Chapter 2 - The Severed Cord
My father’s eyes widened in sudden, furious shock. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me," I said, turning my gaze fully onto him. I felt no fear. The stinging in my cheek had turned into a dull, empowering throbbing. "You laid your hands on me in the middle of an international terminal equipped with hundreds of high-definition surveillance cameras. That agent saw it. The family behind us saw it."
"Valerie, stop this embarrassing nonsense right now!" my mother hissed, taking a frantic step forward. The smooth, calm demeanor she usually maintained was beginning to crack. "You are making a scene over a airplane seat! Have you lost your mind?"
"I haven't lost my mind, Eleanor," I said, dropping the title of 'Mom' entirely. "For thirty-two years, I was out of my mind. But right now, I see everything with perfect clarity."
I turned back to the Delta agent, whose fingers were already hovering over his desk phone. "Please call the Atlanta Police Department officers stationed in this concourse. I want to press formal charges for criminal assault."
"Valerie!" Arthur yelled, reaching out to grab my arm.
Before his fingers could touch my coat, two heavily armed airport security officers who had been patrolling nearby caught the commotion and marched briskly toward our counter.
"Is there a problem here, folks?" the lead officer asked, his hand resting casually near his belt.
"Officer, thank God," Danielle chimed in, putting on her best damsel-in-distress expression, her eyes instantly brimming with fake tears. "My sister is having an emotional breakdown. She’s screaming at us and causing a public scene because of a seat assignment—"
"Check the security footage," I interrupted calmly, looking the lead officer dead in the eye. "My father just struck me across the face because I refused to hand over my business-class ticket. The gate agent witnessed the entire incident."
The lead officer looked at the agent behind the desk. The agent didn't hesitate; he gave a firm, solemn nod. "I saw it clearly, Officer. The gentleman slapped her hard enough to echo across the check-in hall."
Arthur’s face turned from red to an ashen, ghost-like white. "Now hold on a second! I am her father! I was disciplining my disrespectful—"
"Sir, step away from the lady right now," the officer commanded, his tone instantly shifting from routine to severe. "Hands where I can see them."
"Are you serious?!" my mother shrieked. "Do you know who we are? We are going on a family vacation to Paris! Our flight leaves in an hour!"
"Your husband isn't going to Paris today, ma'am," the second officer said smoothly, taking Arthur by the arm and pulling him away from the counter.
Panicked, Danielle grabbed my sleeve. "Valerie, tell them it was a mistake! Dad didn't mean it! You’re going to ruin my graduation trip! How can I go to Paris if Dad is in jail?!"
I looked down at her hand on my sleeve. Slowly, deliberately, I reached over and plucked her fingers off my coat as if she were a piece of lint.
"You aren't going to Paris either, Danielle," I said softly.
She blinked, confused. "What?"
I turned to the Delta agent. "Sir, I am the primary cardholder who booked and paid for all four reservations on this itinerary. Am I correct?"
"Yes, Ms. Castillo. You are the master account holder."
"I would like to cancel three of the tickets immediately," I said, my voice unflinching. "Cancel Arthur Castillo, Eleanor Castillo, and Danielle Castillo. Refund whatever portions are refundable back to my personal card, and forfeit the rest."
A high-pitched gasp escaped my mother’s throat. "You can't do that! You paid for those tickets! They are ours!"
"I paid for them," I corrected her, turning around to face all three of them. "And since you reminded me that I’m such a burden, I’ve decided to lighten your load. You won't have to deal with my toxic attitude in Paris."
"Valerie! You selfish bitch!" Danielle screamed, dropping all pretense of her fragile persona. Her face contorted into pure venom. "I worked hard for my degree! I deserve this trip! You can't do this to me!"
"You didn't work hard for anything, Danielle," I said, stepping closer to her, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "I paid your tuition. I paid your rent when you flunked your first semester. I paid for the designer clothes you’re wearing right now. And as of this exact second, the bank of Valerie is permanently closed."
"Sir, you’re coming with us," the police officer said, pulling my father’s arms behind his back to slap on a pair of heavy steel handcuffs.
"Valerie! Tell them to stop!" Arthur roared, struggling against the cuffs as travelers gathered around, pulling out their smartphones to record the spectacle. "You ungrateful brat! After everything I’ve done for you! You will burn in hell for this!"
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"Arthur! Oh my God, Arthur!" Eleanor cried, frantically trying to follow the officers as they led my handcuffed father away toward the precinct office. She turned back to me, her eyes wild with rage and desperation. "If you do this, Valerie, you are no longer a daughter of mine! Do you hear me? You are dead to this family!"
"Good," I said, handing my passport back to the agent with a steady hand. "Because as far as I’m concerned, I was orphaned ten minutes ago."
