Chapter 44

Valerie

As I lay in bed, the echoes of my father's anguished cries still echoed in my mind, replaying like a broken record. The weight of his words, filled with frustration and helplessness, pressed heavily upon my chest, suffocating me in a relentless grip of guilt and sorrow. Shay's attempts to soothe the storm raging within my father seemed nothing against the storm of his emotions, each word a sharp reminder of the fragile state I found myself in.

"I think you should cool down, Mr. Caulfield. I know she is hurt, but-" Shay's voice, calm yet tinged with apprehension, attempted to diffuse the tension thickening the air.

"I can't fucking calm down, Shay. Do you even have any idea of her condition when she came home?" My father's voice cracked with raw emotion, the strain evident in every syllable

"She looked like she was dead inside. She didn't react to me yelling, and shouting her name. I had to fucking slap her to get her attention."

His words pierced through the veil of my u