Chapter 273
The corridor was quiet as I walked toward the exit.
The automatic doors slid open, and I stepped outside. The afternoon sun was warm on my face.
And there he was.
My father's car was parked by the curb, right in front of the "No Parking" sign that no one ever obeyed. Old. Gray. The paint was chipping near the bumper. The left headlight was still crooked, a reminder of the time Lilith had backed into a lamppost and he hadn't bothered to fix it.
He was inside, both hands on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead.
I walked toward the car. My footsteps echoed on the pavement.
He didn't see me at first. His eyes were distant, lost in thought. His jaw was tight. The lines on his face seemed deeper in the afternoon light.
I knocked on the window.
He turned. He unlocked the door.
"Father," I said.
He looked at me. His eyes were tired, but there was something else in them. Something I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Get in," he said.
