•ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʏᴏᴜ• ᴍᴀᴛᴛ ꜱᴛᴜʀɴɪᴏʟᴏ

••ᴇɪɢʜᴛᴇᴇɴ••

•

•

•

Song recs: Bad- James Bay

•

•

•

•Angelines POV•

I woke up alone in my apartment, the early morning light filtering through the curtains. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, expecting the usual barrage of notifications. But one message stood out, sent from an unknown number. My heart skipped a beat as I opened it.

'Angeline, it's your dad. I've been seeing you on social media. I'm proud of you. I'd love to see you next time you're in Boston.'

I stared at the screen, a whirlwind of emotions hitting me all at once. Anger, fear, confusion. My father had always been verbally abusive to my mom and me, and we hadn't spoken in years. Why now? Why reach out now that I am becoming successful?

I felt my chest tighten as memories of all the fights and harsh words came flooding back. He was only reaching out because of my newfound success. He didn't care about me or my mom. He just wanted to be a part of my life now that I was doing well.

Without responding, I blocked the number and tossed my phone onto the bed. My hands were shaking, and I could feel the panic rising. I needed to talk to someone, but Eli was busy at the studio and in meetings all day. I didn't want to bother him.

Without thinking, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, jumping into my car and driving to the triplets' house. The drive felt longer than usual, my mind racing with thoughts of my dad and everything he had done. Every fight, every cruel word, every moment of abandonment. By the time I pulled into their driveway, I was crying.

I knocked on the door, and Matt was the one to open it. He took one look at my tear-streaked face and immediately pulled me into a hug, shutting the door behind me. He held me tightly, rubbing my back and shushing me gently.

"Shh, it's okay, Angeline. Everything's okay," he repeated softly, his voice soothing.

I clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder. It felt like ages before I could calm down enough to speak. Matt led me to the couch and sat beside me, still holding my hand.

"What happened?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

I took a shaky breath and wiped my eyes. "I got a message from my dad. He said he's seen me on social media and that he's proud of me. He wants to see me."

Matt's expression darkened. "Are you serious? After everything he's done?"

I nodded, feeling a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over. "I blocked his number. I don't want to see him, but I feel guilty for some reason. At the end of the day, he is my dad."

Matt squeezed my hand reassuringly. "You shouldn't feel guilty, Angeline. You don't owe him anything. After everything he put you and your mom through, you have every right to cut him out of your life."

I looked down, my emotions all over the place. "It's just...complicated. I don't want to deal with him, but I can't help feeling like maybe I should."

Matt shook his head. "You don't have to give him the time of day if you don't want to. You've built a good life for yourself without him. Don't let him ruin that."