Glass Hearts [BL] Chapter 233: You Think My Love Is a Phase?[Dominic’s POV]

I slamd the cab door shut before the driver could even say anything.

My whole body was shaking from rage.

The kind of rage that sits under your skin and makes your hands shake.

By the ti I got to the house, my chest felt too tight. I didn’t even think....I just pushed the door open hard enough that it banged against the wall.

Everyone turned.

Like they’d all been talking about and I’d just walked into the middle of it.

My mom’s face lit up, looking so relieved. "Hi, honey..."

I didn’t even look at her. I couldn’t. My throat was dry. I love her, I really do.... but right now, she was the least of my problems.

I wanted to get to him.

The man who turned my birthday into a goddamn press conference. The man who decided my life was just another headline.

"Where’s Dad?" I called out.

"Is that how you talk to your mother now?" His voice... that arrogant voice that echoed from the study room.

And there he was.

Looking perfectly calm. The kind of calm that makes you want to throw sothing.

He stepped out like he’d been waiting for .

"I’ve been calling you," he said, shaking his head. "You ignore my calls, disappear all night, then show up like this? Where have you been?"

I almost laughed. The kind of laugh that feels like it’ll rip your throat open.

"You care where I’ve been now?" I snapped. "I’m sure you’ve seen the trending news.....my entire life all over the internet."

"Of course I have," he steadied himself, and sat on the couch. "How my only son managed to embarrass in front of half the city."

That was it.

That fucking sentence.

I scoffed. "I embarrassed you? You fucking...."

I stopped before I said sothing I couldn’t take back.

My hands were shaking.

"Language, Dominic! Watch your tone."

"Oh, don’t start that crap." My voice rose before I could stop it. "You hijacked my birthday to announce your damn campaign....and then, what, decided I should get engaged to a stranger? Who does that?"

Mom tried to reach for my arm. "Dom, please...."

I pulled away. I wasn’t done.

Diane ca out too, watching like she already knew how this would go.

"Stranger?" he scoffed. "That young lady is the mayor’s daughter. I secured your future, and you, ungrateful as always, ruined everything I’ve built."

I let out a dry laugh. "A better future for or a better reputation for you? Let’s be honest for once. You wrap your selfish bullshit in pretty words and call it love."

He glared. "Ungrateful. That’s what you are."

"Ungrateful?" I almost choked on the word. "You control everything.... my friends, my image. I can’t even breathe without it turning into a press opportunity for you!"

"Dominic....."

"No! You don’t get to tell who I am anymore!"

"Talk to your brother," he told Diane instead, dismissing like I was a tantrum. "He’s not ready to grow up."

Diane, who’d been quiet this whole ti, finally spoke up.

"Dad, you literally made his birthday about you. That’s insane."

"Don’t start," he warned.

"No, seriously," she shook her head. "You’ve been doing this for years. Everything is about control with you. You can’t stand when anyone doesn’t follow your script."

He turned sharply. "Watch your mouth, young lady. I should cut both of you off."

Diane raised her eyebrows. "Go ahead. I’ll just start an OnlyFans. Probably trend faster than your campaign. You like headlines, right? Imagine that trending next to your mayorship."

Then she rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Diane!" Mom gasped.

I stared at him..... the man who always managed to make feel like a stranger in my own house.

My father.

Mom just stood there, helpless.

Dad ran a hand down his face, exhaling. "You see? This is what happens when you raise kids with no discipline."

Sothing in just... snapped.

"You don’t get to talk about discipline when you can’t even talk to your own kids without making them feel like employees."

He glared at . "If you spent half this energy being responsible..."

"I am responsible," I cut in. "Just not for your ego."

For a second, it looked like he might actually hit .

I turned to Mom....she looked tired, caught in the crossfire like always.

I wanted to say sorry to her. I wanted to hug her. But I couldn’t breathe right then.

I thought about saying sothing softer. Sothing that might make him understand.

But then I rembered, he never listened. Not once.

So I turned around and walked away before I did sothing I couldn’t take back.

I was halfway up the stairs when he said it.

"Are you really doing all this for him? For your so-called boyfriend?"

I froze.

My heart skipped.

He knows.

He actually knows.

My throat tightened. "I... I don’t know what you’re talking about," I muttered, still facing the wall.

He laughed quietly, bitter. "Don’t play dumb with , Dominic. I know about Ash. I know about the Coil. And I know exactly what you and your friends did last sumr."

My stomach dropped.

I turned fully this ti. "What?"

He was at the bottom of the stairs, with his hands behind his back like so damn general. "You think I wouldn’t have eyes in Estrella just because I wasn’t around? Why do you think the Coil suddenly backed off?"

I couldn’t even find words.

"I... I..." I stamred.

"Don’t bullshit , Dominic." His snapped. "Are you even my son? Dating another guy? Is that who I raised you to be? Less a man."

My throat went dry. I couldn’t speak

"So because I’m gay, I’m not man enough for you?" My voice ca out quiet, shaking. "That’s exactly why I never wanted to tell you. I knew you’d turn this into sha."

His eyes burned into . "When I heard about the Coil, I was devastated. You and your reckless friends, playing dangerous gas you don’t understand. I had to clean it up. Getting you engaged to the mayor’s daughter was one step. Running for mayorship was another."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Mom lower her head, silently.

"Why do you think the Coil suddenly left you alone?"

"What do you an?"

"I made a deal," he smiled. "Kept them off your back. You’re welco."

My grip tightened on the railing. "I... I didn’t know," I said quietly.

"I’m doing all of this to keep you safe," he shot back. "If I hadn’t stepped in, you and your crew would’ve ended up like Liam. Dead in so gutter because of your stupid choices."

Why?!! Why did he have to ntion Liam?

"Dad..." my voice cracked. "I’m sorry."

He scoffed. "No. Don’t ’Dad’ now. You think I don’t love you? I left my business behind for your safety..... while you were out there, screwing around, assaulting innocent people!"

I felt sothing snap inside .

"We didn’t assault her!" I yelled. "We’d never do that. We made a mistake... we panicked, but we’re not monsters."

"Don’t lie to !" he shouted. "You think I don’t know about your friends? That Ian kid? He’s filth. The things you boys do when you think no one’s watching..."

"Dad!" I cut him off, furiously. "Ian wasn’t even there that night! You’re twisting everything! You don’t even believe , do you?"

He looked at for a long second, then said quietly,

"Why would I believe a man who sleeps with another man?"

The world went quiet.

It was like everything inside collapsed all at once.

He really said it.

Mom walked away, like she couldn’t even bear to watch.

"So that’s it? That’s what it cos down to?"

He sighed, shaking his head like he was tired of .. "You’ll get over it. You’ll marry Gwen, settle down, and leave this phase behind. It’s ti to grow up, Dominic."

"You think my sexuality is a phase?" My voice trembled, but I didn’t care. "I’m not doing that. I’m not marrying Gwen. I’m not pretending to be sothing I’m not just to make you look good."

He opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak.

"No!" I cut him off. "Ash Rivera is my boyfriend. And I’m not going to deny him just because you’re ashad of ."

He looked shocked. Like he hadn’t expected to actually say it out loud.

He blinked once, like the words had actually hit him. Then his face hardened all over again.

I stopped halfway up the stairs and turned back. "I don’t need your protection anymore," I shook my head. "I’m done hiding. I’ll go to Estrella myself, confess everything. They already hate . What difference will it make?"

His expression shifted.

"No, you won’t," he barked, almost stumbling forward.

"You can’t stop ."

"You think I can’t?" he snapped, taking a step forward. " Unless you want your so-called boyfriend to end up like your last."

My whole body went still.

"What... what do you an my last?"

He tilted his head. "The gardener’s son," he said. "Simone or whatever is na is. I saw the way you used to look at him. I saw you two kissing on the porch."

My stomach dropped. "What are you talking about?"