Chapter 14 - Chapter 13

# Chapter 13

AYANDA

I don't know how long I've sat in this chair, with my elbows braced on my thighs and my fingers steepled at my mouth.

My father stares at the TV, rewatching yesterday's race on SuperSport. Grace is clattering dishes in the kitchen, but I can't look away from my father.

Did he ever love me?

In his own twisted mind, did he care about me? His daughter and only child?

I've felt unnerved since I left the prison.

Vusi has an uncanny way of slithering inside my veins like a parasite. I can't shake the way his carefully delivered words rattle me to the core, like sharpened blades.

He wields them with precision. Maybe he can't tie me to his bed and torture me for days with a weapon of his choice, but he has no issue digging out the shadows lurking inside me. I'm a game to him—one he enjoys unravelling, layer by layer.

I'm coming undone, whether I want to or not.

My father's breathing is quieter today, and I find myself listening for every breath.

When his chest inflates, I'm both relieved and disappointed. How can I feel so conflicted? The man is a predator. But sometimes, bigger monsters lie in wait.

Monsters like—

"Are you okay, Ayanda?"

I jerk my head up, blinking at Grace. She watches me at the entrance to the lounge, hands clasped in front of her. The worry lines on her forehead are impossible to miss.

"I'm fine," I reassure her. "Just tired and worried about money."

Sighing softly, she ventures further into the room and puts her hand on my shoulder.