“Don’t you blame her, Ava,” I shake my head at her. That shit is over.
“I don’t, I blame you!” Ava roars.
“Me?” I chuff. “From where I’m standing, it looks like I’m the only one of the three of us who isn’t a lying, cheating, piece of shit.”
The Major General rounds the table and gets within inches of me. I move Emily behind me, instinctually. Unlike one of his soldiers or Emily, I’m not threatened or intimidated by him. Long ago, I stopped being afraid of being hit.
There are worse feelings.
Internal bruises are infinitely more damaging than those on the outside.
“Cole, what do you mean—of the three of them?” Emily asks from behind me.
“Confession time, Ava,” I call to her. “And what did you do to get even?”
“Mom?” Emily pops out from behind me and stares, with huge eyes, at her mother. The same mother who dares to call mine a whore.
“I was going to be a chemist, Emily. I see myself in you every time I look at you. I threw it all away, I gave everything up and ruined my life for a man, a cheater. The same as you are doing with Cole. I couldn’t let you do it,” Ava cries, tears in her eyes now.
“Ruined your life? What about me? You had me! What did you do?” Emily begs her.
“Ava, you stay quiet,” the Major General barks, still staring me down.
“Enough goddamn lies!” Emily screams. I’m sure half the motorhome can hear us yelling.
“I got even. I had an affair, too,” Ava admits as she wipes tears away. “Are you happy now?”
“With who?” Emily asks, her face wracked with confusion.
Ava can’t lift her head and waves her arm towards me then lets it flop onto the table in front of her as her answer.
“Cole?” Emily looks to me with haunted eyes, full of fear at what Ava has just suggested.
“Fuck no,” I take my eyes off the Major General to look at Emily and shake my head. Jesus, one thousand times no.
“His fucking father,” Ava admits in defeat.
“What? STAN?” Emily lets out a shriek that could break glass.
I don’t blame her. It’s like her very own episode of Jerry Springer in the motorhome right now.
“It was just revenge,” Ava tries to rationalize. “Stan was the person your father hated most in the world at the time. Don’t you see? Cole’s whole family is toxic, Emily. Everything they touch gets ruined. It’s in their blood.”
Emily puts her hands over her face and mumbles several words, but few coherent sentences, “I can’t, this is, what the fuck…” It goes on for several beats. “This is so messed up.”
It’s breaking my heart for her to go through this, but it’s the only way forward now. No more secrets, no more lies.
Take your Jerry Springer guest star asses home and fuck the hell off.
“As trashy as my parents are, and I do not deny that,” I interject, “it seems to me that you two really take the cake. And yet you both still sit here trying to blame me, blame Emily. Still!”
“Shut your mouth,” the Major General shoves me in the shoulder.
“Stop it,” Emily yells and tries to step between us, but I hold my hand up to keep her safely away.
“You had the nerve to nerve to tell me I’d cheat on Emily, that I’m just like my father. It was always you two projecting your shit onto us. Well, guess what? I’m not eighteen anymore, and no one believes your bullshit anymore. I’m not my father, I never have been. I may have left Emily—because of you two sick fucks—but I won’t make that mistake again. I had my reasons, what the fuck were yours?”
He shoves me again, harder.