Until Forever (ROYAL RIDERS SERIES BOOK #1)

18| Show

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Chapter 18: Show (Vince's POV)

We fed them parts of the story throughout dinner but I didn't want to tell them everything. We have to wait to give out all the details on our own. I don't want my parents telling somebody and then that somebody leaking it to the press before we want it to be leaked. 

Demi. She was tense when we walked in here and the way I just said, "She's my girlfriend," without a warning probably made her even more tensed, but as dinner went on, we both knew our plan and it worked out. We fell into the act and managed to pull it off just right. It didn't feel as forced as I thought it would have. As it should have. It felt... easy. 

"How's your work going?" Mom turned to Dad. 

They're divorced but they don't hate each other and I don't know how to feel about that. The only reason they got a divorce was because Dad didn't have enough time for Mom at one point. He was working too hard, failing with a few deals and making millions off of the others. And Mom wanted him more than the gifts he was sending for her. When she realized he couldn't give that to her anymore, she left. She left me with him and refused to take custody when he asked. 

And what happens to an unwanted child? They're not taken care of. 

"It's going good," he nodded, glancing at her. "Why?" 

"I'm just curious, what do you mean 'why'?" 

"You'll jinx it." 

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I won't jinx it, Graham. I don't wish you the worst, despite what you think," she said angrily. 

He watched her while she rolled her eyes and finished off her wine, pouring more for herself. 

I ignored their constant fighting and focused on my food and Demi. It makes me sick looking at my parents. 

They argue like they always did but my mother is still in love with the sick bastard that is my father. I don't care how good of a husband he used to be, in the end, he wasn't. He was never a good father, to begin with, anyway, so I have every reason to hate him as his son. He went ballistic after mom left. That was the worst time of my life since I was living with him and nobody was here to help me deal with him. He took it all out on me. The frustration, the anger, the sadness. Until he couldn't. 

Until one day, I was finally old and big and confident enough to throw his hands off and give him one good shove. I remember that day like it was yesterday. 

I was sick of it. Sick of the yelling, the scoldings, the slaps, the beatings. If it was a bad day at work, it was slaps and punches and kicks. If it was a loss at work, it was heavy kicks and punches. Sometimes being pushed into the wall and bumping my head. Every week, I had a new bruise, a new cut somewhere on my body. 

That night, I had enough. At seventeen, I was done with his bullshit. 

I was sitting at the kitchen counter, finishing up an assignment for school when he stumbled in drunk. He was in his office and came out to get more alcohol with his empty glass in his hand. He put it down on the table beside me and grabbed the back of my collar, fisting it. I froze, waiting for him to tell me what to do. "Pour me another drink. Quickly," he ordered.