The Shelby Baby

Chaoter 17: Shattered bonds

Arthur's POV

The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. We all felt it. Finn had been simmering ever since Jennifer returned, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded. But when it happened, the fury in his voice was unlike anything I'd ever heard from him.

"Please just... just talk to me," Jennifer's voice was pleading, desperate. It broke my heart to hear her like that.

Finn turned around, his face contorted with rage. "You want me to talk to you now? I called you and you hung up on me. You ignored my calls. YOU LEFT. YOU LEFT ME. AND NOW YOU'RE HERE ACTING AS IF EVERYTHING'S THE SAME."

I saw the tears well up in Jennifer's eyes. She was trying to explain herself, "I'm sorry, Finn.. I just—"

He cut her off, stepping closer, the venom in his words stinging all of us. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Please, Finn... just he—" she tried again, but his scream cut through her words like a knife.

"NO!!! YOU COME HERE UNANNOUNCED. AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS GO TO LIZZIE'S PARTY AND THEN LAUGH AND EVERYTHING WITH ISIAH. YOU STOLE HIM FROM ME. HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND BUT SINCE YOU LEFT EVERYTHING CHANGED. WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE BECAUSE OF YOU. IT IS YOUR FAULT. BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T HANDLE BONNIE DYING BECAUSE OF YOU. AGAIN YOUR FAULT. MOM DIED BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN. YOU RUIN EVERYTHING. I WISH YOU WEREN'T BORN."

That was it. I saw red. I charged forward, my fist connecting with Finn's jaw before I even realized what I was doing. I was vaguely aware of Tommy pulling me back, but my focus was on Finn. How could he say those things to Jennifer?

Polly was at Finn's side, trying to tend to him. My heart ached for Jennifer. She stood there, frozen, tears streaming down her face, and I knew that Finn's words had cut deeper than any physical blow could.

Lizzie had her arm around Jennifer, trying to comfort her, but I could see it in her eyes – she was breaking apart inside. I wanted to go to her, to tell her that Finn was wrong, that it wasn't her fault. But before I could move, she turned and ran.

I watched her disappear into the house, and a sense of helplessness washed over me. This family had been through so much, but this... this was tearing us apart from the inside. I looked at Tommy, hoping he had some kind of plan to fix this, but he just stood there, staring after Jennifer with a pained expression.

Polly's pov
I watched Jennifer run inside. Polly's heart broke for her; she knew how hard it had been for her to come back, and now this. Polly focused on Finn, who was still seething with anger and hurt. "Enough, Finn," she said firmly, holding a cloth to his bleeding lip. "You've said enough."

But even as she said it, Polly's thoughts were with her niece, who was now unknowingly fleeing from the place she had once called home. Polly knew that the wounds from Finn's words would not heal easily, and she feared for what this confrontation might mean for the family's already fragile bonds.

Finn's pov
I sat on the edge of the table, wincing as Polly dabbed at my bleeding lip with a cloth. The sting of the punch still resonated, but it was nothing compared to the sting of my own words. The fury that had driven me to lash out at Jennifer was now replaced by a sinking feeling of regret. "Finn," Polly said softly, her eyes filled with concern, "you can't keep doing this. You have to talk to her, not attack her." I nodded, my eyes cast downward. "I know, Aunt Polly. It's just... she left. She left me, and everything fell apart." Polly sighed, shaking her head slightly. "She had her reasons, Finn. Just like you have yours. But shouting and blaming won't bring you back together."

Tommy and Arthur entered the room, the weight of the situation etched on their faces. Tommy spoke first, his voice calm but firm. "Finn, you need to explain what happened. We need to understand." I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I saw her laughing with Isiah like nothing ever happened. She ignored my calls, she left without a word, and then she shows up and goes straight to Isiah. She didn't even try to make things right with me first." Arthur, still seething, interjected, "So you thought you'd just shout at her? That was your plan?" Polly placed a hand on my arm, her touch soothing. "Let him speak," she said, her voice calm but firm. I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was angry, Tommy. Everything's been falling apart since she left. Isiah and I... we were best friends, and now we barely speak." Tommy's gaze didn't waver. "And you thought blaming her for everything, was the way to handle it?" I felt a pang of shame as Tommy's words sank in. "I was angry. I didn't think. I just... I wanted to hurt her like she hurt me."