"You don't have to," he'd always say. "I enjoy your company either way."
But I wanted to. He made me feel safe in a way no one ever had. Protected. Valued.
Was that a daughter feeling safe with her father? I can't think about that without wanting to vomit.
Eight months in, I was falling for him. Not the money — him. His laugh. The way he remembered everything I said. How he'd text me good morning and goodnight like I actually mattered.
"I think this is becoming more than an arrangement," I told my roommate.
"Girl, don't catch feelings. It never ends well."
But it felt different. Special. Real.
For Christmas, he gave me a DNA ancestry kit.