𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

- 𝟎𝟐𝟑

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤
-𝟎𝟐𝟑-

Valerie stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her. A confused John appeared at the end of the hall and approached her. "There's fucking men watching my dad's house, John." She said angrily.

John furrowed his brows.

"Men that I can only assume work for the Changretta's. John if they go after my dad—" She began with a pointed finger.

"I'll have Tommy sort it Valerie." John stopped her before she could make a threat. "But in the meantime we have guest." He lowered his voice. She hung up her coat and followed him into the drawing room.

John held the door open for her and she sat down. There was something strange about the couple that sat before her. The woman had a face she recognised so vaguely. "My apologies I don't believe I know you." She looked between the pair.

The woman smiled slightly, her wrinkled face and dark eyes making Valerie uneasy.

"You look just the same as you did all those years ago." The woman spoke. Valerie sat up straight and said nothing. "How could you not remember your own mother?" She asked.

Valerie's face fell and so did John's. He looked at her but Valerie didn't move an inch. She sat completely still. "Why are you here?" She asked. Helen adjusted herself in her seat. "I've been meaning to find you for a while." Helen said. 

"And how did you find me?" Valerie's voice was steady.

"When you know people it isn't too hard to find someone if you wish to. And you Shelby bunch don't go places quietly." She smiled proudly.

"If it's money you need, you can fuck off." Valerie hissed.

"That's no way to speak to your mother." The man intervened.

"And who the fuck are you?" John snapped quickly to defend his wife. She placed a hand on his arm and he eyed the man carefully. Helen smiled at the man and breathed deeply, "this is my husband." She nodded as if it were common knowledge.

"Why are you here?" Valerie repeated. "You aren't welcome here." She leaned forward to speak in a whisper.

Helen's face faltered. "How dare you speak to me like that—"

"How dare you come to my home without warning and think everything would be okay after all those years of neglect you put me through?!" Valerie retorted. "You are no mother of mine. You lost me when you did not let my father take me when he left you."

"Your father was a good for nothing—"

"My father came back for me." Valerie stopped her. "He wanted to be here. He wanted to be a parent— he spent his years searching for me. And what did you do? You spent them too high to know what fucking day it was! That's the difference between you and dad. It was me who kept a roof over our heads— I was sixteen." She pressed a finger to her own chest as her voice began to tremble. "You chose men and drugs over me."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Helen denied.

"Don't I?" Valerie laughed, "You don't know half the things I went through to survive in this world. With and without you in my life I went through hell and back just to live." She told her. "But look at where I am now. I have a big house and a husband that loves me— we have a little girl. But where are you? What do you do?"