Chapter 25


    An hour was much too long to get ready.


    I brushed my hair, and changed my clothes in ten minutes. That left me fifty minutes to contemte


    what the h**l was going on. Fifty minutes to realize how horribly my fractured life had been upended.


    Once hour passed, and Garrett knocked on my door. He didn’t wait for me to answer, he simply poked


    his head inside until his eyes locked on my own.


    “Ready to go?” Garrett asked, his eyes shining brightly.


    I nodded, grumbling something unintelligible and stood to my feet. While my face was somehow


    miraculously healed, my ankle was anything but. asionally dull pain would twitch up my ankle,


    making me wince.


    Garrett and I walked downstairs, to where Melissa and Frank were sitting on the sofa. Frank was drunk,


    as usual. Melissa was desperately trying to keep her gaze off of Garrett. Her eyes kept flickering from


    the TV to his towering form. I resisted the urge to scoff, she’s more interested in Garrett than she’s


    been in me for three years. A blind man could see how taken Melissa was with Garrett, even seventeen


    yearster.


    “Try and have a good time, Aurora.” Melissa spoke gently.


    Her hand lifted, reaching towards my face. Call it a instinct, but I stumbled back. I didn’t stumble back


    because I was afraid of her hitting me, I stumbled because not once had she ever touched me. This


    move was too intimate, too caring. It might’ve made sense for any other mother and daughter, but not


    for us. The action was unwarranted. I didn’t want herfort or her false sympathy. She noticed my


    reaction and her face fell, her washed out eyes flickering to Garrett.


    ‘Watch closely.’ The voice murmured in my head, ‘Her concern isn’t for your benefit. It’s for his.’


    For once, the voice was actually helpful. It was right. Melissa wasn’t taking on the roll of a caring


    mother because she somehow realized the error of her ways, she was doing it for Garrett’s benefit.


    She truly can’t stand for others to see her as the d**d-beat parent. Her mask was thin on her weathered


    face, and I could see through it clearly.


    “I’ll be outside.” I mumbled, tripping on the chunky boot but somehow managing to make it to the front


    door unharmed.


    I stood outside taking deep breaths of the crisp afternoon air. The breeze was picking up, chilling my


    skin in a way that brought me some semnce offort. Looking out into the woods was the most


    peaceful I had felt in days. Everything was so silent. The only sound was from birds and the quiet


    ‘whoosh’ of the wind against the tree’s. Some small part of me wanted to bound off into the woods, and


    note back out.


    Garrett came outside just a few minutester. I nced up at his face and snorted, he looked


    ufortable.


    “Something funny?” Garrett raised his eyebrow at me, and I marveled at how simr we looked.


    “You seem ufortable.” I noted, leaving him behind as I walked down the porch steps.


    “Something you can rte to.” Garrett responded once he had caught up to me.


    I resisted the urge tough spitefully. Of course he’d say that, and of course I could rte. This was all


    brought on by him, not by me. If he hadn’t ignored the existence of his child for seventeen years, the


    two of us might not be so ufortable.


    Garrett opened the passenger door of arge and shy sedan. I had never been in a car this fancy


    before. Melissa’s car was a ’95 Buick, practically falling apart at the seams. This car had all the shing


    lights and fancy button’s you’d see on a brand new car. So it seems Garrett here had money,


    something that could easily be beneficial for me, not that I’d ever be caught asking.


    We arrived at the only restaurant in town, the one I worked at.


    Cameron gave me a strange look as she walked Garrett and I over to one of the many tables. Garrett


    excused himself to go to the bathroom, and I grunted in response. If I was dreading an hour long dinner


    with the man, how the h**l was I going to live with him?


    “Oh look, your face is all better.” Cameron gave me a side-eyed look.


    “Lots of cover-up and ibuprofen.” I nodded absentmindedly.


    “Who the h**l is that?” Cameron snorted, her eyes flickering towards the bathrooms.


    “Long lost sperm-donor.” I shrugged, picking at the napkin on the table.


    “Sperm-donor?” Cameron scrunched her nose, “I thought Frank was your Dad?”


    Her specific information about my family didn’t phase me. This was a small town after all. I had heard


    my fair share of gossip and drama about the other townspeople, choosing to ignore it all. The typical


    rumors flew around. Who slept with who, couples getting divorced, and the asional g******g or


    cheating scandal.


    “I don’t have a Dad.” I shook my head, “I have Frank, and I have a sperm-donor.”


    Sure, it was childish but I felt like I had that right. I had spent years taking care of myself, didn’t I


    deserve just a single childish moment?


    “Well, it looks like sperm-donor has some money.” Cameron shrugged, “Might as well get what you can


    from it.”


    I nodded in agreement, but I truly didn’t want anything from Garrett. I didn’t need money, or some


    poorly constructed rtionship. I was seventeen years old and spent my life without a single father


    figure, what makes him think I needed one now? The only person I wanted was my Grandma. She’d


    understand how I was feeling and take me away from all of this mess, as she had many times in the


    past. I also wanted Alec and Kade, not that I’d admit it to myself or anyone else.


    Garrett came back to the table and sat across from me, looking as awkward as I felt. The awkward


    silence was picking at me, making me grow more irritable with each passing moment.


    “So, do you have any other kids?” I blurted out, nearly cringing at the hostile tone in my voice.


    Garrett nodded, “I have a daughter. She’s two years younger than you.”


    Two years–That’s all it took for Garrett to forget about me and have another child.


    “And you have a wife.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement. He had his own little family, while mine


    was left in shambles.


    “I do.” Garrett cleared his throat, “Not that I didn’t love Melissa-“


    “Don’t.” I held my hand up, “Yours and Melissa’s rtionship doesn’t concern me.”


    “It was brief.” Garrett gave me a painful smile, “The rtionship was a mistake–but the oue was a


    blessing of sorts.”


    I inwardly cringed at his words. It didn’t hurt to know his rtionship with Melissa was a mistake, what


    hurt was hearing how he called me a blessing. A blessing he had openly chose to ignore for seventeen


    years.


    “Do you normally toss your blessings to the side and ignore them for seventeen years?” I asked,


    “cating them by throwing money their way.”


    Garrett pursed his lips, “Ignoring you–That wasn’t my intention.”


    We were interrupted by Tori walking up to the table, a notepad in her hand. She paused for a moment


    when she saw us, her eyes running over my face slowly. It was obvious she noticed my healed face,


    and something told me she suspected the cause.


    “Hey, Aurora.” Tori smiled at me, her eyes wandering over to Garrett questioningly. “Do you two know


    what you want to drink?”


    “Coke.” I murmured, giving her a small smile. Her eyes flickered between the two of us, and I could


    practically hear what she was trying to tell me.


    ‘You better give me a good exnation.’ Her eyes practically screamed. I couldn’t tell if she was


    referring to Garrett or my newly healed face.


    “Just a water for me.” Garrett nodded, “We will need q few more moments to look over the menu.”


    “Of course.” Tori peeled her eyes off of me and gave Garrett a polite smile, “I’ll be right out with your


    drinks.”


    Tori walked away and I sighed as Garrett picked up where he left off.


    “I had—let’s just call it an arranged marriage.” Garrett looked ufortable, “I was with Melissa right


    before meeting my intended, resulting in you. My wife–well she’s not fond of Melissa.”


    His statement held another meaning, and I found my face turning into a grimace as I understood his


    words.


    “I’m sure she’s not happy you have another child by some other woman.” I pointed out, and the look on


    Garrett’s face told me I was correct.


    “She doesn’t.” Garrett paused, “But you are my firstborn child. That means something where Ie


    from.”


    “Where Ie from it means I’m a mistake.” I shrugged, unfazed.


    Tori brought out our drinks, and I ordered some alfredo pasta. In all honesty, I was tired of eating the


    food from this restaurant. I didn’t cook for myself, so I’d often bring home leftovers. I’ve been eating this


    food for two weeks now, and it was getting old. The food wasn’t bad, but the repetition was tiresome.


    Garrett ordered something for his self and the two of us watched as Tori walked away.


    “That is a friend of yours?” Garrett asked, his gaze showing interest.


    “My first friend since moving here.” I nodded.


    Garrett sat quiet for a few moments, then finally opened his mouth.


    “I would like you to tell me what happened to your face.” Garrett’s voice was soft, yet incredibly fierce.


    He sounded almost, protective. That tone made me feel nauseous.


    “Not important.” I dismissed him, “As you can clearly see, my face is fine.”


    Garrett didn’t seem surprised by my magical healing, if anything he seemed to have expected it. That


    fact only left me more confused.


    “Very well.” Garrett nodded, “I’ll drop it, if you tell me what happened to your foot.”This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.