A Different Divergent: Everyday Love

30

Chapter 30

"Father?" Tobias asks, stunned and he's not the only one. Will, James, and I are all looking on, speechless. "I thought your father died around 10 years ago."

"Yeah, you and me both," Shauna says, her usually bright eyes glazed over with pain, confusion, and betrayal. She tosses the folder she just dug out of the filing cabinet on Tobias' cluttered desk and starts pacing. "That's not a death file, Four." She stops and points at it. "It's a fucking factionless file. And not a, I got kicked out kind either. He just … left." She looks around like her world is coming apart, which I'm sure it is. "I need Zeke." She plops down on the loveseat in a daze and buries her face in her hands.

"I'll get him for you, Shauna," I say. I pull my phone out of my pocket before I finish the sentence. I send Zeke a quick message telling him we need him in Four's office, and we need him now. He immediately responds with, be right there. "What about Lynn and your mom? Should I call them, too?"

"Let's hold off for the time being," Tobias says when Shauna sits frozen, off in her own little world. "But we do need to speak with Hector right now."

"I'll message Simon and Tony." I send texts to both Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo letting them know that we're finally ready for Hector and to bring him to the conference room instead of Tobias' office. There's more room there than here in his office for everyone.

"What about your mom, Shauna?" Tobias asks.

"I was told my dad fell into the chasm when I was 10 years old," Shauna says either not hearing Tobias' question or ignoring it. "Can a person actually fall into the chasm twice in their life?" Deranged-sounding laughter escapes her lips, and James sits down beside her, pulling him into his arms. She rocks back and forth not looking anything like the tough woman I've come to know over the past three years. Less than a minute later, Zeke bursts through the door, and Shauna leaps straight into his arms, buries her face in his neck, and finally releases the pent-up emotion, allowing herself to feel for the first time since seeing her father on video.

"What the hell?" he murmurs. "Shauna, what's wrong, Sunshine?" When she's unable to communicate with him, he looks at his best friend for answers.

"We're not exactly sure what's going on but she just identified the man harassing Hector in the video Nathan and I found this morning. Apparently, it's their … father."

"That's impossible," he scoffs. "Terry died a long time ago. I remember his funeral. I was there when his ashes were released from the top of the Hancock building."

"It's true," Shauna blubbers. "Look at the pictures. It's him. It's my dad." He releases her and picks up the file folder from the desk and looks it over then compares the photo to the video.

"I'll be damned," he mutters. "Sure looks like him."

"Read the file," I quietly say. He turns to the first page, and his eyes widen and his mouth pops open.

"Shit," he murmurs. "He's really alive. Why would we have been told he died? Does Jessica know about this? Has anyone called her?"

"No," Shauna says starting to calm down and regain her senses. "I need to talk to her and Lynn in private to tell them the news." I can't help but wonder if her mother already knows or if she's been deceived along with her children. I look up at Tobias, getting ready to ask his opinion, and I'm startled by what I see. The tips of his ears are bright red, his jawline is rigid, and his shoulders are tight with tension. I take his hand and drag him into the far corner away from the others.

"What is it, Tobias?" I quietly ask.

"I know exactly how she feels," he says, his words clipped and his look far away. He obviously is thinking about when his bitch mother abandoned him. It kills me that she torments him from the grave. "It's devastating to find out that someone who's supposed to love you unconditionally can abandon you without a second thought. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy let alone one of my closest friends." I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze tightly. After a beat, he encircles me in his embrace and places a soft kiss on the top of my head.