My phone dings again and I clench down on my jaw while balling my hands into fists. If Ari wasn’t asleep right now, I’d probably be throwing the damn thing through the window and hoping I do a little damage in the process.
I can’t help but stare down at the stupid phone. I need to talk to dad. He has to know about this. It will tear him to pieces, but he has a right to know the truth. Maybe he might just know the right thing to say that will make this all ok because I sure as hell don’t have a fucking clue.
Letting out a shaky breath, I grab my phone and call dad. It’s either now or never as I don’t think I’ll ever find the guts to bring this up with him again. I’m terrified of hurting him and petrified of what the outcome could be.
The phone rings once and I start making my way down the hall, making sure Aria’s bedroom door is shut so I don’t wake her up in case I burst out into uncontrollable sobs.
It rights twice.
Three times.
I make my way back up the hall and begin pacing in front of the couch once again.
“Come on,” I groan as it rings a fourth time.
Five. Six.
“Squish.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“For fuck’s sake,” I groan. “Can’t I catch a fucking break?”
“Henley?” Dad questions. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Hold on,” I say, glaring at the door knowing it’s either Noah or Tully having come to check on me seeing as though I’ve avoided every damn call and text that’s come my way. “There’s someone at the door.”
Dad mumbles a “Mmkay,” as I shove the phone between my shoulder and ear. I work on unlocking the multiple locks on the door that dad had installed after finding out about Monica and Candice’s attacks and grumble under my breath, silently cursing those damn twins for not knowing anything about giving a woman a little personal space.
“Come on, Squish. What’s taking so long?”
I ignore dad as I pull the door wide open. “What the hell do you want?” I demand a moment before sucking in a shocked breath.
I was wrong. So fucking wrong. It’s not Noah or Tully at all.
It’s Kelly. The woman who lied to me all my life. The person who I first think of when I hear the word ‘mom’, and the woman who kept my little sister away from me while she scarred her with the disgusting choices of her mother’s lifestyle.
In my eyes, the only thing in this world worse than Anton Mathers is this woman standing right in front of me. She’s the true definition of a monster. While Anton will physically hurt someone, this woman would enjoy hearing about the scars she left on both mine and Aria’s souls.
“Kelly,” I say bluntly. “What the hell do you want?” I demand, focusing on the stranger before me and distantly noticing that she looks a shitload better than the last time I saw her. It’s clear as day that she got herself clean, but I have a feeling that was something that was forced upon her.
“Kelly?” she questions with a raised eyebrow. “What? I don’t get a ‘Hi, mom. Great to see you again. How have you been?’”
“What the fuck?” I hear dad screeching through the phone. “Did you just say ‘Kelly’? Henley? Goddamn it, Henley. Answer me.”
A man strolls down the front path and comes to stand behind Kelly, trying to appear somewhat intimidating, but let’s face it, after the shit I’ve been through, this guy is shit on a stick that’s standing in my way.
I scoff at his pathetic attempts and focus back on Kelly. “Quit the bullshit. You’re not my mother.”
Both of her brows raise. “So, the old bastard finally told you, huh?”
“And about fucking time too,” I smirk, hitting her where it hurts. “Do you have any idea what a relief it is to know that I don’t share your DNA? I mean, that’s a whole lot of fucked up shit that I’d happily do without.”
Kelly’s eyes narrow on me. “Watch it, Henley,” she warns. “I was hoping we could do this without it turning into some kind of drama.”
“Henley?” dad snaps, making me pull the phone away from my ear due to the tone of his voice piercing right through my skull, though despite pulling the phone away, I can still hear him crystal clear. “Tell me what the fuck is going on, right now? Get that piece of shit off my doorstep.”
Gladly.
I grab the door and go to close it while giving her a beaming grin. “Alright, well this is been lovely, but let’s not make this a tradition.” With that, I go to slam the door but a heavy boot steps in the doorway, forcing the door back open.