Mom didn’t argue with that. She didn’t need to. We both knew I was probably right.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have told you sooner. I just hoped… I hoped he’d step up and be the father you deserved.”
It’s been three weeks since the wedding. Dad hasn’t called. He hasn’t texted. My siblings still go to his house every other weekend, and according to Tommy, Dad never asks about me. Not once.
His family keeps texting me, though. Angry messages about how I “ruined” his special day. How I was “selfish” and “dramatic.” How I should apologize to my dad.
Part of me wonders if they’re right, but most of me knows better.
When your own father claims you ruined his marriage and says he can’t wait for you to be out of his life in front of a room full of people, walking away quietly is probably the least you could do.
I mean, what was the alternative?
Sit there and smile while he made it clear I didn’t belong? Pretend it didn’t hurt?
No. I’m done with that. I’m done making excuses for someone who’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be my father anymore.
The truth is, he probably never really did. And you know what? That says everything about him and nothing about me.
I’m finally starting to understand that.
It just took a wedding speech to figure it out.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
