Cecilia didn't answer. She only gripped Blaze's jacket tighter, her slender body trembling as though all the sorrow she had been suppressing finally broke free. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably—so fragile, so heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Blaze had been furious just moments ago. But the instant he heard that soft, helpless whimper from her—like a wounded little animal—every spark of anger vanished without a trace.
He pulled the car over and turned to her, gathering her into his arms. His voice softened as he gently patted her back. "I know you were at the hospital last night. Your father's condition took a turn for the worse, didn't it?"
"I don't understand why he treats me like this." Cecilia only spoke this way in front of Blaze—the one person she completely trusted. "Even if I did something wrong… why does he have to be this cruel to me?"
Other daughters were cherished like precious jewels in the palm of their fathers' hands. But not her.
