Trusting You

~Chapter 24

After Erick's tutoring session, I was left feeling slightly more confident about my Spanish but upset over the fact that Erick had a girlfriend he loves.

I still don't know why it affects me the way it does, I mean why should I care?

It's not like I have never had a boyfriend.

Look how well that turned out.

I've never opened up this much and so easily to anyone before.

I feel so relaxed and comfortable around him, I don't know why.

As I walk home, thoughts about Erick and his girlfriend keep invading my mind.

Seriously, why do I care?!

I'm walking through the park since it's the shortest path home.

"Daddy! Come push me on the swings!" A little boy yells.

"Coming Eddy!" A familiar voice replies.

My blood freezes.

I whip my head in the direction of the voice and my eyes widen in shock.

Him?!

I'm too shocked to move and stand frozen in place staring at the face I've grown to hate.

Unfortunately, before I can even step away, he sees me.

"Jessica? How are you? It's been so long since I last saw you! You're all grown up and different." Dad says, sounding equally shocked.

"Daddy! Come quickly! I'm waiting!" The boy shouts from the swings.

Daddy?!

"What are you doing here?" He asks.

"He's your son?" I ask coldly, finally deciding to speak.

Seven years after his firstborn's death, he has the audacity to not only run away from his family, but start a new one.

What a motherf*cking coward.

He looks at me sheepishly.

"That's my son Edward." He says, almost proudly, as though everything was fine and dandy between us.

I look back at his son.

My half brother.

"So I have 3 half sisters, one dead sister, and one half brother, which I didn't even know about. How wonderful." I say sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened with her. But that life, it moves on. It never stops." He says.

"Oh so you're not even going to say her name?" I hiss angrily.

He sighs as though he can't believe he's having this talk with me.

"Arnold, Ed's waiting." A woman called out.

"And I'm guessing that's your wife?" I snarled.

"That's Mary. My wife." He confirms.

"Wonderful. Perhaps you forgot all about your first wife who you abandoned with your ten year old daughter?" I say sarcastically.

"Jesy, look I'm sorry, alright? I made a mistake. I'm sorry." He says.

"You sure as hell did. You know what your mistake was? Talking to me. You don't get to call me that. Don't ever treat me like your daughter from your past when you did nothing, absolutely nothing, to support us after your own daughter's death. I bet you don't even regret her death. I bet you don't care she died. I bet you don't care about just how much she suffered. My own step father has been a better father than you ever were, have or will be. Mom's happy, I'm happy. And so are my sisters. You know what? Don't ever try reaching out to me. You were never a father to me, and never will be." I say harshly.