I really appreciate the compliment, @ezzy! Too kind of you! I'm very glad you enjoyed the read, and I'm especially happy that it had the intended effect. When I conceptualized the story, I wanted to write something that's a bit too fast-paced, that the reader gets lost in what was happening.

In the case of the father, I wanted to make him such a vile figure (wife beater) then pull up the curtain and make people want to root for the guy. I want readers to question their initial allegiances by the time the whole story is over.

Admittedly though, my eyes welled up as I was writing the building part. I knew how I would end his story and I was having a hard time. I kept reminding myself that my intention was to not let any of these characters "win," and while he was the most redeemable, he still had a checkered history.