My Guardian's Kiss, A Bitter Sweet Goodbye

For ten years, I lived with my guardian, Cole, secretly loving him. He was my late brother's best friend, the man I had worshipped since I was eight.

On my eighteenth birthday, I confessed my love with a painting. He ripped it to shreds, roaring, "I am your guardian, for God's sake!" He called my love a pathetic fantasy.

Two months later, he was engaged. He forgot I had a deadly allergy to the mango dessert his fiancée offered me.

Then, one night, he stumbled home drunk, pinned me to my bed, and kissed me while murmuring his fiancée's name. The next morning, he looked at me with disgust.

"What are you doing in my bed, Cora?"

My world shattered. The man who had spoiled me rotten, who promised to protect me forever, now saw me as disgusting and delusional. My decade of devotion had only burned me.

But his cruelty was the final push I needed. I accepted a full scholarship to Juilliard, a one-way ticket out. On his birthday, I packed my bags, deleted his number, and walked out of his life forever. I would never look back.

Chapter 1

I deleted the lock screen photo. The phone screen flickered, then went black, taking with it the last remnants of him from my life.

In that photo, Cole stood bathed in sunlight, a rare, relaxed smile playing on his lips. His eyes, usually sharp and guarded, looked soft, almost vulnerable. I remembered that day. It was our trip to the old lighthouse, a fleeting moment of peace before everything shattered.

For ten years, his face had been the first thing I saw every morning. He was the sun my world revolved around, the quiet steady beat of my heart. My secret love had consumed me. Now, I was extinguishing it myself.

The black screen was a stark, final canvas. My fingers trembled as I dropped the phone onto the nightstand. The cold condensation from my water bottle seeped into my palm. I picked it up, taking a long gulp. The icy liquid did nothing to cool the burning inside my chest.

I took a deep breath, picking up the phone again. My thumb hesitated over the contacts, then found a number I hadn' t dialed in years. It rang twice.

"Hello?" A gentle male voice answered, slightly muffled.

My own voice came out raspy, almost a whisper. "Dad? It's Cora. I got into Juilliard. Full scholarship."

There was a beat of stunned silence on the other end. Then, a joyous, uncontrolled laugh. "My little girl! I knew you could do it! New York, isn't it? Are you going?"

"Yes," I said, my voice firmer now. "I'm coming to New York. I want to be with you, Dad."

He didn't need to hear the rest. He didn't need to know my real reason for leaving. This full scholarship was my one, desperate chance. A one-way ticket out of my suffocating reality.

A soft sigh came through the phone. "Is