Sadie’s POV
We left at noon. My father walked us to the car, his cane sinking into the soft ground, and he didn't say anything when I buckled Lily into her seat. He didn't say anything when I closed the door. He didn't say anything when I opened the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel.
But just as I started the engine, he leaned down to the open window.
"Sadie."
"What?"
"That man – Blackwood. Whatever he is, whatever he told you – he's still the man who called you weak and threw you out. Don't forget that."
"I haven't forgotten anything, Dad."
"Good. Because men like him don't change. They just get better at hiding what they are."
I looked at him through the window. His face was hard, but his eyes were shining.
"I know what he is," I said. "That's the problem."
He straig
