𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐌𝐀︱Volturi kings

𝐈𝐗: 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭... 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍, 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈

⁂

Loud static filled her ears, on the other end of the phone.

Juliette swallowed heavily as she tried to force the lump in her throat down.

"Dad?" She asked again, for the third time since she rang the only number in her speed dial.

She closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that she created the anger and disappointment Charlie must be feeling.

"I'm... sorry I haven't called sooner." Even to her own ears it didn't sound genuine.

Her head fell back, thumping quietly against the headboard of her bed. She was taking a purposeful day off from the archives. Juliette figured this was a privilege she could take after the stress of the past couple of days.

The silence seemed to stretch forever before she heard a faint sigh from the other end.

"Jules," Charlie's voice was gruff, tired, and so unlike the man she'd grown up with. "It's been weeks. You didn't think I'd want to hear from you?"

Guilt gnawed at her chest. "I know. I just... things got complicated."

"Complicated?" His voice sharpened. "Your sister told me you two got into a fight. That you just up and left."

Juliette winced, remembering the lie she'd asked Bella to tell him. "It wasn't-"

"Abandoning your little sister? Jules, I just can't figure out what you were thinking." He sounded so deeply wounded, the pain in his voice etching into her ribs. "She didn't even get to see any of the universities there once you left."

On one hand she applauded her sister for maintaining their story, but the other wanted to catch a flight just to throttle Bella.

"It's not like that, Dad." Her own voice came out in a croak. "I just needed space to figure things out."

"Space." His disappointment was so thick it felt as if he were standing before her. "From your family."

Her fingers clenched around the phone, the plastic frame creaking. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just didn't want you to worry."

"Well, it's a little late for that, don't you think?"

The quiet that followed was smothering. She knew it wouldn't be an easy conversation, especially with how long she had put it off, but hearing the hurt in his voice made it unbearable. He had always been her rock, the one steady presence in her life, and she had ruined it.

There had always been one thing both Swans knew for certain, Charlie had Juliette and Juliette had Charlie. Neither one would ever abandon the other after the hurt inflicted by her mother.

Her greatest fear in life was ending up just like Renee.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice cracking at the end. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

The line was quiet for a beat, only the sound of Charlie's breathing breaking the silence. When he spoke again, his voice was low, tired.

"I know you didn't Juliette, but you did."