HOME

Four

"Madelaine." Sebastian's voice sounds down the hallway as I head toward the door. "Madelaine, come back. Where are you even going?"

"I'm going home." I turn and say to him, barely stopping long enough to look at him.

"No, come on. What is going on?" He asks. I hear him jog to catch up to me. His hand wraps around my wrist and I finally stop. Anger is still coursing through me with the adrenaline that is pushing me to run out the doors.

"How is she even here Sebastian? She shouldn't even be here." I seethe. Sebastian's eyes look to the floor and I see a flash of something in his eyes before he tries to hide it.

"Madelaine." He sighs.

"What did you do?" I ask, ripping my arm from his grasp.

"Madelaine, listen to-"

"Did you invite her?" I ask, my heart racing.

He doesn't have to say anything. I see it on his face.

"What the hell, Sebastian?" I ask absolutely enraged.

"Please, listen to me." He pleads. "Alexia reached out to me a few weeks ago and-"

"A FEW WEEKS AGO?" I practically yell.

"Keep your voice down. Please."

"No! How dare you! How could you bring me here knowing she would be here and not even warn me?" I ask, tears of anger beginning to well up.

"She wants to have a relationship with Aurelia." Sebastian says and I begin to back away from him.

"Absolutely not." I find myself saying. Sebastian's face twists in anger.

"You can't tell me that. She isn't your child Madelaine." He says and I feel a knife twist in my heart. I watch the realization of what he said wash over his face and I hold my hand up as he begins to speak again.

"Don't." I say through gritted teeth. "She may not have come from me, but it seems like I'm the only one here that wants what is best for her. Alexia is the farthest thing from a mother that I have ever seen. I have cared for that little girl. I held her time after time when she cried. I helped you piece her back together and you have the nerve to tell me that she isn't mine too?"

"Madelaine I-" Sebastian stops himself, taking a deep breath. "I know. You're right. I shouldn't have said that. I just-. Alexia has been asking to have some kind of relationship with her and I wanted to talk to you and Aurelia both about it. But, I wanted Alexia to talk to you first because you see through bullshit a lot easier than I do and that's why I invited her here tonight."

I'm at a loss for words when he finishes. We stand there looking at each other for what feels like eternity.

Anger, confusion, even betrayal all twist in my stomach.

"So, instead of just talking to me about this and telling me she was going to be here, you thought it would be best to just let her throw me off when we got here? Oh, and then you thought it would be a better idea to go have sex in the bathroom instead of, I don't know, telling me why she is actually here?" I say sarcastically.

Sebastian stammers for a moment before I cut him off.

"You want to know what she said to me back there?" I ask. He stops trying to speak and drops his head before looking at me again.

"She told me that she remembers this part of the relationship. Having sex in the bathroom while everyone else is oblivious. The excitement and fun. She even told me she remembers the sweeping romance of it all. But, she also said it was you who ruined it. That your career came before everything else. I know that part is bullshit." I laugh at her words before I continue.