“I hate you,” I tell him, my voice shaky with emotion. “For everything you put me through.” As my throat constricts, I swallow past the thick lump. It hurts to offer him this mercy of his hand in mine. Despite everything he did to me, I still can’t truly hate him. “But I also love you,” I whisper, staring at the side of his wrinkled, gaunt face. A deep sigh rattles my chest. “That doesn’t mean I’ll ever forgive you, Dad.”
