Jay turned to her, his face hard. "Though I hated your mother, I tried to be good to you because you're my daughter. I was wrong. You're just like her. You don't deserve to be loved. You don't deserve to be part of this family. Leave while I'm still being nice."
Natalie swallowed the pain that his words inflicted. "I will leave once I know what happened to Grandpa."
"He's dying because of you. I already told you. Now leave," Sephina repeated angrily. "Jay, I don't want to see her."
"I'll leave once I see Grandpa," Natalie insisted, her voice firm despite the turmoil inside her.
Jay, his anger boiling over, stormed toward her.
Slap!
"Didn't you hear what your grandma said?" Jay shouted at her. "Or would you rather see her lying in a hospital bed too?"
Natalie felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces. It was the first time her father had raised his hand at her.
