The next day, I found myself sitting on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the wall, my hands trembling as my mind raced. The weight of the secrets I just discovered weighed down on me like an anchor dragging down a ship to the deepest part of the ocean. The thoughts that my dad, who’s supposed to be my own protector and my guide, knows that Alex has been having an affair with me and approving of it, made her stomach churn in disgust.
I slid my hand into the side drawer and drew out the photo I had kept earlier, the one of my dad and Alex standing side by side and smiling as if they were old friends. That single image had shattered my perception of everything I thought I knew about my family. My dad’s warm, encouraging words played back in my mind like a broken record.
“I only want
