Awake, My Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 26

"You heard me very clear," Stewart said sharply, "You and your brother will respect her and not say or do anything to make her feel uncomfortable in her own house."

"Her own house!" Leo exclaimed, "You have to be kidding me with that! She has you brainwashed so much it's pathetic."

"It's nice to see how quickly you're moving on from mom," Sebastian said vehemently to his father.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise," Esther spoke up for the first time, "Your father and I have been together for a long time. Now that your mother is away why should we put our love on hold any longer?"

"You bitch," Sebastian spat.

"Watch your mouth!" Stewart slapped Sebastian across his face. That had done it. Sebastian gritted his teeth and grabbed his father by his shirt so forcefully Stewart's head shook back and forth for a second. Leo grabbed Sebastian's arm, but this one held on tightly to their father.

"Let me go," Stewart said, a little scared by the look on his son's face.

"Bro, come on," Leo said as he tried to pull Sebastian away from their father.

"You didn't just betray our mother," Sebastian hissed at his father, bringing his face close to his, "You betrayed all of us."

Sebastian pushed Stewart toward Esther, who let out a gasp. He walked past them and stomped up the stairs. Leo glared at them before following his brother. When Leo got to Sebastian's bedroom, he saw his brother taking out a suitcase.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied, quickly taking some clothes out of the closet, "I'm not going to stay another minute under this roof now that he's brought her to live here."

"I'm going with you," Leo said, "There's no way in hell I'll be able to bear waking up every morning to see Esther prancing around like she owns the place. I still can't believe our dad is doing this."

"He stopped being our father the moment he started that disgusting affair."

"Where will we go?"

"For today we can just check into the hotel where mom is staying at," Sebastian said to him, "Then first thing tomorrow morning we'll start looking for a place to live and then come back to get the rest of our stuff."

"All right, let me go get some of my clothes."

Leo left Sebastian alone in his room. He stopped folding his clothes and looked around his bedroom. He wished things hadn't turned out the way they had between him and his family. Sebastian thought back to the days where his father and mother were happy together, back to those days where his father actually cared about his family. He wanted his life to go back to the way it used to be, even if it meant having his parents wanting him to stay away from Heaven again. Realizing he couldn't turn back time, Sebastian continued to pack most of his belongings.

Once he and Leo were finished they quickly made their way out of the house. They got into their own cars and drove off as Stewart watched with a grim expression from one of the windows in the second floor. Esther stepped up from behind Stewart.

"You need to let them go," Esther said softly, "They don't understand you deserve to be happy as well."

Stewart watched the cars disappear around the corner outside the front gates as tears formed in his eyes. "Yes, you're right."

* * *

Sebastian and Leo checked into the hotel and with hesitation, told their mother about what their father had done. Frances, however, seemed more disappointed in them for having left the house.