SMACK!
My head snapped to the side. My cheek stung, and the sound of the slap was much louder in my ears than the noise of the crowd around me.
I staggered back, clutching my face, and looked up, straight into my father's eyes.
"Dad…" My voice cracked.
But he wasn't alone because my mother was standing right beside him.
"Mom?" I whispered, feeling my chest tightening.
Instead of comfort, her lips pressed into a thin, disappointed line. Her eyes…. Oh God, her eyes held no doubt, and no hesitation. She believed it; she believed them.
Cassandra rushed to hug them both, speaking in her sugary sweet voice. "Mum! Dad! I'm so glad you came! I wasn't sure you'd make it."
Charles kissed her forehead, and his voice was full of pride as he replied. "Of course not. I would never miss your big moment, darling, not for anything in this world."
Then he turned on me. As he did, his face hardened, the warmth in his eyes gone in an instant. "And you," he spat, "you disgrace."
