The Broken One ✔

Chapter 32

Hi all,

I have planned the chapters for rest of the book and would like to inform you all that we will be roughly wrapping up between chapters 40-45. So I think we will only have till early December till this book will be completed.

Please VOTE

Thank you

Happy reading!

- Rose

----------------------------------

Jenny and I had been walking around my old neighbourhood for hours. The streets smelt the same, the same kids still lived in the same old hours, only grown.

I wasn't listening to a word of what Jenny was saying. Whenever she paused to take a breath, I would fill the silence with "uh huh"

I couldn't stop thinking about my biological mother - a woman that I never knew. Did my father order her to stay away? Was she married with her own children or still grieving those she was estranged from?

"You're not even listening are you?" Jenny rolled her eyes in my direction.

"Not at all" I admitted, kicking a small rock that sat at my feet. "so how's what's his name, Teddy?" I casually asked, attempting to get my mind off the battle I had just lost with my father.

"Tommy" Jenny corrected, looking down "...And we broke up"

"Oh...." I looked over to her in surprise "what happened?"

The last time I saw them together was at Jenny's birthday where they were exchanging saliva and saying the 'L' word.

"Found him in bed....with a man" she admitted.

I held back a chuckle. For the first time in a long time, I was genuinely laughing. For some, that wasn't a big deal, for me it was one hell of an achievement.

That's when my chuckle grew to an obnoxious laugh. I didn't want the genuine joy to end, god only knew when I would feel that happy again.

"It's not funny" she firmed her gaze.

"I know" I nodded as we stopped at a park bench.

"Then why are you laughing?" She raised a brow, folding her arms in disapproval.

I looked around the park. I had very vague memories of being there as a child with my brother, sister, and mother.

I wondered why I was here in San Francisco. Was it to find my mother or to remember an easier time?

I realized something at that moment- I had convinced myself that I had no one in life. Perhaps, the only genuine reason why I was trying to find my mother was so I could experience unconditional love.

"Did you know that my full name is Edmund Thomas Carter?" I started slowly with a small smile "my mum picked it out but after she left my dad started calling me Ned...because he didn't want anything of her hanging around..."

"Not even his kids?" She furrowed his brows.

"Well, Luke was always his favourite because he looked the most like him....and Elise....she looked like our mother but she so much like our dad....I'm the only like her...that's why he's always hated me so much" I admitted.

"Oh, Ned" Jenny looked down with sadness.

"I came here because I thought that finding my mother would make me feel less alone" I admitted "....but I've realized that I already have a family, I have you...and Eva and Sam and Blake and Chris...I don't think I need her for my life to feel complete" I smiled "...I'm going back to Washington tomorrow"

"Are you sure?" She softened her eyes.

"I haven't been so sure about anything in my life" I nodded slowly "let's go home Jen"

Jenny smiled and agreed. It took us almost an hour to find our way back home. When we walked through the entrance, we immediately found my gym bag at the door with a plane ticket sitting on the top.

Jenny and I exchanged confused looks before shooting our heads up, to find my father storming towards us.

"Out" he ordered "I don't want you here no more"

"Have you ever?" I retorted.

I wasn't surprised that he didn't want me hanging around. To him, all I was was a troublemaking a reminder of my biological mother.

"He's mean's it Ned" Justine reinforced, as appearing from behind him "grab your things and leave right now, you're not welcome in our home"

I chuckle to myself "I hate to break it to you lady but this isn't your home" I snapped "this house belonged to my mother and father, you're nothing more than one of my father's whores"

"You're out of here, you hear me!" My father screamed in my direction furiously.

"Gladly" I widely smiled as picking up my plane ticket and gym bag. "Bye Jen" I quickly kissed her cheek as walking through the door.

"Don't chu ever come back!" I heard my father cry as I walked down the driveway.

I looked down my shoulder to find little Cleo, looking at me from Elise's bedroom window. She looked at me with sadness and pity.

I shook my head slowly to myself before looking down at my plane ticket. "For Fuck sake" I muttered as realizing that my flight wasn't till the next morning.

As a result, I spent the rest of the day at a bar.

"What are you having?" the pale bartender asked.

"Just a water thanks," I told him.

For the first time ever, I was at a bar and didn't drink. I just sat there watching the people around me live their lives.

I knew that I was about to start a new stage of my life and for the first time, it didn't scare me.

When the sky grew dark I found myself wondering the streets once again. I ended up at the cemetery laying beside Elise's tombstone.

"You know what Lissy" I smiled at the small picture framed on the centre, "I think everything is going to be okay...and I don't feel guilty being happy anymore without you here...I think you would have wanted this for me"

That night, I slept soundly for the first time since I was a child.