Stuck At Default

I COULDN'T RISK IT.

''I don't need a therapist, Mia. I need you to understand. That accident was a set up. It was planned by Matthew. He wanted to kill me.''

He was making absolutely no sense.

''Okay. But tell me, why would your father want to kill you?''

''He was not my father. I am not his son. He hated me because I was not his own blood.''

His voice kept rising slowly. I could clearly hear the frustration in his voice.

''Okay. Fine. Just calm down and explain your side to me. Because right now, you are making absolutely no sense.''

I went and took my seat back on the sofa. He paced around for a few moments, shaking his head in frustration. Then he too took a seat in front of me on an armchair.

And what he said next, I could have never imagined in my worst nightmares. I could never imagine a father wanting to do this to his son. A son who he himself raised.

He was telling me everything that had happened five years ago, in reality, but it felt as if he was narrating a story to me. None of it was making any sense.

This was not what I had expected when I had asked him for answers.

''Ben, my house help at that time, knew what my father had done. But he couldn't do anything , because he was a common house help. No one would believe the accusations of a servant. My mother knew too. He took care of me and made sure that my father did not suspect that I knew everything.''

I have never seen Ashton so distraught. His voice was quivering and his hands were shaking. On the other hand, I was having a hard time accepting the facts he was throwing my way.

''That was the day I decided that I would never again put you in the position where you are hurt because of me. I did not know if I would survive seeing you in that state. It broke me, watching you lying senseless, motionless on that bed.''

I felt the burn behind my eyes and throat. I was trying really hard not to tear up. He did it, he broke up with me because he was trying to protect me. It was all bullshit.

''It was not yours decision to make alone.'' I couldn't hold back my anger.

''I wanted to protect you at any cost. And I did everything that I could to keep you out of harm's way. And Jason agreed with me on it. Even he knew it was the only way.''

''Jason? He knew about it? How could both of you do that to me?''

I was seething.

''Do you know what your mom and dad went through? When you were in the hospital bed? Do you not what Jason went through? You never saw them like that. I did. Your mom did not stop crying. Your dad, he was doing everything, getting the best doctors to help you get out of the coma. That helpless feeling in his eyes. Jason was not himself.''

I could feel the pain and raw emotion in his voice. Nothing could stop my tears now. I knew what he was trying to say. After I recovered, my parents and Jason never talked about the time I spent unconscious. They pretended like it never happened.

''I know what your dad did was wrong. And it is justified that you would hate him forever for it. But what you did to me was also not right. It was our senior year, we would have left in a few months anyway. We could have put all of it behind us.'' I tried to reason with him.

''No. You don't understand. I couldn't have risked it. I never knew if he would've tried it again. Both of us were damn lucky to survive that crash. But we might not have been so lucky the next time.''

It was all getting too much for me. It was more than I could process in such a short time. I was crying on the outside, but my soul was seething at his stupidity.