~~~Aiden~~~
My dad's eyes pleaded with me, his voice laced with desperation. "Listen, son... I know you're really angry with me, and with everything going on right now, I believe you have every right to be. But you have to trust me in this one. I'm here because I want you to keep the family together until I return..." He trailed off, his words hanging in the air like a fragile promise.
I turned on him, my voice dripping with venom. "I was doing a great job before you began meddling with my affairs, Mr. Zac Brooklyn." The words felt like a betrayal on my lips, but I couldn't bring myself to call him "Dad" anymore.
His eyes widened in shock, the hurt and surprise etched on his face like a map. He'd never heard me address him by his first name before. All my life, he'd been my dad, my rock
