Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 26

Don't think this is your fault," he murmured frowning at me, his eyebrows pulled together. I sigh moving away from him to lean against the counter.

"Why did he hit you?" I ask, looking over at him. He didn't respond for a while, instead he glared off into the distance.

The silence seemed to stretch as we stood there, him staring ahead and me looking at him watching him as he sat perched on the counter. My eyes trailed over his face stopping at the dark bruise underneath his eye. I swallowed feeling guilty, my stomach knotting with sorrow. My throat began to burn as I felt tears forming in my eye.

I sniffle just a little catching his attention. His head snapped to me, his brows creasing with worry and his mouth turning down in a frown.

"Honey, why are you crying?" He slipped off of the counter and crouched in front of me.

"I'm crying because I'm the reason all of this happening. Tell me why your father hit you!" I exclaim becoming frustrated.

"He hit me because..," He trailed off, heaving a deep breath.

***

Connor's POV

My father burst into laughter looking from my mother to me in amusement. What was so fucking funny?

"Connor stop being bloody stupid, I didn't raise an idiot!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Why am I stupid, can you please explain that to me father? What did I do to deserve such an honor?" I cock a brow and glare at him.

He returned my glare with an incredulous look. "I really did raise a moron."

"Well, if you had raised me...you could probably say that, but you didn't."

"How dare you -"

"How dare I what? Tell the truth? You were never there, George. Mom was there, she raised me, and you were just the guy that provided the spermatozoa's and the money."

My father's face turned red. He was becoming really angry and I couldn't help, but egg him on even more. I hated him, he was selfish and he was evil. I wanted to hurt him and I was prepared to pull any trick to deliver any blow necessary to do so.

"I gave you this. Without me you are nothing. You or that little bitch you so call "love"." He placed air parenthesis on the word love. "That's not your baby. That bastard in her belly is not your baby."

I felt myself becoming infuriated at the thought of him referring to Jennifer as a bitch. I clenched my fist and unclenched it several times before I glared over at him.

"Don't you ever refer to her as anything, but her name. You don't have to get over your hatred towards her, but you will not call her a bitch, ever. And that baby, your grandson, you will never ever call him a bastard. "

He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth before my mother's sweet, tender voice murmured his name. His eyes snapped to her clearly upset.

"Emily, how long have you known?"

My mother was quietly staring at the floor. Her eyes flickered to me and she sighed heavily before turning back to my father.

"I've known for two years, I told our son to follow his heart and his heart is with Jennifer. She's a brilliant young lady, you should give her a try," my mother admitted. She looks at me and gives me a smile of reassurance.

I return her smile, feeling somewhat happy. I had always known my mother was rather fond of Jennifer, but now she was admitting to my father her knowledge of the affair. I felt bad for dragging my mother into the mix of everything, but I needed someone to be there for me. I didn't have Peter and no one except Devon knew and I didn't have him either.