𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 • 𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴 [✔]

chapter one hundred seventeen.

Claudia entered the house with only one goal in mind, getting the truth out of her mom. It didn't take long for her to find Janis, who was on Edward's recliner with a blanket over her body. Janis was awake, but her eyelids closed every now and then.

"What happened to you?" Claudia questioned, walking to the recliner where her sleepy mom layed. "Tell me the truth, were you ever sober?"

Janis opened her eyes to see the disappointed look on her daughter's face, a look that would forever haunt her. "It's complicated." Janis sat up.

"What about my question is complicated? It's yes or no." Claudia said. She really didn't want to raise her voice, but it was coming down to that eventually.

"No, I wasn't. But I tried to stop, Claudia, I just could stop buying bottles. It wasn't supposed to be this way." Janis tried to get Claudia to understand, but the blonde felt like she was living a lie.

"Why didn't you tell me? All I wanted was for my mom to be okay, now I realize that I failed."

"I didn't want you to find out like this. I didn't want you to find out at all." Janis stood up and tried to bring her daughter in for a hug, but Claudia backed away. Janis' heart instantly broke into millions of pieces.

"You can't just act like this is okay. Not only did you hurt me, but you hurt the man who loves you so much that he would do anything to protect you. You left him heartbroken." Claudia said. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't erase the sight of Edward realizing that Janis wasn't going to show up.

"I know and I'm sorry." Janis sighed.

"Say that to Edward, not me. I'm just not sure if he'll accept it. But me? I don't." Claudia watched as Janis laughed her pain away.

"Claudia, I said I'm sorry." Janis repeated.

"I heard you the first time. I don't accept your apology," Claudia dug into her purse to retrieve a card. "I remember how Ms. Bradley talked about how you were as a teenager. I was probably thirteen when I heard you were constantly passed out, the smell of alcohol in your breath. She gave me this card in case things got bad and you needed some help." She placed the beat up card on the coffee table. It was still readable after years in Claudia's purse.

"I hope you know I am sorry." Janis said.

"I know and I want you to be okay," Claudia look at Janis come last time before she walked to the door. "Ben wanted to know if you would like to stay at his apartment. I think Edward is going to find it awkward once he comes home. But first, you need to talk to him. That's the condition."

"It's my mess. I'll do whatever it takes to clean myself up. I'll talk to him." Janis nodded.

"I love you mom, but I can't forgive you that easily."

An:

Here have this as an apology