"What's this? Crying? Daddy issues?"
He pointed at himself.
"I'll be your daddy. Go on. Call me Dad. Let me hear it."
A tidal wave of hatred churned inside my chest.
Tamara stood off to the side, watching the show with undisguised amusement.
I glanced at my foster father's portrait, most of it already consumed by fire.
Over and over, I apologized to him in my heart.
Dad, your son is a disgrace. But I can't refuse. Mom is still in that animal's hands...
"Are you going to say it or not?!"
Jarvis grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed me against the wall.
"My patience is running thin..."
I glared at him through bloodshot eyes, my entire body shaking, and forced the word through clenched teeth.
"...Dad."
A chorus of piercing laughter erupted around me.
Jarvis looked thoroughly pleased.
"There we go. Now that you've got me for a father, you don't need this worthless little ashes pendant anymore, do you?"
He flung the pendant across the room.
After shooting me one last vicious look, he spoke softly into his phone.
"Cut the old woman's oxygen line."
"No...!"
I stumbled and crawled toward him, desperate to snatch the phone from his hand.
But it was already too late.
On the surveillance feed, every piece of medical equipment flashed red simultaneously, shrieking with piercing alarms.
Nurses flooded into the room in a frenzy.
But my foster mother's heart monitor had already flatlined.
"You animal! Jarvis, you'll burn in hell for this...!"
Jarvis sneered and backhanded me across the face.
"Burn in hell?"
"Let me tell you something, Arthur. I'm the young master of the Farley family. That's my golden ticket. Untouchable."
He wrapped his arm around Tamara's slender waist, eyes brimming with triumph, and walked out.
I swallowed my tears, and a cold laugh rose from somewhere deep inside me.
In less than two hours, that golden ticket would change hands.
They had barely stepped outside when Tamara doubled back.
She seized my chin in her grip.
"Get dressed and clean yourself up. You're coming with me to the courthouse to finalize the divorce."
With everything that had happened over the past few days, I'd nearly forgotten.
Seven days ago had been my anniversary with Tamara.
Figuring we were practically about to get married anyway, I'd taken her to get our marriage license.
The day we registered, she'd been in a sour mood from the moment she woke up.
At the time, I thought I'd slipped up on some small detail.