Me & The Devil

Twenty Nine

Salina huffed as she stepped out of the car, alone. Her plan- very loosely- was to meet Laurent in the courtyard that they'd visit when she was little. Around them were older buildings that had long been left to rot now.

She sniffled when she saw her father sitting on the bench in her view. Swallowing deeply, Salina wrapped her arms tightly around herself. A dress reached her calves as it swished against her skin, moving while she approached Laurent. Her hands shook lightly.

Hearing her footsteps, Laurent stood and immediately she slowed down. Her feet hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Mon ange," Laurent sighed and tried to get closer as his arms lifted up.

"Stay there," Salina demanded. "I shouldn't even be here," she kept her voice even while looking at her father. He looked horrible, bags were under his eyes and his clothes hung off his frame as if he'd been losing weight. "You look like shit."

Laurent scoffed humorlessly, "Well that happens when someone realizes how badly they've messed up. I've missed my daughter."

"You didn't miss me all those years before when we lived in that house like strangers."

Once again, Laurent tried to move closer to her. Side stepping, Salina kept the same distance between them as she maneuvered around him. Now he stood in the center of the field and she was closest to the bench he sat on before.

"I never should have agreed to the arrangement, sending you off to that monster. I'm sorry, I understand your upset with me for letting him take you."

"Watch your mouth about him," she snapped before inhaling deeply.

Salina fought the urge to roll her eyes at the way he was spinning the narrative. She couldn't let him get under skin. That would ruin everything. Instead she settled for glaring at her father.

"You sold me off like a piece of property. And when you didn't get the price you wanted in return, then all of a sudden you missed me. So much that you'd put me in danger to get me back."

As if he wasn't expecting her to know about his part in the gala attack, Laurent's eyes widened. "I-I am so sorry, ma belle. I never meant for that to get so out of hand. It wasn't my intention. The McCaffrey's took it too far."

"You took it too far when you tried to have me stolen!" Salina spat. Her father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "You know I would never knowingly put you in danger."

"Yeah god forbid the merchandise get damaged," her dark eyes rolled. "I risked a lot coming here and you can't even be fucking genuine. You never gave a shit about me, I don't know why I ever thought you did," Salina's voice shook with emotion.

All she wanted was for her father to comfort her, for the relationship to suddenly turn around and be what she craved all along.

But now she stood with the man who had her kidnapped and he didn't even resemble her father. Only a stranger.

"I gave you everything!" Laurent practically barked at her. "I gave you everything I had left in me after your mother left and it was all a waste after this arrangement."

"Why wasn't I ever enough by myself, huh?" Salina suddenly croaked. The two stared at one another, "I keep going back to it in my head. Was it because mom left and you blamed me-"

"Never-!"

"Then was it because I'm a woman, did you want a son after all? That would explain why you preferred Drake all these years."

"Salina how could you even ask me these questions you know I love you-"

Salina balled up her fists up, lifting them up to her face and shoving her perfectly styled hair all over the place. "You don't!" She shrieked finally over his lies. "You don't, you don't and you never did," her voice cracked with sobs.