Chapter 4Starting Over, I Tear Apart the Fake and Poisonous Best Friend

Turns out my father hadn’t stopped caring about me after all. It was Maeve who had been poisoning our relationship.

She’d manipulated both sides – feeding me lies to make me resent him, while telling him things that made him hesitant to reach out to me.

It was all her doing. Every ounce of my pain, every moment of estrangement, stemmed from her twisted actions.

The hatred I felt in that moment was beyond words.

But now, I had a second chance. A chance to change everything. I had come back to the very day I won the lottery.

After cashing in my winnings, I dialed a familiar number I hadn’t called in years.

“Holly? Why aren’t you saying anything? What’s wrong?

“If something’s happened, don’t worry, I’m here. I’ll be right there – I’ll get a ticket and come see you at school!”

Hearing my father’s voice again brought tears to my eyes.

Maeve had made sure we were estranged for so many years, poisoning my thoughts against him.

I steadied my voice before speaking. “I’m okay, Dad. I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”

I could tell he was holding back tears. “I’ll come visit you right away!”

“No need, Dad. I’ll be home soon for break.”

I had more important matters to take care of first.