Escaping Death [Watty Awards]

Chapter 41-Unlikely Visitor

This chapter is dedicated to bananabread! :) She'll know why once she starts reading it and I don't want to give too much away :)) But before you go on a read this chapter, I want to say that her modern telling of the classic tale of Beauty & the Beast is AMAZING!  If you haven't  read it yet, I suggest you do! :)) 

I hope you guys enjoy! :D

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Chapter 41-Unlikely Visitor

“Gwen.” 

He said my name softly.  It reminded me of all the times I would go running to him when I was a kid because I was afraid of the dark.  He’d take me in his arms and I felt safe from the nightmares I had.  He’d protect me from the monsters.

To have him standing in front of me….I didn’t know how to feel.  I was angry and happy.  I was confused yet relieved.  My emotions were conflicted.  I took a look at Mom and saw that she was feeling the same exact way.  There was sadness in her brown eyes but also the small glint of hope that she still held on to; the same small hope that I’ve been holding on to all this time.

I slowly stepped into the kitchen and stood next to the counter by the sink.  I wanted to be as far away from him as possible, afraid that I’d lose control and hit him.  No stop…don’t think like that, I told myself.  At the same time that I wanted to be away from him, I wanted to run to him and be safe again in his arms.  I wanted him to tell me that everything will be okay and that he was coming back to us.  I wanted him to tell us that being with Anne had been the biggest mistake of his life.

“I came here to tell you the news.”  He said, taking a sip of the mug sitting in front of him.  I noticed the tightness of his voice and saw a vein on his neck pop. 

“That’s it?”  I asked.  My voice was harsh, foreign to me.  “You don’t even want to know how we’ve been.  How I’ve been?  Do you even care about us anymore?”

“I-I….Gwen, I didn’t-”

“You didn’t mean to what?  You didn’t mean to have an affair?”  My voice rose in anger and I saw the way my words were hurting him.  Good, he needed to see how much I’ve been hurting all these months.  “You didn’t mean to just pick up and leave?  You didn’t mean to not be at the hospital when I got into the accident?” 

“Gwen, stop.”  My mother said sternly.  She gave me a cold look; her eyes were hard and warned me to keep quiet before she lost her temper.

I sighed and stopped.  I looked down at my feet, embarrassed at the way I just lost my temper like that.  It took a lot for me to act this way but I guess those feelings were always there just waiting to be unleashed the day that I saw my father again.

He cleared his throat and stood up from his seat at the table.  “I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for you the past months and as well as before.”  He took a step towards me but I shook my head, warning him not come closer.  “I know that I should have approached my love for Anne differently-”  I choked out a laugh.  My father looked at my sternly and I looked away from him, reminded of his disapproving gaze when I’d get in trouble.  “That was a mistake on my behalf.  Your mother and I have talked it over and the divorce is now finalized.

“The only thing left for us to do is to sign the document.  We have agreed to keep this out of court and settle it between the two of us.”  I looked up and saw Mom’s lip quiver and puff out a long breathe.  She didn’t want to do this…but she has no choice.  “There will be no custody battle because you are almost eighteen come July but we have agreed that I could have visiting rights if you’ll let me.”