British Bird - Complete

British Bird - Chapter Thirty

British Bird
Chapter Thirty
Sang

"I don't know what it is I could possibly be dishonest about, Sang." She pauses, blinking her wide eyes at me. "I've always been honest with you, from the moment I walked into your life."

I purse my lips, tilting my head to the side. "If that's how you want to play this, how about I give you a clue?" I ask.

"If that's what you wish to do," is her cool reply, and my anger starts flowing stronger, hating how she'd keep up this cold façade.

"Johnny and Cara Taylor," I tell her, and I want to jump with joy and put my middle finger up in her face when she looks away from me only to dart her eyes back when I let out a laugh full of hate. "The friends I met in the States—the boys, their letters. You took it all away from me."

Michelle sighs. "Sang, I had no choice but to remove you from the care of Cara and Johnny. Sure, they were a lovely couple, but Cara was diagnosed with cancer. We didn't and still don't know what the outcome could have been." Something flickers in her eyes, a flash of guilt.

"You know what the outcome was," I murmur. I walk towards her desk and place my hands firmly on the polished wood. Leaning forward, I stare in her eyes and ask, "Is Cara alive or dead, Michelle?"

Her eyes harden at my closeness, at how I'm getting to her. Soon, she'll be spilling everything. I just can't break the mask I've slipped on and continue to hold onto the anger burning inside me. It's what's keeping me in control right now. "Answer the question," I say firmly when she still hasn't answered.

She snaps. "She's alive, alright? I've known for years that she's still alive. They kept me posted with her treatment from start to finish so I would keep you updated." She shouts the words at me so fast I'm surprised I am able to catch every single one.

I step back, closing my eyes when I feel the burn of tears. "You've known all this time," I whisper. Shaking my head, I rub at my eyes before asking, "And the adoption? Is it true? Did they apply to adopt me?"

I open my eyes so I can see her face when she answers. "Yes," she spits. "Right after you returned from that trip I allowed you to go on."

"But, I wasn't taken from their care until the following Spring. It should have all been finalised by that point.. I had no one and nothing stopping someone from adopting me."

"You had me," she says, standing up and placing her hands on the desk much like I did. "You've always had me, and that's all you ever needed."

"No," I whisper. "I needed them. I've always needed them. You ruined that for me, for Johnny and Cara, and for those boys. They are who I needed, not you." The words are harsh, but they're the truth.

Her face screws up with displeasure, with anger and with a hate I don't understand. "Do not say that."

"I will," I scream. "I'll say it over and over and over again if I have to. I needed them, not you. I've never needed you." I pause and take a breath. "Where are the letters?"

She turns away and stares out the window. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me," I seethe.

"How have I suddenly became the bad person?" Michelle asks, turning around to face me. Our eyes meet and I don't look away. "What has made you question everything I have ever done for you?"

"We'll get to that part," I tell her. "So for now, answer my question. Where. Are. My. Letters?"

She stares at me for another long heartbeat before collecting her keys and going to a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. She unlocks it with a key, pull the door drawer open and picks something up from inside.