Chapter 34: Survival mode
TERESA’S P.O.V.
I felt a strange sense of cold settle over me as I stood there, watching my father step out of his car. The quiet anger in his eyes—it was like staring down a gathering storm. And yet, I felt small, vulnerable. Luke was right beside me, his hand steady on my arm, but it still didn’t stop the cold shiver that ran through me when my father called my name.
"Teresa," he said softly, almost too softly, that calmness so chillingly familiar. My stomach twisted.
Before I could even find the words, he sent a mere glance at Luke and then completely fixied his steely gaze on me. "Why did you block my number, Teresa?"
I swallowed, trying to hold my composure. "I didn’t," I replied as steadily as I could, but my voice shook slightly. "I haven’t blocked your number, Dad."
"Oh, really?" His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Then what did you say to Lucian that made him cancel the deal we made?"
"I didn’t say anything," I protested, feeling my cheeks flush. "Lucian already knew I wasn’t Jennifer." I caught my breath, remembering that look in Lucian’s eyes when he’d first seen me, a look like he’d seen right through every lie, every pretense. "We...we’ve met before, Dad. He knew who I was right from the start."
A flash of rage crossed my father’s face, something dark and unsettling. He took a step toward me, his expression hardened with fury. "You think someone like Lucian Blackwood would know you?You of all people? If it weren’t for me, Teresa, you’d be nothing. Someone like him has class, levels you wouldn’t even understand. Don’t pretend you’re important enough to know him on your own. You’re such a liar. You’re exactly like your mother. Cheap, conniving and manipulative!"
I opened my mouth, but the words died in my throat. I couldn’t believe he said that about mom. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that Lucian and I really met before, a couple of times actually But before I could even muster the courage, his hand shot out, and a sharp, searing pain exploded across my cheek.
The world tilted for a second, and everything felt surreal. I staggered back, too stunned to react, feeling the sting burn into my skin. My vision blurred for a moment, and I couldn’t quite believe it had happened. I could still feel the echo of his heavy ringed hand on my face.
Then Luke’s voice cut through the haze like a lightning bolt, raw and enraged. "How dare you," he growled, and before I even understood what was happening, Luke’s fist connected with our father’s jaw in a resounding punch.