Homecoming

Chapter 18

After returning to the villa, I started cleaning. I threw away the leftovers from the breakfast that the boys had left on the table and unloaded the dishes from the dishwasher. I scrubbed the kitchen as well as the entire ground floor floor my father had arranged.

Later, I took the crossword puzzles and collapsed on a lounger beside the pool, waiting for his grace to get out of bed to clear his stomach. I was nervous and I was looking at my watch every now and then.

When he later showed up on the terrace, I was like one joint of nerves. And even though I had been preparing a speech in my head since the morning that I wanted to make a speech to him, with Max's arrival I forgot everything. It blew out of my head.

"This is not a hotel," he said instead of greeting, and collapsed into the chair next to me.

It irritated me. "I'm aware of that."

"So what are you doing here? The boys are at school. "

And her. We were back where we were. At the beginning. These moods made me tired and really got on my nerves. One day he was rude to me, the next day it seemed that he would like to bear me blue from the sky and the next he would like to bear me from the world again. I didn't catch up with him and that bothered me.

I didn't know it to be like him. I think if he was younger, he would get a few blows to the ass to recover, but at his age it wouldn't matter now.

He was an alcoholic, or at least on the best path to becoming one, and all of his moods were related to his drinking. I wasn't a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but I realized that if it went on like this, it would turn out badly for him. I wanted to help him, but it wasn't just me. He would have to want that in the first place. Voluntarily and without coercion.

"No, they're not," I said, glancing at him. "I took them to my parents."

"What?" he jumped to his feet. "Why didn't you take them to school?" He closed like I slapped him.

"But you're a real idiot," I shouted. "You should go for treatment. If you haven't figured it out yet, you're an alcoholic and your kids feel it all, "I also rose to my feet so I could look him straight in the eye.

"I'm not an alcoholic," his eyes flashed dangerously. Of course you didn't want to admit it. "Just because I let you enter this house doesn't mean you can judge or criticize me."

"I don't even do that," I raised a finger in warning. "It simply came to our notice then. But someone has to tell you."

"Oh, yes, and you're made for it," he replied amusedly, but even so, I heard a sharper tone in his voice. "You're not my mother."

"Thank God not," I breathed in relief.

"And don't forget that not even the mother of my children," he gritted his teeth.

"No, I don't forget," my shoulders stiffened, but I tried to sound indifferent. "I'm just their friend."

"She's old enough for that," he chuckled. "Then let them find a friend their age."

I frowned. I tried to control my anger, but I could only do it with great effort. "They need a father in the first place," I snapped.

"They have him! I'm their father, "he grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

I shuddered under the onslaught of his hands. Apparently he didn't escape my fear because he let me go immediately. "I'm sorry," I blurted out.

"Why didn't you take them to school?" he asked me again.

"Because they weren't in a position to go there," I replied more mildly, but I didn't even try to hide the anger in my voice. "They were completely out of it. I pulled almost only five words from Garrett all morning. Do you understand what that means?"