After ✔

33

I storm into the house in an angry daze. My mother's words keep repeating themselves over and over until it's just one big blur.

I catch my face in a hallway mirror. My hair is all over the place, my clothes wrinkled. But my eyes seem to be burning.

My father and Evie are sitting in the living room.

"Did you know?!" I glare at him from the doorway.

He turns up to look at me, and the smile on his face disappears.

"Know what, sweetheart?"

"That I'm not your child!"

Evie suddenly gets up, knowing this is a matter in which she's not needed.

She excuses herself and leaves, but I barely notice.

My father's eyebrows tug together. "Come sit down."

I cross my arms, but do as I'm asked.

I can't make sense of any emotion that I'm feeling right now. I feel deceived, yes, but there's also a horrible amalgamation of blame and anger.

And I don't want to direct any of that on my father. I want him to deny that he never knew anything. This way, I can channel all my anger towards my mother.

She had cheated on my father and I was the product. Ive neve felt so low in my life.

I take the farthest seat away from him and clasp my hands so tight as if my life depended on it.

"Did you know?" I ask again. I realize my voice is shaking, and the sound is just a little louder than a whisper.

I watch a line appear above his forehead.

He's never lied to me before, but this time I'm hoping...

He's unable to look into my eyes, and I think I get my answer.

I'm just waiting for him to say it.

"Yes." He replies.

My heart drops.

For a minute, all I see is red. Angry scarlet just behind my eyelids.

A weight settles in my chest and slowly rises to my throat until I'm unable to breathe.

When I open my eyes, he's staring at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry, Valencia. I just--"

"Save it." I snap.

I abruptly get up and run to my room, slamming the door shut.

I'm not going to cry.

I'm not.

Slowly, I try to calm myself, try to work out a logical explanation.

Did he always know? Did he just recently find out?

I shake these thoughts out of my head.

My parents had a pretty messed up relationship.

After dad and Evie had broken up after high school, dad moved to Valencia - the city - where he met my mom.

After that, I pretty much thought they had a good marriage uptil the recent years leading to divorce.

But their marriage had always been messed up.

I never labeled my mom as the cheating type, especially since she'd always accused my dad of infedelity.

I still can't get my head around it, and neither do I want to.