Liberate You, Liberate Me✔️

Chapter 40

40. Revelation

Dillon

It was like air had been stripped from his lungs and the room had shrunk smaller when Jonah had spoken. Dillon had to blink to remind himself that life was still happening around them and that he was in fact a part of it. The revelation of his father knowing all along what had transpired at prom made him sweat and he could almost taste iron in his mouth. His father had done nothing but sit and watch his sons reaction, almost like he was loving it. Dillon wondered what type of sick games he was playing and if he'd ever planned on telling him this on his own.

"H-how—"Was the only thing that came out of his mouth after minutes of silence.

His father dismissed him and poured another glass of whiskey with steady hands. "I'm your father Dillon and I know you – you're a worse liar than you think. But I could tell that you wanted the chance to be better in life, so I gave you that chance." Jonah finished.

He made it sound so easy when he spoke. Like he was God and he could save anyone from their mistakes and give them a chance at a better life. As much as he liked to believe his father doing it for a good cause he just didn't see it. Jonah Holden would never understand what it meant to be truly honest with someone and feel free. Dillon got up from the table and put his fists down on it, displaying his anger.

"All this time you knew it was me and you didn't say anything! I tried telling you so many times but you dismissed me—all this time you could've helped me." Dillon was shaking so badly that his voice sounded like a whisper.

"Don't you see anything at all? All I've done is helping you son; I helped you out of that tragic mistake and got you into college. I was the one who gave you a second chance! This ungratefulness is quite shocking to me—I think you need some time to process this." His father got up to leave the table and Dillon watched.

He had a choice to make now; he could allow his father to leave and let him control him or he could become the chaos he needed to set him free. All his life he'd listen to his father and followed his rules and guidance – but today that would end. He never wanted to go back to the guy he'd been in high school instead he wanted to explore who this new Dillon could be. He took a few fast breaths before he grabbed a plate of the table and smashed it on the floor.

The echoing sound of the plate hitting the floor made Jonah Holden turn around in shock. He looked at his son and tried to read his eyes but he couldn't. The anger that hid behind his son's eyes was both fresh and years old and he could see that he hadn't planned on leaving until they spoke further about this. He took one step closer to the table and waited for his son to continue.

"I've always admired you dad; the way you always seemed to make things alright and the way people just listened to you, but now I know that's all a lie. All you've ever done is bribe people to do as you say and I bet people don't even respect you, they're just scared. That's how it was for Libra in high school and everyone else for that matter; they were all scared of me." Dillon said.

"Don't you know that people being scared of you means you've got the power? People like me because I get things done, Dillon, you and your mother will never see that." Jonah explained with a steady voice – as if he had all the answers.

Everything seemed so simple with Jonah Holden and Dillon truly wished it was. But it was easy for the Holden family and anyone outside of it could get hurt. Dillon finally understood what his privileged life had done to him over the years and it shook him to his core.

"I never want to be like you and I'm glad mom isn't like you either! You'll never know what it feels like to be honest with someone and for someone to love you without being deceived—"

"—that's what this is about? You love this girl and now you want to come clean about past mistakes? Dillon you can't just—"

"No stop it father, it's enough from you now. It's none of your business but yes I do love Libra Jones, dad. She goes to my college and over the past months I have been getting to know her and I wish I hadn't been suck a jerk in high school because I would've known how amazing she was then and still is. I'm going to tell Libra the truth – all of it."

Dillon smiled at his father when those last few words were spoken. At this point losing Libra was the only pain he felt and the loyalty toward his father was beyond lost. He knew that after today he could never go back to the way things had been before but he was glad for that – a change was needed.

His father got a puzzled look on his face and Dillon could almost see his blood pump inside his veins. The only thing Jonah was concerned about was about his own contribution to Dillon's lie and how that could affect his business. He doesn't care about me. A faint smile edged across his lips as he took in the realization that his father probably saw him differently than he'd thought; he saw a young man eager to take over for his father but that's not the image Dillon saw.

As he reached his father and stepped to his face he could see that Jonah no longer looked at him like his son, he didn't recognize the boy who didn't answer to his stern voice. An unusual courage reached his lungs as he took a deep breath for air to deliver his final message to his father.

"This is liberating me from this fucking secret that's been drowning me; Libra needs to stop drowning too. One day I really hope you'll let mom save you from drowning as well – then you'll truly know what free happiness means." He gave his father a lazy pat on the back before sliding to the left of him and head up for his room.

He knew Jonah wouldn't come after him and neither would his mother – she would side with Jonah for now. Dillon didn't have to pack anything he simply grabbed his bag and headed for the front door. Somewhere in the background he could hear his father slamming a door, most likely to his study, and it made him smile.

"I win." He said once he got in the car and left.

Now he had one more thing to do – talk to Libra.