Dad sneers at her. “Go back home to your rich life and your rich husband and your rich friends. Everyone knew you were gonna leave the moment you had your chance. Yeah, I fucked you for a time there because I was fuckin’ lonely. But we were never gonna be anything, Ellie. You were never more than a piece of ass to me.”
She slaps him hard across the face. “You’re trash. Your son is too. He’ll go back to jail where he belongs and my daughter can move the hell on.”
She and Dad start bickering again, but I’m over it. I push past them on a trek to The Beast. They both call out to me. Before I climb into my truck, I turn to them.
“Dad, I’m sorry you never had anymore love in your heart left to give after Mom died. Not sure she deserved it,” I say, pointing to Eleanor. “But I did. And your daughter sure as hell does. You’re off the hook, though, man. I’m out of here.” He crosses his arms over his chest, the porch light behind him shadowing his features of his face from me. “And Eleanor? I love Sage and Sage loves me. No matter how much meddling you do, you’ll never be able to change that. Even if God struck me down right here where I stand, or if you found some way to send me away to prison for good, Sage and I will still love each other. You can’t erase it with a little bit of bullying or a handful of cash. A love like ours doesn’t go away. Back then, you couldn’t turn off Dad’s love for my mom. How the hell do you think you’re going to make his son stop loving his daughter? You’re not. We’ve eliminated you from our equation.”
With those parting words, I fire up The Beast and get the hell out of Dodge.
Eleanor can try to use her power, influence, and money to get what she wants, but it’ll never be enough. Sage and I can’t be bought or bullied. In our world, that shit doesn’t mean a thing.
Everything seems to be falling apart around me.
But the only whole, unbroken piece is Sage.
I don’t need the rest as long as I have her.
Sage
After Dad left my room, I threw myself deep into the painting on my canvas. Hours have passed. I know it but I don’t care. My only concern right now is finishing what’s on this canvas.
I’m going to paint my own happy ending because nobody is going to hand it to me.
I blink my eyes and stare at the finished product. Two dragonflies hover above an angry black, orange, and red world. It’s a world that will always threaten and mock them because they don’t understand their beauty. It’s a world they choose to leave behind on purpose. There are other places—happier places—in the distance. Worlds that are painted blue and green.
That’s where those two dragonflies are headed.
I smile at the painting and get lost in the vivid hues as tears threaten to fall from my eyes.
Mars and I will be happy.
We will fly away from the chaos. I don’t know how, but that doesn’t matter as long as he’s by my side.
I plunge my paintbrush into a glass of water to clean it and exhale as I watch the colors clinging to the bristles melt away in the water, sending ribbons of blue and green to the surface. My hands are stained with paint but I don’t mind. I never mind.
Paint on my hands means I’m letting my emotions speak through colors.
I’m so invested in the painting, I jump when my phone rings. I’m wearing an old pair of jeans so I wipe my colorful hands on my thighs and hurry over to my bed to pick it up.
I see Mars’s name and my heart leaps into my mouth, fighting for space with my tongue. I accept the call and press the phone to my ear, using my shoulder to hold it in place.
“Mars, hey,” I say softly, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I need to talk to you.” I don’t like how urgent his voice sounds. It sends chills racing along my forearms, making all the fine hairs stand at attention. I sit on the bed and press my ear to the phone hard. I don’t want to miss a word.
“What’s up?” I ask, my mouth dry from shallow breathing.
“I had to leave Duncan. I’m laying low outside of town.” I bounce my knuckle on my lip and my foot bounces along.
“Where are you?” I whisper. I suddenly feel like I’m getting ready to hear classified information.
“I’m in Maple Grove. I rented a tiny little motel room.” His voice hangs and his words hesitate for a few beats. “I don’t know if I’ll go back to Duncan, Sage. The sheriff is looking for me over something I had nothing to do with and…” His words stop again but I know there is more he needs to say.