Page 319 of Tell Me I'm Enough

“He’s hurt. He’s…he’s been taken in for surgery from the scene. It’s pretty serious.”

My hands start to shake, and I feel the worst feeling I’ve ever felt in the pit of my stomach.

“In surgery?”I ask in disbelief.

Simone instantly takes my hands, trying to steady me even when she has no clue what’s happening. She has no idea my world is being flipped upside down during a moment that was perfect just seconds ago.

“Yes,”the voice says.“Right now. You really need to come. And…and Sir—”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “What?”

There’s another pause.

“Your dad is currently in custody.”

My eyes snap open in shock at those words. “What?” I say sharply. “Why is he—what does that mean? What happened?”

“We can’t tell you anything more over the phone,”the voice says, tight and careful.“Not right now. Someone will talk to you once you’re here.”

I can’t breathe. I can’t even focus on Simone, who’s trying to get me to look at her, trying to figure out what’s going on. All I can feel is my heart pounding, and my body wanting to be with my brother, wanting to fix this.

“Okay,” I manage. “Okay. I’m coming.”

The call ends.

I just stand there, with the music playing like it didn’t get the memo to stop, like the world didn’t just crack open.

But it did.

Mine did.

It cracked open right here, in the space between a kiss and a phone call.

And I can feel the cold rushing in, and everything changing for the worse.

Epilogue

I hate the smell of prisons. It smells like metal and bleach and regret every time I step into this place.

The guard leads me down the hallway after I’ve signed in, and I keep thinking that when I see him again, I’ll turn it all off. I’ll switch off all my emotions like I’m used to doing because of him. I’ll go numb as soon as I see his face, like I always do. But I can’t. Not today. Not anymore. I’ve got my wife and kids back home, who don’t deserve the aftermath that always comes with seeing him here. I don’t get to shut down anymore.

This time…I’m letting go of all the anger.

The door buzzes, and I step inside the visiting room. No matter how many times I’ve visited over the years, it still confuses my brain to see him in that navy blue jumpsuit instead of a suit and tie. He looks a lot…smaller here. I love it. I love that this place has humbled him. It’s finally put him in his place, whether he likes it or not.

He stands when he sees me, like he thinks he still has some claim to the space I take up. Like he’s still my father in any way that matters. He hasn’t been that in…well, forever.

I sit down without greeting him, lacing my fingers together on top of the table between us. He clears his throat as he sits down.

“Mason,” he says, his voice a little rough.

“Why am I here?” I ask.

I’ve only come to visit him a few times over the years. Only when something needed to be discussed about the business I now fully own, or when I wanted him to know how much I changed about the empire he thought he built—the one I’ve fixed and put in the hands of partners I trust, while I still get to live out the dream I deserved to chase—the one he hated me so much for having.

Today I was requested to come. Something he’s never done. Something that ate at me for a while until I decided to finally give in to the curiosity that was tugging at me.

“I…I’m sorry, Mase.”