𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅 ━━ LYDIA MARTIN

65

WITH A CIGARETTE hanging at his lips, Reid pushed open the doors of the clinic and stepped in.

Like he guessed, Deaton was standing there beside his mother, Genevieve who now looked civil. But she was nervous and he could tell by the way she was fidgeting with her fingers.

"Could you leave us be for a few seconds?" She asked Deaton who allowed his eyes to flicker to Reid and held his stare for a few seconds, uncertainty filling his entire body. He then looked back at Genevive, "I'm not sure it's a good idea leaving you alone with him—"

"Come on," Reid interrupted with a groan, "give me some credit."

"The slighest sound and I'm coming back," Deaton mumbled as he walked away, leaving the two alone. Genevieve took a deep breath to calm her nerves, wondering why it was so hard to talk to her son.

"Fifteen minutes," Reid went to sit down on the counter, his legs dangling over the edge. "I have shit to do."

"I just —" Genevieve paused, gulping anxiously, "— wanted to apologize."

"Mhm," Reid hummed absentmindedly, taking a large drag of the cigarette. He blew out the smoke at the corner of his mouth, "go on."

Genevieve took a deep breath, trying to ignore how bored and annoyed he looked. She thought he was doing that on purpose when really, he wanted to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry."

He narrowed his eyes at her, takinh out the cigarette from his mouth momentarily. "For what exactly?"

"For leaving," she replied, walking over to sit on one of the chairs, "I shouldn't have left you and I'm sorry for that. But why are you so mad, anyway? You were fine all these years."

"You think?" Reid tilted his head to the side, having placed the cigarette back in between his lips, "and who told you that?"

"You know who," Genevieve responded, shooting him a pointed look, "your dad loved you, raised you as he should."

"Did he?" He asked back, refraining himself from snapping the woman's neck, "how would you know? You weren't there."

"I left because I couldn't live there any longer!" She snapped, her nose flaring with anger, "what I was doing when I was with you and Gabriel wasn't living! All I had was work, work and work. Look after the pack, make sure everything was going on okay, solve pack conflicts, go hunting with them... God, it was exhausting! So yes, I fucking left and you know what? I don't regret it. You can't possibly hate me for wanting to live!"

"You and Gabriel were mates," Reid spoke, his lips pursed as he tried to ignore her outburst for her own good, "you knew what would've happened if you left but you did anyway. How could you possibly think that everything would be okay once you leave?"

"Your father loved you like no other," Genevieve shrugged, "probably even more than he did me. I figured me leaving wouldn't be such a big deal."

"Wouldn't be such a big deal," he repeated with a scoff, "you know what?" Discarding the cigarette that had now ended, he continued, "you're fuckin' insane. You're the worst person I've ever met and I've met quite many. That should say a lot."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" She stood up, "me wanting to leave is bad? Is that what you're saying? That I should've stayed and lived the fucked up life that I was? Your dad raised you, gave you everything you could possibly want and yet you have a problem with me not being there? How fucking selfish could you—"

"— Shut up!" Reid snapped, his jaw clenching as he stared at the woman in front of him with nothing but hatred in his eyes, "just... shut up. Are you even hearing yourself?"