The Capo’s Daughter Needs No Permission Chapter 27
That night, my father emailed me, too.
He brought up the math test.
*You asked me why, when you got a 780, I was still dissatisfied.*
*That day, when I got back to the office, I told everyone my daughter was only twenty points away from a perfect score. That she was smarter than anyone I knew.*
*But I never praised you to your face.*
*I thought being strict with you was a sign of respect—that you were a true Vitale, and you could take it.*
*I gave unconditional protection to Ava and left only obedience and responsibility for you.*
*Now I finally understand that demands are not love, and a family name cannot replace what I was supposed to give you.*
I read it over several times but didn’t reply.
A late confession can explain some things.
But it can’t make a cold sandwich in a dark room turn warm.
And it can’t go back in time and answer even one of the fifty-eight calls I made before my surgery.
Marco’s apology came even later.
He didn’t send another bank card.
Instead, he turned that three-hundred-page college application guide into a PDF and emailed it to me.
The message said:
*This should have been yours, too.*
I replied:
*No need. I’m already at Westbridge.*
After I sent it, I shut my laptop and went to dinner with my roommates.
They stuck nineteen candles in a small cake.
No one scraped off my name.
No one asked me to give my wish to someone else.
When the candlelight flared, I closed my eyes.
This time, I made a wish only for myself.Â