Shameless AF: Dad of the Damn Multiverse

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Father and Daughter



Chapter 40: Father and Daughter

"Have you ever thought about why Karen did all those things? Do you really believe it was just because she liked it? No—it's because there's something wrong with your parenting. You failed as a father!" Frank snapped at Officer Eddie.

He had been standing outside, watching the so-called "Purity Ball," listening to the girls confess their supposed sins. When he heard Eddie berating Karen, he finally lost it and stormed in.

To Frank, any father who would drag his daughter to a place like this—forcing her to publicly reveal humiliating details of her life under the guise of a "confession"—was a complete failure. Hadn't the old folks always said: "Family shame should not be made public"?

These fathers didn't truly care about their daughters. It wasn't even about faith. They were just using the excuse of religion to engage in a game of social one-upmanship.

That's right—status. It was all about face. In this tight-knit community, everyone followed the same rituals just to keep up appearances. If they didn't, they'd lose standing. So they played along, never once considering what their daughters actually felt or thought.

If they genuinely cared, if they truly believed their daughters had strayed, then they should've sat down at home, had a real conversation, and guided them with wisdom and experience.

Instead, they dragged them into a room full of strangers and forced them to spill their secrets for public judgment—calling it repentance when it was nothing more than public execution. A spiritual crucifixion.

"Frank, this is the house of God," the pastor said sternly. "Please leave. You are not welcome here. Don't disrupt our ceremony."

Frank turned to him with fire in his eyes. "And you—don't think you're off the hook."

He marched toward the pastor.

"What are you doing?!" the pastor said, backing away in alarm.

"You're a piece of trash too!" Frank punched him square in the face.

"Purity Ball? What a joke. This is psychological torture. You're a twisted pervert hiding behind scripture."

"You hold these events just to satisfy your own filthy, perverse desires. God? If He really saw what you were doing, He would've struck you down with lightning by now. The news talks about priests and pastors molesting kids—yeah, they mean you. You're doing it with your words. With your sick need for control."

Frank spat in the pastor's face.

This so-called man of God was the real villain. If he hadn't pushed for this twisted purity ritual, these girls wouldn't be suffering like this.

Frank could see it clearly: the man enjoyed it. He enjoyed watching the girls squirm, confessing their private pain in public. He got off on their shame. A textbook sadist.

"The Lord teaches us to love and protect those around us. But what you're doing here—only demons would take joy in it. No—even demons would be ashamed of something this disgusting."

Frank held Karen tightly in his arms and didn't hold back one bit.

At that moment, Frank felt the strength of truly being Frank.

In his past life, he had been just an ordinary guy. Nothing special. He liked kids, sure, but he wasn't charismatic or eloquent. He wasn't some silver-tongued tycoon who could talk anyone into anything. The only time he'd ever spoken in front of a crowd was back in elementary school, probably during a class presentation.

But Frank Gallagher—the man he now embodied—was different. He had the gift of speech. He could twist black into white, could convince people to do what they never intended. He was a master manipulator when he needed to be. And he wielded that skill now like a blade.

"That guy doesn't deserve to be your father," Frank said firmly. "From now on, I'm your dad. We're going home—and we're never coming back to this place again. You want a car? I got you covered."

He took off his coat and gently wrapped it around Karen's shoulders. Together, they walked out of the church without looking back, leaving chaos behind.

As snow drifted down around them, Karen looked up. "Did you mean it? You'll really get me a car?"

"Uh… yeah, of course," Frank hesitated for a moment. "Just… not right now."

He had said it in the heat of the moment—but now that the promise was made, he had no intention of going back on his word.

Karen grinned and hugged his shoulder. "Then I'll wait for it. And… thank you, Frank the Dad."

Her voice trembled slightly, eyes misty, but her smile was genuine. For the first time, she called him Dad from the heart.

The events of the day had deeply shaken Karen.

Just like Frank had suspected, her feelings toward Officer Eddie had always been complicated. She had wanted his attention—longed for a father's love.

This wasn't uncommon. Many kids, especially daughters, act out just to be noticed. TV shows and movies portrayed it all the time. It was a real issue in families everywhere, just varying in severity.

And Eddie, being a devout believer, made things worse. Everything he valued, Karen rebelled against. The more he cared about something, the more she'd do the opposite.

Every reckless act Karen committed was, in some twisted way, her attempt to get his attention.

And she succeeded—but what she got in return wasn't love. It was judgment. Condemnation. Disgust.

Her behavior slowly shifted from attention-seeking to outright revenge—revenge against the father who wouldn't see her. She used her body as a weapon, hoping to hurt him the way he had hurt her.

It was like those tragic stories in the news—kids jumping off buildings over bad grades or harsh scoldings. Deep down, it was the same impulse: If you won't see me, then I'll make sure you never forget me.

Karen had agreed to the purity ball partly because of the promised car, yes—but a deeper part of her still longed for reconciliation.

Earlier that day, when Eddie told her he was proud of her, it had stirred something inside her. It reminded her of the first time she ever took Holy Communion—when she felt his love, however briefly.

So, during the confession, she could've lied. She could've glossed over everything, said something vague and sat back down.

But she didn't.

Instead, she laid herself bare. She told the truth.

It was a test—a desperate gamble.

She hoped that by showing her father everything, he'd finally understand. That he'd stand up, take her in his arms, and say:

It's okay. I still love you. You'll always be my little girl.


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