Eric's POV

Last night had been a soul-crushing disappointment of immeasurable proportions. I had held onto a glimmer of hope, a flicker of belief that baring my soul to my father would bring us closer together. Instead, all it had accomplished was the construction of an impenetrable wall between us.

To compound matters, he hadn't shown up for breakfast, nor had he left for work. A heavy ache settled in my chest as the realization dawned on me that my confession had driven a ...