A Way Back To You

3| Reveal

Definition: To make previously unknown or secret information known to others.

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Ant's mind was a flood of questions. The room remained silent for a moment and he chose to assume his parents knew he needed a minute, rather than accept the thought that maybe they needed a minute instead. 

'What was her name? Who was she? What was she doing here?' Ant ranted silently. 

'Gee, great idea to ask yourself instead of the people who have the answers.' His subconscious snapped back. 

Ant narrowed his eyes in frustration, but he didn't listen to.....himself? How old was she, maybe 4? She was fucking tiny. It didn't sit well with  him, but he tried to focus on calculating dates. He was with- well. She definitely couldn't be his because mama didn't raise no cheater. 

"For the love of god! Someone say something!" Ant finally yelled as his mind started to drift. 

"No yelling." Will said sharply. 

"Fine. Just. Tell me what's happening." Ant pleaded.

Finally, Kaiko broke her silence. "That is your cousin, Ariana Belle Hardin." Kaiko replied. 

Cousin? That couldn't be right. He didn't have a cousin. His mom had no siblings and neither did his father. And if he did  have a 'cousin' why was she here, tears running down her little face and scared of his dad? "That's not true. You told me you don't have any siblings." 

Kaiko frowned. "I lied." 

'Want a medal for admitting that, sherlock holmes?'  Ant sneered silently. It was becoming very evident that he'd been lied to. And if there was one thing Ant hated more than anything it was being lied to. After all, why did he hate Maddy so much? 

"And before you get mad at your mother, let her explain." Will said, hugging his wife gently. 

Kaiko smiled sheepishly at him and gestured for him to sit. "Please. Let me explain." 

It became obvious that his mother was upset, and Ant suddenly felt bad for being annoyed himself. "Sorry mom. Go ahead." 

"Well. I guess I'd better start from the beginning. You see, your father doesn't have any siblings, but I do. A sister. Her name is Leah. We're half sisters, her dad is my dad but her mom isn't. Her mom left her with us when she was born and it tore my parents apart for a long time."Kaiko explained, her voice soft. 

So his grandfather was a cheater. "Ok, I had no idea you had a half sister." Ant smiled, his curiosity once again getting the better of him. 

"Don't rush your mother." Will ordered, sensing his wife's discomfort.

Ant nodded. "Ok, sorry mom. Does Fontaine know?" He added as an after thought.

"Yeah, we had to tell her. Your aunt has always been very manipulative and very much addicted to alcohol. She attacked me when I was pregnant with Fontaine, while she was drunk and almost killed her. When we confronted her about it sober.......let's just say things didn't go well. She blamed us. She blamed me." Kaiko explained. "I suppose she always envied the fact that my dad loved us more. She was a mistake child, unwanted and the cause of many problems. It happened again, with smaller things like knives in the kitchen and car trips. To keep us safe, we cut her out of our lives." 

Ant felt horrible for feeling so angry earlier. "I'm sorry mom." 

"It's ok and it's definitely not your fault." Kaiko said, squeezing his hand.