CHAPTER 43

While waiting for our flight, an urgent need to use the restroom suddenly struck me. I had to find the nearest women's bathroom quickly. As I entered the comfort room and finished my business, my cellphone rang. It was my dad calling, and perhaps this would be our first and final conversation. Summoning my courage, I answered the call and put the earpiece on. "Krystal..." his voice trembled with emotion. Despite the expected compassion, all I felt was boredom. It was too late for him to feel guilt. If I were a less restrained daughter, I would have told him to stop with his dramatics because they no longer amused me. But he was still my dad, even though the image of the loving father from my childhood was now dead in my memories. "Why?" I inquired. "Are you really leaving?" he asked, sounding pained. "Yes, I'm leaving you, Dad," I replied, striving to conceal the pain and bitterness in my voice. "Don't leave me alone here," he pleaded. "You won't be alone. You chose her, right?