"If you truly are… then why don't you kill yourself?"
Lawrence's entire body shook as he watched the soft smile on his daughter's face — a smile far too gentle for someone who had just wished him dead. Melissa shrugged, turned around, and closed the door behind her, leaving her father with nothing but her cruel words echoing in his mind.
His complexion paled as his shoulders sagged, his eyes swirling with regret and guilt. His heart clenched painfully. Nothing was more devastating for a parent than hearing their own child wish they were gone.
"I shouldn't have woken up," he whispered to himself, clutching his tightening chest. "It's all my fault."
Had he not done what he had done… had he not allowed Jasmine to manipulate him… had he not let jealousy over Loren and Doctor Tyler's friendship fester inside him… none of this would have happened. Loren wouldn't have taken such extreme measures. Melissa wouldn't have been raised by a monster.
