Derek's POV
The memory still burned like acid in my veins. Standing in that opulent room, watching my father's arm snake around her waist, I felt the familiar rage bubble up from somewhere deep and dark.
"What is she doing here?" The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. My hands curled into fists as I stared at the woman who had destroyed everything.
Felicia stood there like she belonged, her young face wearing that same smug expression I remembered from years ago. She was still beautiful in that cheap, obvious way that had apparently captivated my father enough to betray my mother.
The sight of them together made my stomach turn. This woman had been nineteen when my mother found them together. Nineteen and already skilled enough to wrap my father around her finger while my mother lay dying of heartbreak.
"What exactly are you trying to tell me?" I demanded, though part of me already knew. The dread was building in my chest like a storm.
