Hailee's POV
"You have ten minutes to pick your things, Hailee… you are banished." Father's voice thundered, sharp and final.
Where I sat, I felt numb. Empty. Not surprised—because deep down, I had known this day would come. From the moment I made the choice to let Nathan touch me, I knew it would all boil down to this. But a foolish part of me had still hoped… hoped that my father would be angry, yes, but still a father. That maybe, after the rage, he'd find compassion. That he'd still protect me.
But I was wrong. So, painfully wrong. My image of him had always been wrong.
"No… what are you doing? Where will she go?" Mother's voice broke the silence. She stepped forward, desperate, her hands trembling. "Please, you can't do this to her."
For a moment, my heart skipped. I looked at her in disbelief. My mother. The same woman who had always stood firmly behind Father's decisions, no matter how harsh, was pleading for me? My breath caught in my chest.
