UNHINGED

CHAPTER 7

Claire 

Three weeks later and I was back at the police station, once again replaying the events of that night. How many times did they really need to hear about what happened? When it was finally over this time I walked out of that place I was extremely exhausted.  

I closed my eyes as nice cool breeze swept over me. I yawned and stretched my muscles; man did that feel good. By the time I opened my eyes again I was startled by a figure standing so close to me. I nearly fell backwards from the shock. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, as he caught my arm to prevent me from falling to the ground. 

It was Vaughn. Now that was something that I wasn't expecting or prepared for. He looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks. His clothes were a mess and you could tell that he hadn't been sleeping either. Basically he looked like crap. The stench that wafted up to my nose wasn't too much better either. I literally wanted to throw up. 

"What do you want?" I asked him all while trying hard not to breathe in his direction. I knew that I was wrong for my tone, but I just didn't feel like being bothered yet.  

"Do you mind?" he asked his hand hovering inches from my belly. 

"Sure why not." I told him. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, with one of the most pitiful looks that I've ever seen in my life. 

"I guess so." I told him, while silently regretting that decision. 

"Claire, I'm so sorry... I didn't know." He desperately pleaded as he grabbed my hand. "You have to forgive me ..." but he trailed off and let go when he realized how angry I was. "You have to know that I would have never..., If I had only known..." he shook his head and stared down in defeat. It was obvious that he didn't know where to begin. 

"Would have never what Vaughn? Slept with my sister? Abandoned your family? Or treat me like trash for the last few years? Is that what you would have never done?" He flinched as though my words had cut through him like a knife. "Don't worry....I forgive you." I told him. 

"Oh God Claire, Thank you. You won't regret this I promise that I will make this up to you." He uttered desperately.  

The glint of hope that flashed in his eyes as he attempted to close the distance between us confirmed my suspicions that he dad totally misunderstood. I held up my hand stopping him dead in his tracks. 

"I forgive you," I repeated "but, make no mistake; I will never forget what you've done." I said as I folded my arms across my chest. 

"What about our baby Claire? You can't keep me from my own flesh and blood, I won't have it!" he yelled.  

Before I even realized what I was doing I had reared back and punched him in the face. He really had some nerve to speak to me about his parental rights.  

"How dare you!" I screamed. He backed away holding his jaw as I stepped in closer. "I have never tried to take your children away from you!" I was on a roll now. "I begged you for months to see them and you refused, you couldn't even be bothered to speak to them on the phone." I was becoming undone, but I couldn't stop. There were things that needed to be said, things that he needed to hear. 

"They cried for you every single night, and it was me who dried those tears. I had to try to explain to them why daddy left when I didn't even understand it myself." I was beginning to feel dizzy but I continued on anyway. 

"You dismissed them as if they meant absolutely nothing to you, as if I meant nothing to you. So don't go pretending like you give a damn now! Where were you when we needed you the most?" I asked him, but all he could do is just stand there with a dumbfounded look on his face. "With my sister that's where you were. You threw away everything for her." I managed to get out. I guess that time still hurt a lot more than even I had realized. 

"Claire, all that matters is that I'm here now. I love you and our babies. Please, let's just try and put our family back together." He said, and with all of my heart I wanted to believe him.  

I wished that I could fall back into his arms like none of this had ever happened. I couldn't do that because too much had happened; too many things that weren't easily forgotten. How in the world could we even start to rebuild off of something that was so broken. I'll tell you what; I wasn't up for entertaining the thought. 

Walking away from him was going to be one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do, but I had to do it. Unfortunately for him actions speak louder than words in my book, and it would be a cold day in hell before I ever trusted him with my heart again. 

"Well it's too little too late for that now Vaughn, because that family no longer exists. I hate you with every fiber of my being, but the love that I have for our children is so much stronger. So for that and that alone I will forgive you." I replied. 

Fresh tears swelled, and spilled from his eyes as he reached out for me once again, then he thought better of it and let his arms fall helplessly to his sides. 

"You can be part of our child's life, I would never deny you that, but you will never again be part of mine. Goodbye Vaughn." And with that I turned and walked away.  

It's funny how one moment of absolute clarity can make you see everything differently. The grass seemed to be just a little bit greener. The sun shined just a little more brightly than it ever had before. The birds had never sung so beautifully. I knew that it was going to be a little hard, but for some reason I just felt like everything was going to be okay. 

Maybe one day after enough time had passed, and I had healed enough I would be able to see things differently. Maybe one day I would be able to thank him for briefly loving me, eternally hurting me, and for finally setting me free. 

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*I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all of the advice and nice comments that you left me. I really did appreciate all of it. The next book is going to be a lot longer. However I will not start posting until I am half way through THE RISE AND FALL OF PHOENIX.