Resisting Temptation

Chapter 1

(One Year Later, August)

*SLAM*

I shut the trunk of my mom's car after throwing in the last of our suitcases. Today was going to be my last day in Stratford, ON. There was this feeling of overwhelming happiness to leave, as well as deep sorrow. I'm leaving all my friends, my school, my memories all left behind. But that's what a fresh start is for after all, to create new memories.

My mom was standing in the door way of our (old) house, leaning against the doorframe and looking around the room aimlessly. She's been in shambles ever since the court date, and she hated to leave this house. I took my first steps in this house, spoke my first words, kissed my first boyfriend in this doorway.

"Mom? It's time." I told her. She nodded and put on her coat. My dad was standing by the car, with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and looking down at the gravel alley.

"You don't have to go you know?" he said to me.

"It's your fault anyway. You threw your own family away for a tattooed skag from Alberta." I replied.

"Dani-"

"Don't Dani me. Mom is moving on with her life, I suggest you should too. I'm done looking passed your crap. Leave us alone." I told him. Dad nodded and backed away. Mom came out of the house and threw the keys at my dad. They hit his chest and landed on the ground.

"Give those to your Alberta slag, or any other whore you wanna fuck in my house." she told him.

"Trinity, I am so, so sorry." he said.

"Save it. Goodbye Lewis." she got in the car, trying to hold her pride. I looked at my dad and shook my head at him.

"I thought you were always a great guy dad, but you're just like everybody else. Selfish." and with that, I jumped into the car next to mom. She started the ignition and drove off towards the airport. We had a new life in store for us, we were moving to New York city. See, while mom was in the middle of her divorce, her divorce lawyer, Harry, introduced her to his business tycoon brother who came up to visit him in Stratford. When he and my mom met, he asked her out for dinner, and my mom has been looking foreward to leaving ever since. 

This man's name was Howard Trenway. From what I was told, he was a very successful and wealthy lawyer for big businesses, and he was very into my mom. I remember when he invited me and her out to dinner one night, and I caught then playing footsie under the table. I found it sweet yet kind of gross.

It wasn't until about two weeks after mom finalized her divorce, that Howard proposed to mom, and offered to have us move in with him at his penthouse in Manhattan. Yes, I said penthouse in Manhattan, New York fucking City. I knew it wasn't my decision to make, but I was more than happy to get the hell out of Stratford. To be honest, if I had to live somewhere for the first seventeen years of my life, I'd rather live in Toronto! There's much more to do in Toronto!

"You alright?" I asked her as we pulled into the airport.

"I'm fine Dani. Your father and I were drowning anyway, this will be good for us. And you know one day, you'll have a better father. Someone who won't fool around with any dyed red, tramp stamped sluts. You're going to find a man like Howard as well, he's going to treat you like gold and make you first priority on his list." she replied.

"Yeah. You know after all this, I'm really in no hurry to find a new boyfriend." I said, staring out the window.

"I understand. You know, there will always be a part of me that will still love your father." she told me.

"If he loved us, he wouldn't have driven us away like this." I said.

"I know baby, I know. But forget about the past. We're moving to a brand new city and we're going to have a brand new life! Howard is going to make us happy. And you know, he even has a son." she said.

"I thought he was a bachelor?" I asked.

"No, his wife died five years ago and he's been raising his son ever since." she replied.

"How'd she die?" I asked.

"She had aneurysm. Poor thing, she was only forty five too." she replied.

"Wow, sucks for the Trenways." I said. Mom parked the car in a slot and stopped the ignition.

"Sweetie, promise me while we're there for the first month or two, you'll try to behave yourself. I get that your still angry, but you have to let all that go now. I want you go out, and have a life, and meet people. Hell, go have a one-night-stand with some random guy, get drunk, have experiences."

"You want me to go to jail?" I asked her.

"No! Absoluetely not. I'm trying to say that...you're leaving for university soon, and you're spending your senior year in one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. I don't want you to waste your senior year locking yourself in your room with piles of books for the entire year. I want you to have a life." she replied.

"You think I'm boring?" I asked her.

"Not at all Dani. Listen, this belonged to my grandmother, then she gave it to my mother, and now I'm giving it you." she handed me a little red velvet box. Inside was a necklace, with a moon and star charm clipped onto it. 

"It's beautiful. Thank you mom." I said and hugged her.

"You're welcome baby. Remember this as a new beginning for the both of us. Wear this everywhere you go, and someday when you have your own child, boy or girl, you can give this necklace to them." she said.

"Well I love it. I'll never let it out of my sight." I told her. She pulled back and smiled at me, brushing some stray hair out of my face and tucking it behind me ear.

"I know you won't. I love you Daniella."

"I love you too mom."

Next stop: New York, the city of Lights and Dreams Coming True...I hope...