2 am.

Chapter 30

"Well, Mae is gone, so I suppose there's nothing to be scared of?"

"I was never scared."

"True, but you get my point." Bella sassed back with a stupid grin. I got discharged today, and I was going back home. But I wasn't really happy. Going back to that house was not something I was anticipating, especially now that I know that legally, I am not supposed to be there. He had no right over me.

I wanted to remain in the hospital. I felt more at home here than my stepfather's house. Telling my stepfather about Cory, as tempting as it may be, wasn't in my agenda. Things would go down south, and things were just starting to get better.

Why am I bothered about things scattering? They were divorced, and my stepfather was the main reason why. I wanted to badly tell him, where would I live if I did? With Cory? This was tougher than I assumed.

"The wheels in your brain must be exhausted by now." I smiled without having to turn back. Cory. I was going to find a cab with Bella. Kian was home with mom and Claire, preparing for my coming back. Their words and not mine.

"Cory. Hi." Bella smiled so wide I had to nudge her. Was she blushing? Oh God, I mentally facepalmed myself. Cory was enjoying it.

"Hi. Can I snatch for a while?" Cory nodded at me. Bella managed to nod before excusing us. I could bet she'd have stuttered bad if she was to say something.

"So, you know you're my father, and she's my cousin, right?"

"I'm not even doing anything." He laughed. I got fond of this man quicker than I expected. Maybe because I had someone who understood what I was going through, or because I have a young and handsome father, I could make so many girls give me stuff just to talk with him, or because I've not looked at my screen in days nor imagined those things. This was my best option. It just had to be it.

"Smiling at the blushing girl is more than enough."

"Not my fault she sees how handsome I am. " He replied in his usual cocky tone. "You'd be fine, okay? You think about so many things all the time. You know why I don't look as old as you do? I don't overthink." I fake gasped at the horrible fact that he just called me old, older than him at that.

"You, a man in his late forties, called a girl barely eighteen old? How dare you!" He chuckled.

"Age is just a number. You can be fifteen and still look thirty. And, rough guess there, I'm way younger than that. " I knew he was younger than that. It's what he gets for calling me old.

"You look nothing less than forty-eight, don't you know?"

He laughed and shook his head. After dying his laughter, he smiled at me.

"Just be good, okay?"

"Can't I stay with you?" I blurted before I could think it through. He sighed.

"Truthfully, I'd prefer it that way. But you see, your father, or sorry, stepfather, is still in the dark. What would be your reason for coming with me?" This was the only irritating hindrance. Why do we have to keep this thing from that man when he didn't bat an eyelash as he told us about Mae? It wasn't even fair. I was going to stay with a boring man just because he's in the dark. It was selfish of mom.

"I want to tell him everything."

"No, Maddie. It's your mother's decision to make. You can pressure her into talking, but don't do it for her. I didn't want you to get to know me the way you did, too. I wanted her to tell you at her own time. But you're one hell of a crazy shouter." I laughed, recalling our horrible encounter.