I cried.
Not just with tears—but with sound, with trembling, with my whole body. The kind of crying that strips you bare and leaves you raw.
My father pulled me into him, his arms strong and warm, wrapping me in a quiet shield. He didn’t say anything. He just held me, patted my back, and whispered things I couldn’t even hear through the roaring in my chest. The more he tried to soothe me, the more I broke. And I kept crying. Until there was nothing left.
No tears. No words. Just silence.
I sat there, staring at the nothing in front of me. Eyes open, but seeing nothing. Feeling everything.
Then he spoke.
“Whatever decision you make… you’re an adult now. Like I told you—I’m not afraid to die. The only thing I am scared of is to lose you, my precious baby girl.”
His voice cracked a lit
