Build And Break novel Chapter 60

A small smile played at her lips as she looked at his sad wrinkled face. She was going to miss him, she knew it. But she had to go. She had to leave him. She had to leave him to save herself. And that moment, that was their goodbye. And from the loosening hold he had on her, he knew it too.

Slowly his hands moved to rest on her hips while his eyes never wavered from hers. "I'm sorry, Angela."

With all the courage she could muster, Angela reached for his hand and surprisingly he allowed her to take it, to place the cold ring in his palm and close his fingers over it. Angela held onto his fist before she rose up on her toes and pecked her lips close to his lips. His eyes closed in an instant, savoring that short moment and they remained shut when her hand fell away from his. He didn't want to see her go.

Angela ran with all her might on her bare feet. She didn't care about the soiled footsteps she was leaving behind on the shiny floor that she knew her father would hate. All she cared was of escaping that house, that life she didn't belong to anymore.

In her hurry, Angela tumbled into Jack's chest. The wine bottle escaped his hand as he reached to hold her steady from falling. "What are you doing, Angela?" It was when she sniffled that he saw her tear streaked face.

"It's over. This is all over." Angela sobbed.

Jack's hold on her remained tight as he stared at his weeping daughter.

Angela tried to jostle away from his clutch. "Let me go. Just let me go."

And he did. To her surprise, Jack released her hand causing her to jerk back with the much strength she was pulling away from him. And then she ran away.

Jack stared at the door where she had gone. He didn't care about the red expensive liquid pooled at his feet. Suddenly, for the first time in his life, he felt all he cared about was his daughter. Yet, he hadn't a single idea what to do.

The sound of slow, heavy footsteps made Jack turn around. It was Steven, trudging in like a ghost. His eyes looked around him but not really seeing. His feet were moving but not knowing where to.

"What the hell did you do to my daughter, Morris?"

It had been four weeks of tip toeing around each other when Steven visited Daniel at the hospital. His visits had become shorter. He blamed that on his busy work schedule. Though Angela knew better. The awkwardness between them two was as clear as day. Their small talk had become more awkward each day. Until they solely spoke to each other when Daniel included them in the same conversation.

It had been three days since Daniel was released from hospital. Three days since Angela took Daniel with her to Grace's home. Three days since Steven last saw Daniel.

When Steven had hugged Daniel before he let him go with Angela, he had promised the boy that he would visit him soon. He had intended on keeping his promise. Yet for the three days since, he never visited him. He had only sent text messages to Angela on the new phone he bought her and insisted she'd take before she and Daniel left, asking her how he was doing. He never called. He feared the boy would question him why he wasn't visiting him and knew no excuse he gave him would be enough to justify him not keeping his promise.

Angela with the help from Grace and Jimmy had managed to occupy Daniel's free time enough for the boy not to question Steven's absence. They had watched a dozen animated movies, played board games, watched the best games of his favorite soccer team. They didn't leave him time to think about Steven. Neither of them knew how to answer to any question Daniel might ask about Steven.

At that moment, Daniel was sleeping on the sofa in the family room while Angela was in the next room. The room which she and Tony had turned into an art studio. She stood at the small table, lit by the orangey light of the small bulb hanging from curvy metal bar turned into a makeshift lamp and she was carving. After a long time, her mind wanted to immerse in a world of peace, away from any thought. Just her and her art. And that time, she wasn't doing it to earn a little money. She was drawing for one reason alone: because she wanted to. The same day she left the hospital with Daniel, Steven had insisted that she takes one of his credit cards. Though she hadn't used it yet.