around my scars, calum hood

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

━━ Dawn Graham,
One Thirty Two am. ━━

"Of course. But we need to speak before you speak to her. Dawn, can you excuse us?" Michael smiled.

"I'll be here." I said.

Michael and Calum walked outside the bathroom, and Michael closed the door. I sat up on the counter.

There was blood on my arm that was trickled down as Maya dug her nails into it. It is dry now.

I waited patiently, and I heard Calum gasp outside of the bathroom. Seconds later, he came into the bathroom with a calm expression on his face.

"Can I see it?" He spoke, motioning to my wrist and arms.

I nodded.

He grabbed my arm lightly, trailing his fingers over the multitude of bruises on my arm. He clenched his jaw. "How do they feel?"

"Sore." I mumbled, awkwardly shifting in my seat.

He nodded, letting go and standing up straight. Before he could say anything, I spoke and interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, dad." I blurted out.

His eyes softened, and he frowned. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing, especially after that."

I bit the inside of my cheek anxiously.

"I'm sorry that I let her back into your life. I should have known, I've tried to keep her away from you for years and now I failed it's just—"

He ran a hand through his hair angrily, obviously trying to suppress what he really wanted to say.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask.

"Anything, yeah." He nods.

"Did you really not want me?" I softly ask.

He cleared his throat.

"I did, I do." He confirmed. "But my mom didn't want me to have a child at eighteen, due to me starting college. I was studying for my doctorate degree to become a surgeon, and she forced me to give my custody to your mom. After a while, I moved to the United States and did my best to find you." He said.

"I couldn't find you. I tried very hard. Until I took a job opportunity for a month in Toronto, they needed more doctors so I took it up. Then, Luke came running into the office we had and said he might've found you. When I saw you at your house, I knew it was you and I was so fucking excited. I've wanted to be in your life forever, and now I am."

I felt my throat close, surprised. My grandma did this?

"Does she know I'm here?"

He closed his eyes, and exhaled; beginning to shake his head.

"I understand if you don't want me to be here in your life anymore. I know what I did was unacceptable, and I should've told you everything the second I met you. But I didn't—"

"Dad." I said, stopping him from talking. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dawn."

━━ Calum Hood,
Two am. ━━

After our long talk, we bandaged her up and she asked if she could sleep in my bed tonight. I happily said yes, and she fell asleep nearly immediately.

"Goodnight, Peanut." I smiled, turning off the lights.

I walked downstairs to where Maya was resisting police and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"That mistake does not deserve this life!" She shouted, "I do! I deserve this! She's a mistake!"

Thank god Dawn is asleep.

An Officer walked up to me with a notepad in his hand. "She's definitely going to prison. She's from Colorado, and hitchhiked here to take your daughter."

"Oh wow." I widened my eyes. "Do you know why?"

"No idea." He shook his head, "Do you want to press charges?"

"Yes. I do." I nodded. "She physically assaulted my daughter as well, I have photos to prove it."

"Please show me."

I brought out my phone and pulled out the photos Michael had gotten for me earlier, and showed the bruise on my daughter's back and the nail prints indented in my daughter's skin.

"This is unacceptable. I will show this to the court, and hopefully she'll have a longer sentence. I hope you and your daughter have a good day, Sir." He smiled and walked away.

Ashton walked up next to me and rubbed his face, "Bad news."

"What?"

God, like I needed more bad news in my life.

"We should probably move." He said, "She said that she has a friend group that is hunting us down after she got in contact with them. And no doubt they're gonna find us here, so I suggest we start looking."