

I glare at him because that's not how he should've handled the issue at all. Our sister is sick and instead of helping her he was just judging her.

He opens a door that has a gate locked on it. "Hey, Dad, you have a visitor," Cedric says gently as he unlocks the gate.

I don't like the setup, even if it's for a cruel man like Richard. "You really should have him in a proper care facility."

"I can't afford it on my salary," he sighs.

Richard turns from the book he's holding and frowns in confusion. "Where have you been, Ameline? It's been ages . . ."

"Hello," I say, taking a couple of tentative steps toward him, waiting for him to be angry at me or . . . I'm expecting the worst from this encounter, and maybe I regret not bringing Gabe with me.

"You look different," he says, studying me. "Older. Did you waste my money on makeup again? I told you, you're too young and pretty to be needing that."

I glance uncertainly at Cee, who just shrugs helplessly. I wish I knew who this Richard is. Obviously, the man who still loved me as his child.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Don't I get a hug first?"

I hesitate, wanting to shake my head no, but this man loved me once . . . I'm torn between rejecting him and getting one last embrace before our final goodbye.And I choose to follow my heart. When he hugs me back, I can't hold back the tears and I cry.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" he asks, concern creasing his wrinkled face. "Why the tears?"

"There's so much to say," I whisper.

"Tell me about it," he urges kindly. "I may live in a cage because I can't remember day from night."

"You know about your condition?"

He nods. "I do. Sometimes I remember a little, other times a lot and . . . one day is Wednesday and the next it's been weeks since the last time I was aware of my surroundings," he explains to me, the sadness on his face is heartbreaking.

"I keep asking for my girls, but Cedric says you're too busy," Dad explains with a sad sigh. "That's all my fault, of course."

"Why would you say it's your fault that Izzy and I won't visit you?" I ask, wiping my wet cheeks.

"Well, I'm always working and leaving you girls behind. I demand a lot from you all," he continues regretfully. "It's just . . . I want to make sure that when I die, you'll all have a little financial nest to fall back on if something happens."

Cedric snorts.

I glance between them, confused. "What happened with his money then?"

"Wife number seven happened," Cedric states bitterly and taps his temple. "By the time we realized how bad off he was, she had already cleaned him out completely."

I shake my head in dismay.

"I don't have seven wives," Dad argues irritably. "I divorced Karla a few months ago. But there's something no one knows. I have accounts everywhere—they're just well-hidden. Plus Declan's money too . . ."

My frown deepens. "Declan's money? Why are you hiding it?" Give me my father's money right now, I want to demand.

"When I die, you'll find out," he says secretively, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. "For now, you need to promise to visit more, Ameline. Even when I can't remember my own name, I still want to see my little girl."

I swallow hard. I need answers, but it's obvious I won't get them from him in this state. Glancing around the small, barren room, I wonder if he'd be better off in a care facility with professional help.

Gabe probably knows a good neurologist who can at least assess him. Richard was a decent father until my mother came back into the picture. Something must have triggered him, the way he rejected me. I'm not absolving him of his behavior, but there's more to this than I know about.

I glance at Cedric, recalling his crude remarks about Helen and her "magic pussy" that made Dad do stupid things.

Then I remember Mom's dying words—her hope that Dad would forgive her before she passed away and her regret that he only hurt me more in the end.

"Listen, Dad," I say gently, "I have a lot going on right now. But I have a doctor friend who might be able to recommend someone to help you. We'll find you a nice place so you don't have to live locked in this room anymore. Okay?"

I kiss his forehead.

"You remind me so much of your godfather," he states, and his eyes get teary. "He was a good man."

I'm not sure who he's talking about, but I don't see the point of staying longer. Will I ever get any answers from him? I doubt it, but maybe I can do something for him so he can live better.

"Come back, okay?" he requests.

On our way out, Cedric makes sure to lock him away again.

"Why do you do that?" I ask.

"So he doesn't wander out of the house. If the kids are visiting, then he won't be interacting with him," he says, but his voice is sad.

"They don't live here?"

He shakes his head. "Nope. Jamie left me—again. She can't live like this. I lost my job because Dad needs care around the clock."

"I'll talk to Gabe," I say. "Are you sure there's no hidden money? I might be able to ask a friend to search for it."

"You want to assume the responsibility, be my guest. It'll destroy your entire life," he states. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"Go to a therapist, Cee. Fix your life," I urge and glance at him. "We'll discuss our relationship later. I have too many things to figure out."

"I am sorry for everything," he says as I walk away toward the car.

It's not like I don't want to fix anything between us, but right now, there are more important things that need my attention. Like my little ones, Izzy, Dad, and, more importantly, Gideon. If I'm going to move here, I have to talk to Gabe about him and ask him to help me.