“We were kids,” I replied, still feeling no sympathy for the mess of a woman that was standing before me. “You were supposed to love us.”
“Did she ever tell you why she dropped the charges?” She whispered as she leaned into me, almost falling against me. “Did she tell you her little secret?”
“Mom!” Jolie said from the kitchen door. I turned to find her standing there with tears dancing in her eyes. “You promised.”
“Yeah well, life is full of broken promises, Jo,” she hissed, then laughing at the top of her lungs. “So why don’t you tell your big brother why your father really left? Or should I say, his father?”
“I… I don’t understand,” I asked, feeling torn between needing to know the truth, and throwing my mother out on her ass before she said another word to hurt Jolie.
“Mom, please,” Jolie begged as tears trickled down her face. Right then I knew what I needed to do.
“Okay, we’ve heard enough,” I said grabbing her arm once more. “Get the hell out.”
I pushed her through the door, not holding back my anger.
“Seth,” Sylvie called, but I didn’t stop. I just wanted her out of the house. Out of our lives. I wanted her gone.
“YOU CAN’T STOP ME FROM SEEING HER!” Liz yelled as she stumbled down the front steps. As she did, the door of the car that was parked at the front of the house opened, and out stepped the douche.
Instantly I could feel my blood boil. I began to run towards him, but I only made it a few steps when Jared stepped in front of me, grabbing a hold of me tightly.
“SETH, NO!” Jared yelled, stopped me from going any further.
“Jared, let me go!” I pleaded with him, but he wasn’t budging.
“I’m not letting you make the biggest mistake of your life,” Jared replied, looking me in the eyes, giving me a pleading look. “He’s not worth it.”
“HE HURT MY SISTER!” I yelled into his face. Right at that moment, all I was seeing was red. I so was angry and hurting, and I wanted so much to just hurt someone as much I was. “I am going to rip his fucking head off.”
“SETH!” Jolie cried from the doorway, and instantly I stopped. I turned to look at her and my breath caught in my chest. The first thing I saw was Jolie standing there, tears streaming down her face, looking at me like she almost didn’t recognise me. Then I saw Savannah, her face was completely unreadable, and I realised I need to calm down, and take care of those who I loved the most.
I turned back to Jared and released a long breath as hot tears suddenly stung my eyes.
“He’s not worth it,” Jared repeated, giving me a pleading look.
“Can you get rid of them both?” I asked, as I took a step back. “I can’t deal with her right now.”
“Okay,” Jared replied, letting go of my arms finally. I took another step back, then I turned and walked back up the steps to where Jolie was standing, and I quickly wrapped my arms around her.
“It’s okay,” I whispered as I pulled her closer to me, while my eyes found Savannah’s.
“Seth,” my mother called from the driveway of Sylvie’s home. “This isn’t over. She is my daughter. You can’t stop me from seeing her.”
It took everything inside me not to respond. Instead, I blew out a long breath, and held Jolie tighter.
“SETH!” Liz screamed, but still I didn’t react. “You can’t do this!”
“You need to just go,” I heard Jared say as he continued to move her further from the house.
“But he needs to know the truth,” Liz replied, and I knew she was now trying to reason with Jared. “He needs to know why his father left. Why he couldn’t bear to look at Jolie. He needs to know what her father did to me!”
Her words sparked something inside me. As much as it didn’t really matter to me anymore, there was a part of me that still needed to know what had happened back then. Why had my father; my hero, just walked away from us, and never looked back.
“Wait!” I called out, releasing Jolie from my embrace, but she quickly grabbed hold on my shirt.
“Seth,” she cried, as she looked up into my eyes. “Please, don’t.”
“Everything will be okay,” I assured her, kissing her on the forehead. “But I need to know.”
“Seth, please,” she begged, holding me tighter.
“You know what she’s talking about, don’t you?” I asked Jolie, as she just sobbed harder.
I turned and looked at my mother, and she gave me a pleading look. I knew more than likely, she just wanted to cause more trouble. The old saying was very true, misery loves company, and my mother was definitely misery.
“I’ll tell you!” Jolie said suddenly, pulling my attention back to her. “I promise I will, but please, just make her leave.
“Okay,” I nodded as I turned back to Jared, and nodded to him too. He took hold of my mother’s arm and led her the rest of the way down to the car, and the douche bag.
“SETH!” Liz screamed one more time. “JOLIE!”
But I’d heard enough, instead I wrapped my arm around my sister and led her back into the house. I was determined that I wanted to know the truth, and I knew that Jolie was the only one that could give me that.
“So, let’s go outside and talk,” I said as I began towards the kitchen, hoping that Jo and I could maybe talk on the back porch.
“Maybe you should wait till tomorrow?” Sylvie said as she reached out and softly touched me on the arm. “She is already upset enough tonight.”
“I need to know the truth, Sylvie,” I sighed, part of me knew that she was right, but I still needed to hear what it was my mother had told her. “Besides, the sooner it’s out there, the sooner we can put whatever it is behind us, and we can all just move on. There are too many secrets. It’s time to start telling the truth, to everyone.”
“Okay,” Sylvie sighed, but I knew she was less than happy. I turned to Jolie and gave her a smile.
“Are you ready to do this?” I asked, knowing in my heart, she would probably never be ready to tell me whatever it was that was eating her alive inside.
“Can Sav come with us?” She asked, surprising me with her request. I quickly glanced at Savannah, and she gave me a smile that said, she would be happy to come with Jolie and me.
“Sure,” I replied, giving Jolie another smile.
Instinctively, Jolie reached out her hand to Savannah, and Savannah took it, giving her a smile, before Jolie led her out through the kitchen.
“Seth!” Sylvie called after me before I could follow the girls. “I know you’re hurting, and I know you would never do anything to hurt Jolie. But I need you to remember, she is still just a kid. How you react to this is important for both of you moving forward.
I looked at Sylvie, and something told me that she knew exactly what it was Jolie was going to tell me. I just didn’t know how she knew it.
I nodded, but an uneasy feeling settled over me as I turned and followed Jolie and Savannah out onto the back porch.
As I stepped out through the door, I found Savannah and Jolie sitting side by side on the porch swing. Jolie was still crying, and Savannah had her arms wrapped around her tightly. I took a deep breath, before I grabbed one of the chairs from the far side of the porch and pulled it to where Jolie and Savannah were sitting.
“Jolie,” I said as I sat down in front of my sister, before I reached out and took her hand. “Before you start, I want you to know that there is nothing you can ever tell me to change how I feel about you. You and me, we’re a family, and family always comes first. Okay?”
Jolie nodded as she wiped her eyes with her other hand, before she blew out a deep breath.
“So,” I said, knowing that whatever she said next was probably going to hurt me deeply. “Do you want to tell me what happened the night Mom came to see you in the hospital.”
“I was asleep,” Jolie began nervously. “Sylvie had said she was going to go home to get me some things, and that she would be back as soon as she possib
ly could. Someone woke me up, and for a moment I thought it was Sylvie letting me know she was back, but it wasn’t. When I opened my eyes, I saw Mom sitting there. At first, I thought she had come because she wanted to see if I was okay, but I realised quickly she hadn’t. She asked me to tell the police that Rick hadn’t hit me, that it was all just some stupid mistake. I told her that I couldn’t do that. I said that he had hurt me, and that the police knew about it.”
Jolie stopped for a moment, as fresh tears trickled down her face. I glanced at Savannah; glad she was there for Jo. I wished that for a moment, I could just hug her, and forget about this whole nightmare, but I couldn’t. I needed to face this, no matter how I was feeling.
“Then she said that if I didn’t tell the police that I had lied, she would tell you something that would change how you felt about me forever,” Jolie whispered as she closed her eyes.
“Jo,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. “You know that there is nothing that could ever change how much I love you.”
“But you can’t say that, you don’t know,” she said, finally allowing her eyes to meet mine.
“Of course, I do,” I assured her, giving her a smile. “It’s me and you, Jolie. It always has been me and you against the world.”
“She told me that Dad, your dad I mean, he isn’t my dad,” Jolie blurted out like she needed to say the words before she changed her mind. “Mom said that my dad… my dad raped her. That she was out one night, and this guy… he pulled her into a dark alley, and he… She said that I… I look just like him, and that Dad, your dad couldn’t even stand to look at me. She said that he wanted to take you with him, but mom knew you wouldn’t leave without me, so she told him he couldn’t break us up, so he left you too.”
She sobbed so hard; I knew her heart was completely broken. And while part of my heart broke too, part of me felt numb. Like I didn’t know how I was even supposed to process this information.
“So, it’s my fault,” Jolie continued, as did her tears. “It’s my fault he left. It’s my fault you lost your dad. It’s my fault that she began to drink because she couldn’t deal with looking at me every day, knowing I was the reason that your lives had fallen apart.”
“None of this is your fault,” I said taking hold of her arms. “Do you hear me? Nothing that ever happened was ever your fault. What that man did to her was not your fault. Dad leaving was not your fault, and how she had acted, how she has treated us all these years, none of it was your fault.”
“So…so you don’t hate me now?” Jolie asked a look of hope in her eyes.
“Jolie, you’re my little sister,” I said, giving her a big smile. “Where you came from, or who your father is means nothing to me. You’re the same little girl that used to climb into my bed when you had bad dreams. You’re the same little girl that followed me everywhere I went when I was a kid, and you are the same bratty, moody, beautiful, funny and amazing girl who I love more than anything else in this world. I could never hate you.”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she tried to smile through her tears as I wrapped her in my arms.
“I love you, Kiddo,” I whispered, holding her as close as I could.
“I love you too, Seth,” she breathed against my chest as she continued to cry, but this time they were tears of relief.
“Is everything okay with you guys?” Sylvie asked from the back door.
“Yeah,” I replied, giving her a smile, before I returned my focus to Jolie. “Everything is perfect. There is nothing more Liz can ever say to hurt Jolie. Whatever she tried to do has failed.”
“I’m so glad,” Sylvie said, releasing a deep breath as she stepped out onto the back porch. “Since your father told me about what your mother claimed had happened. I was always afraid that Liz would someday use it to hurt you both. But now she no longer has that power over you.”
“You… you knew?” I asked, releasing Jolie as I stood up to face Sylvie, my heart almost dropping into my stomach.
“Your father said that he didn’t believe her,” Sylvie explained. “But Liz was… well, she was Liz.”
“Did you know that my father was going to leave us behind?” I asked, feeling hurt that Sylvie would have kept this from us for all of these years. I trusted her more than anyone else. She was the one I always turned to when I needed a shoulder to lean on, but she hid this from me. I honestly didn’t know what to think.
“No, I didn’t know he would leave you,” she replied. “He’d talked about maybe one day leaving and taking you both, but I never imagined him leaving without you.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me this?” I asked, feeling more hurt than I ever had before. “He wanted me. He wanted us both. How could you keep this from me?”
“Liz was never going to let that happen, Seth,” Sylvie tried to explain, “And your dad, he was just so beaten down by her. I thought if social services took you in, he could have gotten custody then, but you always covered for your mother, and they refused to take you from her.”
“So… so this is my fault!” I exclaimed, as hot tears suddenly burned my eyes. “I was nine years old, Sylvie. I was a kid. What the hell did I know?”
“Seth!” Jolie said, and I could hear the surprise in her voice, but I was hurt and disappointed. “This isn’t Sylvie’s fault.”
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t mine!” I snapped as I pushed past Sylvie, heading for the door.
“Seth!” Jolie cried, as she came running after me. She grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “You promised me. You said if you knew the truth, nothing would change.”
“I said nothing would change between me and you,” I corrected her, feeling angrier than I ever had before. “Nothing will ever change between me and you.”
“You can’t be mad at Sylvie,” Jolie insisted. “This is not her fault.”
“I just need some time, Jo,” I said, pulling my arm free, heading for the door once more.
“Seth!” Savannah called after me too, but I didn’t stop. I just needed a little space and some time to try and process everything that I had heard tonight. I hurried through the house, passing Jared as I did.
“Seth!” He called as he followed me to the door. “Where are you going, man?”
“I just need some space, Jared,” I said as I hurried to my car.
“Do you think driving is a good idea?” He asked, grabbing my arm before I climbed into the car. “You’re upset, and you’ve been drinking.”
“I had one beer,” I replied, giving him a look that said, please, just let me go.
“Seth, we’re your family,” he said, his eyes filled with worry.
“Yeah,” I sighed as I pulled open the door, and climbed inside. “What the hell does that even mean anymore?”
I pulled the door closed and reversed my car out of the driveway. Looking back up at the door, I saw Savannah standing there, a look of fear in her eyes, but right at that moment, I just needed some space.
I put the car into first, then I took off down the road without looking in my rear-view mirror. Part of me longed to be held by Savannah and having her promising me that everything would be okay. But part of me just wanted to keep driving, never ever looking back.
Chapter 20
Savannah
I stood on Sylvie’s front porch and watched as Seth’s car disappeared into the night. I had an overwhelming desire to cry, but I pushed my tears back down inside me. Now was not the time for me to fall apart.
In the few weeks I’d gotten to know Seth, I had never seen this side of him before. He looked so angry and broken as he climbed into the car. I wanted to run to him and hold him so tight to stop him from falling apart, but I couldn’t. Instead I just got to stand there, feeling my heart breaking for the man I loved.
“Sav,” Jared said as he walked back up onto the front steps, making me jump with fright. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I replied as I turned to him, and forced a smile on my face. “I’m okay, but I think maybe you should
go check on your mom.”
“Okay,” he said, giving me a curious look, before he nodded, and headed back into the house.
I released a long, frustrated sigh, before I too stepped back into the hallway. I hesitated when I saw Danny standing by the kitchen door, but he just smiled at me and instinctively I smiled back.
Of Jared’s two brother’s I’d always preferred Danny. Matt was sweet, but he was quiet, so I didn’t really know him that well. But I’d gotten to know Danny well, and I thought he was one of the sweetest guys I’d ever met.
Still, Danny was Jared’s brother, and I had hurt Jared. So, I was unsure of what Danny thought of me now.
“Are you okay?” He asked but the look in his eyes said he already knew the answer to that.
“It’s just been a long day,” I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat that was almost choking me. “Where’s Jolie?”
“She went upstairs a few moments ago,” he said, giving me a sad smile as he stepped further out into the hallway. “She was very upset. Maybe you should go talk to her.”
“Okay,” I replied with a nod as I turned and headed for the stairs, knowing that right at that moment I couldn’t help Seth, but I could be there for Jolie right now.
“Sav,” Danny called just as I was about to head up the stairs. “Seth is going to be okay. You know that, right?”
“I’m sure…” I replied as I stopped and turned back to him, not really sure how I should reply to his comment. “I hope so. I don’t like to see him hurting.”
“Does he know you’re in love with him?” Danny asked, surprising me with his question.
“I… I don’t…” I stuttered, completely stunned by what he’d said. Was it so obvious that I was so in love with Seth? A wave of panic washed over me.
“It’s okay,” he smiled, then added as his smile widened. “Seth was probably my first crush too, so I get it. He is very dreamy. But with you it’s not just a crush, is it?”
“Danny, I never meant…” I began to say, but he quickly stopped me.
“It’s okay,” he said with a smile. “I’m not judging. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but I also know him, and I know he is not ready to settle down. You and he just weren’t right for each other. But Seth… he is someone you could love for the rest of your life.”
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