AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A mistake? What the hell kind of an excuse is that?”
“Not an excuse. It’s just what happened. I forgot. So, enough already.”
“Youdon’t get to forget.Youdon’t get to make choices, Claire. You lost that privilege once you took Gemma’s away, and that’s something I can’t forgive.”
“Well, you’ll just have to deal with it, Parker,” she snapped, using what little air she still had in her lungs. Everything grew silent as she tapped a blotch of ash atop a crystal green ashtray. “It happened, ok? My neighbor was the one that called Gemma, and yeah, it was a mistake. But the prescription has been filled, and I’m back on them, so you can leave now. I don’t need some little boy telling me what do, and I certainly don’t need him telling me how to talk to my own daughter.”
“The fuck you just say?” I hissed, my viscous tone snapping her head into place. She looked back up, shooting a stare that I had replayed in my head since the day she burned my finger. It was anger, contempt, and panic, directed at no one, but everyone. Who did she really hate? Me? Gemma? Or herself?
“Don’t act like you know us, Parker. Gemma and I are not like you. You’d never understand.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means your world is too different,” she yelled. “She could never love you, because she could never relate to you. So give it up! And don’t you dare come into my home and preach to me about agreements. You promised you wouldn’t hurt her, yet where is she now? I know what you did, Parker. You lured her into your home, and why? To string her along, and break her heart? You’re just a mistake waiting to happen, another disappointment like her father.”
Her shaking face bordered on a tremor, sending me into a hypnotic flash of memories and fears, of regrets and choices I made. In the moment it took me to blink, I saw everything I ever shared with Gemma: our childhood, our friendship, the secrets, and the heartache I caused the night she confessed her love.
Keep her safe?
Claire never saw what I did; she didn’t realize how Gemma appeared after the moments they shared together or how guarded she became as a person. I noticed, I always had. But Claire? She seemed oblivious to all of it—all the pain, frustration, and fucking deceit she caused. And in that instance, I pictured Gemma’s eyes, their enormous size filled with unfiltered disappointment.
Something happened to her as a child, something she never wanted to share, and I knew it was Claire’s fault. This unfathomable, despicable dread fell onto my chest, caught like some brick hurled off a tall bridge.
“You don’t know how far gone you are.” I yanked a chair out of my way, screeching it across the floor to get as close to her as possible.
She flinched. “Don’t even—”
“Shut the fuck up,” I leaned into her face. “You don’t fucking listen, do you? All you care about is yourself, and I don’t give a fuck what problems you have, because all I care about is Gemma. You understand me?” I pried the cigarette from her dry lips, mashing it in my hand, scarring itself into my palm. Its excruciating pain was far worse than any match that Claire made me hold, but I wouldn’t let her take control anymore, and the pain it caused was minuscule compared to the years of my agonizing silence. “She can’t help that she’s your daughter, but I can make it less noticeable once you’re gone.” Claire watched as the ash fell from my hand, my thumb toying with the bits of black soot that stained my fingers. She didn’t blink once, as I finally had her full attention.
“Gone?” she asked. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t need you to understand. You hurt Gemma.”
“That’s not true—”
“It is. Admit it now, and I might have mercy on you.”
“Parker… it’s not what you think,” she defended, placing her hand up as if that could stop me. I pulled it away.
“It’s everything I think it is. I can’t imagine what she’s been through, but I know it’s been hell, and I know you’re involved. And don’t even try to explain it, because it’s not your truth to share, it’s Gemma’s… Not that I would believe you, anyway. The only thing you can stand in your life is to hear yourself talk, and I’m done with that.”
“You’re no better…” she gritted.
“You’re right. I’m not. But the difference between you and me is that I’ll own the things I’ve done. I know I hurt Gemma. I thought I was helping by keeping this goddamn promise, but now I know how wrong it was. But I’m gonna make it right again, because it’s not about her past, it’s about her future. If she wants to tell me what happened, then I’ll listen… but I won’t force her to, Claire, because I’ll fucking love her regardless.”
I crushed her pack of cigarettes, tossing it into the trash, before wiping my palm clean, smearing tar on the table before reaching into my pocket for the one thing I should have never accepted all those years ago.
“You’re supposed to keep her safe…” Claire repeated, confused by the old quarter in my hand, unaware of how important it once was.
“Gemma doesn’t need that. She needed that from her mother when she was a child, and you already ruined that. What she needs now, what she deserves, is the courtesy she’s owed. She deserves honesty, she deserves a chance to make her own decisions, to have them respected, and I’ll make sure she has that.”
It was hard to confess, but the things I said were true. Gemma needed to make her own choices, and I needed to trust her. This wasn’t about my beliefs, this was about true, unconditional love, about accepting whatever secrets she had, and honoring the decisions she made. I was never going to make another promise again, unless it was to Gemma, and this was me keeping my word.
“I told her you were dangerous… all of you are.” Claire’s words got caught in a choke, as an angry tear rolled down her cheek.
“You’re right. I am fucking dangerous. But not for Gemma. And you should be scared, because I’m here for anyone that stops her from living the life she wants. That includes you, Claire. Now stand up,” I growled, tossing the quarter onto the table.
“I don’t even know where you’re taking me—”
