Campbell had been waiting for this speech all nine years of her life, but she never expected the reasons that came from her mother's mouth.
Your father and I are getting a divorce. It's not your fault; don't you ever blame yourself.
When Campbell asked why, her mother told her that her father was too dangerous. Campbell didn't believe her. She had never seen her father harm an insect, let alone pose a threat to any human being. So, instead, she blamed her mother. As Campbell watched her mother load the trunk with suitcases bulging from poorly packed clothes and an extensive collection of true crime novels, she felt no emotion. Her eyes trailed the misshapen tires of her mother's Nissan driving away, leaving her in a perpetual state of turmoil as she knew she'd never see her mother again.
The next few weeks were a series of logistical tornados that swept her father away from his everyday life. Campbell often woke up to the sound of her father shouting on the phone and would constantly see him lodged in his office chair, entrenched in documents and legal papers. Over that period, she had grown accustomed to waking up to an empty fridge and perpetually hearing her father locked in yet another battle over their possessions. No matter how small the item was, neither parent was willing to give it up. They argued over furniture, books, and even cheap appliances that could be bought for five dollars at the nearest Walmart. Campbell noticed that she was never fought over.
YOU ARE READING
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Mystery / ThrillerCampbell, a 16-year-old living with her father after her parents divorced seven years ago, seems to play a vital role in something big that she doesn't know about. Her mother is shot, and her father is arrested for it, leaving her alone with nothing...
