*Loosely based on the 2017 song 'River' by Eminem and Ed Sheeran*
After being with Marshall for a little over a year, Sophia found out she was pregnant in March of 2018. Thrilled with the prospect of being a mother, Soph can't wait to tell Marshall...
Just as I reach for the door, it swings open and I'm left standing face to face with the girls...
Nothing is said for a minute or two. Just my eyes flicking between the three of them and their eyes focused solely on me.
"You." Hailie says finally breaking the silence. "YOU BROKE HIM!" She screams at me and pushes me back by my chest causing me to stumble.
"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AGAIN? YOU LEFT. YOU LEFT AND NEVER SAID GOODBYE. YOU LEFT HIM IN PIECES." She continues to yell and pushes me again this time causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor, landing rather painfully.
Stevie grabs Hailie and pulls her away, going towards their car and Alaina offers me her hand to help me up.
"You ok?" She says and pulls me up. Just then I hear a voice come from the living room doorway behind us.
"I thought I told you to leave." He says, showing absolutely no emotion.
I want to scream at him, I know he must of seen me on the ground but I know better than to do that in front of his daughters.
"I'm sorry, I'll go now." I move to walk around Alaina but she grabs my arm and pulls me back.
"Nobody is leaving this damn house until we get answers. I want to know why five years later, on your birthday, your ex is at your house." Alains demands before calling Hailie and Stevie back into the house.
As Alaina guides me back to the living room, Hailie passes by giving me a glare that says she'd love to push me again.
Hailie and Stevie sit on one couch with myself and Alaina on the other. Marshall sits on the coffee table opposite us.
"So, are you guys back together?" Stevie opens the conversation.
"No." Marshall says coldly whilst glaring at me. I can also feel Hailie's eyes burning into me from the other couch.
"Why are you here?" Hailie asks but my focus shifts to Alaina who has picked up the photo album from me and Ava. She furrows her brow, clearly confused about the picture and as to who the fuck Ava is.
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"What's thi-" She starts to ask but is interrupted by the sound of a door opening elsewhere in the house.
Shit, not now Ava. Please not now. My pleas prove pointless as I hear Ava's voice shout, "mommy, come here."
"Coming baby." I shout back to her.
"You have a daughter now?" Stevie asks.
I only nod in response and from the corner of my eye I notice that Marshall looks as if he could have seen a ghost.
"That's awesome. Congrats." Stevie congratulates me, still unaware that said daughter is her sister.
"I'll be back, one moment." I say with a smile and head towards the theater to talk to Ava.
When she see's me, she turns and smiles. She's watching Tangled, again.
"Did daddy say I could stay here tonight?"
"He did." I say smiling, trying not to let on that anything is wrong.
"Ok, thank you." She says and turns back to the movie. I guess that's my cue to leave.
As I begin to head back to where everyone is I can vaguely hear the girls hounding Marshall with questions.
Most of them being from Hailie and something along the lines of, "why would you talk to someone who ruined you?"
I walk back into the room and everyones eyes are on me. Marshall has a look as if to ask if everything alright with Ava so I give him a subtle nod to tell him not to worry.
"So, what's your daughter's name?" Stevie asks and just as I'm about to answer Alaina butts in, still holding the photo album.
"Ava. It's Ava, right?" She asks.
"Yeah."
"This little girl, huh?" She points to the picture on the front of the album. I nod and glance up to see Stevie and Hailie looking insanely confused whilst Marshall is staring at his feet.
"Our memories. Ava and Marshall." Alaina reads off of the cover of the album. "What's that about?" She asks, giving me a look that suggests she knows Ava is Marshall's kid. The other two still sit there looking utterly confused.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter. What takeout do you guys want later?" Marshall frantically asks, desperate to change the subject.
"She's yours. Ava is your daughter isn't she dad?" Alaina asks and I can see the penny drop for the other two as their faces turn white as they are overcome with shock.
Marshall only slightly nods.
"YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE." Hailie screams at me.
"How could you?" Stevie asks quietly.
I mentally beg for Marshall to start talking, to help me out of this in any way but instead he remains silent. Fuck you Marsh. I think to myself.
"SO WHAT? YOU HID HER FROM DAD OR LET ME GUESS, THIS KID WAS ALL SOME SORT OF SCHEME TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF HIM? AND HOW DO YOU THINK I FELT, WE FELT, YOU LEFT US WITHOUT A SIMPLE GOODBYE?" Hailie continues to yell.
I can't take this, I feel my eyes fill with tears and I run upstairs to a guest bedroom. I know I can't leave, I don't want to leave Ava in a house full of arguing.
I curl up onto the bed facing away from the door and cry silently to myself. I knew they'd hate me.
Why didn't Marshall say anything? I know he's mad but he didn't do anything. Even when Hailie pushed me to the ground earlier.
I hear a faint knock on the door behind me and hear it open, then close and I feel somebody sit on the edge of the bed...
A/N - sorry for the small delay. I had the chapter written and forgot to post it 😂🤦.
As always, any feedback or suggestions are welcome.
