Her life! GxG! Intersex! (Book 1)

52

Abigail, Her mind was sluggish, her body heavy, but the small piece of paper clutched in her hand anchored her to the reality she had barely begun to process. She stared at the crumpled note for what felt like the hundredth time since Emma had handed it to her last night:

Meet us at 4 PM, Pinecrest Park, near the old bridge. Alone.

She turned the paper over, as if hoping it would reveal some hidden explanation. But it didn't. Just those words, written in a hand she barely recognized as her mother's. Abigail's chest tightened as the unanswered questions loomed larger with each passing moment.

By the time she arrived at Pinecrest Park, the winter sun was already dipping low, casting long shadows across the snow-dusted ground. Abigail pulled her coat tighter around herself, her breath clouding the air as she walked toward the old bridge. Each step felt heavier than the last, her heart pounding in anticipation and dread.

When she saw them, standing side by side beneath the bridge, her breath hitched. Her parents. Alive. Real. Her father's face was more lined than she remembered, his once-dark hair streaked with gray. Her mother's eyes, so much like her own, brimmed with something Abigail couldn't place—relief? Regret?

"Abigail," her mother said softly, taking a tentative step forward.

Abigail stopped just short of them, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You're really here," she said, her voice trembling. "After all these years, you're actually here."

"We are," her father said, his voice deep and steady, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. "And we owe you an explanation."

"You think?" Abigail snapped, her anger bubbling to the surface. "You disappeared. You let me believe you were dead. Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

Her mother's face crumpled, and she reached out as if to touch Abigail, but stopped short. "It wasn't what we wanted, sweetheart. We did it to protect you."

Abigail let out a bitter laugh. "Protect me? By abandoning me? By letting me grow up thinking I had no one?"

Her father stepped in, his voice firm but gentle. "We were running from people who would've hurt you to get to us. Staying meant putting you in danger. Leaving was the hardest thing we've ever done, but it was the only way to keep you safe."

Abigail's fists clenched at her sides. "And now? What's changed? Why are you here now?"

Her parents exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them. It was her mother who spoke first. "They've found us," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The people we were hiding from. And if they know about us, they'll find you too. We can't stay here, Abigail. None of us can."

Abigail's stomach churned. "You want me to leave with you? After everything?"

"It's the only way to keep you safe," her father said, his tone pleading. "We know it's a lot to ask, but we don't have much time. We need to leave—tonight."

Abigail took a step back, shaking her head. "You can't just waltz back into my life after years of silence and expect me to drop everything. My life is here now. My friends, Emma..." She paused, her voice breaking. "You left me. And now you want me to trust you? To run away with you?"

Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "We understand how much we've hurt you, Abigail. And if there were any other way—"

"But there's not," her father interrupted, his voice tinged with urgency. "You don't have to decide right now, but please, think about it. We're staying at the Sunrise Motel, Room 14. If you decide to come, meet us there by midnight."