And that love was the reason this hurt so much.
“Mom,” I whispered, “did you see Brooke hit me?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Did you hear Dad tell me to apologize?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ask if I was hurt?”
Her lips trembled.
“Allison…”
“Did you?”
She began crying.
“No.”
I nodded.
“That’s why you’re not coming.”
She covered her mouth.
For the first time, she had no defense.
I gently removed her hand from my sleeve.
Then I walked away.
I reached the escalator leading toward security before my phone started ringing.
Dad.
I declined.
Then Brooke.
I declined again.
Mom sent a message.
Please don’t do something you’ll regret.
I stared at those words.
What would I regret?
Not paying for a boyfriend I hadn’t invited?
Not rewarding somebody who had struck me?
Not letting my father order me around?
I slipped the phone into my purse.
Security was busy but moving steadily.
I joined the line.
As I waited, I noticed the woman in front of me staring at my cheek.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I almost said yes automatically.
Instead, I answered honestly.
“I’ve had a difficult morning.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Travel can bring out the worst in people.”
I looked down at my cracked sunglasses.
“Sometimes it just makes it harder for people to hide who they already are.”
She nodded as though she understood.
At the checkpoint, I showed my identification and boarding pass.
My ticket was valid.
My flight was on schedule.
For one brief moment, everything felt simple.
I was an adult woman with a paid ticket.
I had somewhere to go.
And nobody was entitled to stop me.
After security, I bought a bottle of water and sat near my departure gate.
My phone displayed seventeen missed calls.
I ignored them.
Then an unfamiliar number appeared.
I almost let it ring.
But something made me answer.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Parker?”
“Yes.”
“This is Melissa Grant from the travel agency. I’m calling from our office line because I couldn’t reach you through the earlier callback attempt.”
My stomach tightened.
“Is something wrong with my ticket?”
“No. Your ticket is fine.”
“Then what happened?”
“There’s been another call.”
I closed my eyes.
“Brooke?”
“We can’t confirm the caller’s identity. But someone contacted us and demanded that we reinstate the canceled itineraries.”
“Did you?”
“Absolutely not.”
I released a breath.
Melissa continued.
“The caller also insisted that the full reservation belonged to your father.”
I gave a humorless laugh.
“Of course.”
“We explained that any new bookings or ticket changes would have to follow the proper authorization and payment procedures.”
“Good.”
“But Allison, that’s not the only reason I called.”
Her voice had changed.
“Go ahead.”
“While reviewing your file, I noticed a second payment request connected to the original anniversary package.”
I frowned.
« Quelle demande de paiement ? »
« Cela n’a jamais été terminé. Notre système l’a rejeté car l’autorisation était manquante. »
Je me suis redressé.
“Combien?”
“Quatre mille huit cents dollars.”
J’ai eu la bouche sèche.
“Pour quoi?”
Melissa fit une pause.
“Un forfait de mise à niveau demandé il y a trois jours.”
« Par qui ? »
« La demande a été soumise en utilisant votre nom. »
J’ai regardé fixement la foule qui embarquait dans un avion de l’autre côté du hall.
« Et quelle était la nouveauté ? »
Melissa prit une inspiration.
« Une excursion privée supplémentaire, une formule de restauration plus complète et une modification des modalités d’accueil des invités à la villa. »
J’ai fermé les yeux.
Brooke.
Ce devait être Brooke.
Melissa a ensuite ajouté un détail supplémentaire.
« La demande comprenait également une note indiquant que vos parents avaient déjà approuvé les frais. »
J’ai cessé de respirer pendant une seconde.
“Melissa, lis-moi le mot.”
Elle hésita.
« Allison, je pense que tu devrais le voir toi-même. »
Un nouvel e-mail est apparu sur mon écran.
J’ai ouvert la pièce jointe.
Un court message a été saisi dans la demande de réservation.
Et tout en bas, il y avait un nom.
Pas celui de Brooke.
Celui de mon père.
