Saoirse
He didn’t let me go.
Even when my legs trembled and my body sagged with the weight of everything I’d carried alone for years, my father didn’t let go.
I wasn’t the crying type anymore, not since I learned to fight with my teeth instead of my tongue—but right now? My chest cracked open, and every dam I’d ever built gave way.
“I got kicked out.” The words tumbled out before I could organize them. Raw. Undressed. “She kicked me out.”
Dad’s arms stiffened around me, then slowly moved to hold my face in both palms. His thumbs brushed my tears away, his brows crumpling in disbelief.
“What?” he whispered, voice hoarse.
“She said I reminded her too much of you,” I rasped. “And about my stepbrothers—”
“I know, you don’t have to repeat if you’re not comfortable.”
He knows, I already
