Loving Hero

Surrogate versus being a parent.

My head is pounding.

I am exhausted.

I am confused.

I am in an unfamiliar room.

There's a glass of water and a small plate with a pill on it.

Considering my head hurts, the pill is for me. I sit up and put the pill in my mouth and gulp down the glass of water.

The room is very open. I am looking at London. I climb off the bed to the glass doors and walk out to the balcony. The air is colder and the roads are busy. London traffic is a nightmare.
I walk back inside and slip into some slippers and rush out of the room. I need to know where I am.

How did I get here?

When did I get here?

Nick has a good job, but he can't afford this house yet and I didn't tell him that I came back from New York.

I will when I have made a decisidecidedship.

Even the piece of art on the walls are expensive.

"Hello?" I yell.

What the hell happened last night?

The last thing I remember I was having a drink at some bar. Oh no! did I go to some random guy's house?

I hope not.

A thud as me walking in the opposite direction until I find the room and open it to find exercising equipment. Dorrian and Kane are fighting inside a ring, and it doesn't look friendly.

So Dorrian was Kane's driver from the very beginning?

Fucking liar?

Kane flips Dorrian onto the floor and strangles him until he taps out.

He coughs and Kane laughs at him.

"You just couldn't let me win huh?"

"Don't worry I will let you win one day." He helps him stand up.

"As if Slayer would let me." It has been a while since I heard that name. I thought I would never hear it again but here I am. Dorrian locks eyes with me but quickly drops them.

"Morning Ms Pierce." That gets Kane's attention.

He grabs a towel and jumps off the ring.

"How are you feeling?" he asks as he wraps the towel around my waist.

"What are you doing?" I look down and I realise the shirt only covered my bottoms.

"Only I get to see you like this, understand?" I find myself nodding at his commanding voice.

I'm done for.

I'm gone. Finished.

"Dorrian cancel my meetings for the rest of the day." He says not taking his eyes off me.

"Yes sir." He leaves the room dialling on his phone.

"What happened last night?" I ask as he opens a bag on the floor and takes out his jogger's pants.

"You don't remember?" he hands me the pants and I shake my head.

"Well, you agreed to break up with Nick today." I stop midway pulling the pants up.

"I did!" he nods.

"I don't remember any of it, and I can't do something I can't remember." I fold the waist of the pants.

"What do you remember from last night?"

"Anna telling me she is not my real mother."

"I never thought she would tell you."

"Seriously! Why does everyone seem to know stuff about my life that I don't know?"

"Relax. I only found out last year."

"Can I see?" he looks at me for a second as if deciding if this is the right decision or not before he says okay, and I follow him to his office.

In his office, he hands me a brown envelope. I stare at it. I don't know if I'm ready to know it all. What if my father is a bad person? What if Caroline is not the person I thought she was? She did give me up and all this time she has kept quiet about it. How can I trust her? Let alone think she is going to accept me.

"You don't have to open it today," Kane suggests and I give it back.

I am not ready to say goodbye to Ted as my father yet. He has been so good to me, and I don't want to lose him.

Reading what's inside that envelope means I have to accept Ted and Anna are not my parents. That I don't have a sister anymore. My whole has been a lie.

"What am I supposed to do now?' I lean back in my chair.

"Nothing. No one can force or demand you to do something about this." He pours scotch into a glass. I want to comment on how early it is to be drinking so early but I get the feeling it won't even matter what I say, he won't consider it.

"If I contact Caroline, my mom...I mean Anna will think I am choosing Caroline over her after everything she has done for me. I don't even know why I care what she thinks."

"Because being a parent is not just giving birth, it's about being there for your child when they need you the most. Being present so Caroline was just a surrogate. Anna raised you and it's okay for you to love her." He gulps down his drink.

"She is a horrible mother." I stand up and walk to the bay window.

"Maybe but in her view, she thought giving you tough love was the right thing to do."

"When did you become so wise?"

"I'm not. I'm just telling you what you need to hear to stop giving yourself a headache." I knew him being nice was too good to be true.

I bet he doesn't believe any of the shit he just said.

My ringtone fills the quiet room and I look at Kane surprised.

"Why do you have my phone?"

"Your so-called boyfriend called, and I might have told him to fuck off." My heart stops.

"You did what?" I yell.

"It's not like you are going to stay with him..."h he chuckles. "We both know it's only a matter of time before you are mine again so save the poor kid the heartbreak." I scoff.

"What he you tell him?"

"You fucked me, didn't you?"

"You are an asshole!" I grab my phone and walk out. I have no idea where I am going, all I know is I need to get out of here. Who does he think he is deciding that on my behalf?

Is that what everyone thinks? That I'm going to get back together with him?
Oh, I hate him!

"You are going the wrong way." I stop and turn around.

"Fuck you!" I say and manage to find the stairs.

He is delusional if he thinks I'm going to let him make decisions for me.

"Ms. Pierce the boss said to give a ride home." I want to say no but I don't know where I am or how to get home subsequently I climb in the backseat and unlock my phone.

I have ten missed calls from dad and five from Beth.

They must have told her, or she knew all along and kept it from me.