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The two of us haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened the other day when Kellan slapped her. Athelia has wanted to ask—I’ve seen it on her face over the past couple days—but she’s been respectful about my request to not get into it.
She deserves to know, though. It’s probably not fair for me to request things of her because of my past without explanation. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to mind.
A couple minutes into the drive, one of my hands leaves the wheel, and I place it on her thigh. Her fingers trace over my knuckles lightly.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask.
It takes Athelia a moment before she says, “What would you do if you had to do something, but you’re afraid it’ll backfire?”
Dread settles over my chest, cold and restrictive. “What are you talking about?”
“I… it’s complica—”
“Are you in trouble or something? Because if one more person touches a single goddamn hair on your head, Athelia, they’re dead. Fucking dead.”
“No,” she says quietly. “Nothing like that. I’d prefer not to get into specifics if you don’t mind. Eventually, I’ll explain, just… not right now.”
“Okay. I can respect that.” I squeeze her thigh. “Whatever it is—do you want to do it?”
“Yes,” she replies. “I… I think so.”
“Okay,” I say slowly. “I’ve been in a situation like that. With my…”
Shit.Athelia needs to hear what happened between me and my parents at some point, and all of a sudden, it’s kinda relevant. I hate talking about it, but if it’ll help her, I can do it.
“With me and my parents,” I say thickly. “I needed to get away from them, but I wasn’t sure what would happen to me if I did. I’d lose any stability I had.”
“Oh,” she whispers.
“They were… abusive,” I say, gripping the steering wheel tighter with my hand. “My mom emotionally, and my dad…”
“He hurt you?” Athelia asks softly.
I nod.
“Cal, I’m so sorry.” Her hand covers mine, squeezing. “That’sawful.”
“I stuck around until I was eighteen,” I say. “By then, I was old enough and big enough that I could fight back, but it was still miserable. I couldn’t stay.
“I had no clue how I was going to make things work. I knew the second I left my parents, they’d pull any financial support. I lost my extended family, too—I knew most of them wouldn’t believe me or would say I was exaggerating, and I was right.
“But Wes and Kellan were there for me through it all. I didn’t have access to any cash, but it didn’t matter. They covered everything for me. Mainly Kellan, since Kammes had control over Wes’s trust fund, but he helped when he could. I owe them everything.”
“I’m glad you have them.” There’s something reluctant about the way Athelia says it, but maybe I’m imagining it.
“So am I. They’re my family now. I haven’t seen my parents since before I started at Pemberton. Last year, I heard from my aunt that they moved to Virginia. I was relieved—it meant I could stop worrying about running into them around town.”
“And you feel… peace about your decision?” she asks me.
“I do. I have for years. At first, I thought I’d regret it. My extended family tried to tell me that I was blowing things out of proportion. That they’re my parents, that I should forgive them, that I should try putting myself in their shoes.
“For a while, I started to believe them, but Wes and Kellan set me straight. It was hard, but it was the best for me. I couldn’t let them back into my life—not when they’d only keep hurting me.”
“The best for you,” Athelia echoes, her voice distant.
When I glance over at her, she’s staring out the windshield. Her eyes are unfocused, and she’s biting her bottom lip.
“All this to say that if you’re afraid of the consequences of the decision you have to make, we’ll be there for you in whatever way you need us to be. I said Wes and Kellan are my family. You’re my family, too, Thelia.”
