Tainted

24

~Poppy~

 I didn't have a problem with Sebastian keeping work information to himself. A lot of the time it was too detailed for me to keep up, no matter how much I tried. Planning the wedding and the renovations was enough to keep my brain at full capacity. I'll make an effort to learn it all after the fact. If we fucking get there that is.

But this was my family. My parents. My mother was laid up in bed with wires attached to her for 3 fucking weeks. He knew. How he knew was beside the point. He knew and I carried on laughing and planning and drinking champagne and not even thinking about her. She could have fucking died and I'd have been none the wiser.

It was my mum laid up in that bed. The one person I had left outside of him. And he didn't even think, hey Pip should probably know about that. If he didn't want to tell me about his plan to get her out or whatever other fucking pathetic excuse he had, he could have said that. He could have told me about her, kept me updated and made his plan and told me to trust him and I would have done. Because I trust him. I trust his decisions; I trust his word.

"Hi Poppy."

"Piss off Nicky."

"Sorry. No can-do love. I'm under strict instructions to sit and piss you off until you talk to him."

"God just give me the gun now and I'll pull the trigger myself." I pulled the paint across the canvas gently. I don't know why I thought painting right now would be a good idea. It's usually peaceful. Relaxing. Right now, I keep winding myself up because I'm too angry to think. Lord knows where my mother is. She's been wondering around the house for 2 days trying to make herself useful but everything she tries to do, someone else swoops in and finishes. She's supposed to be resting. Fighting her on it was useless though. She's worried sick.

"Yeah, he won't let you do that either." I scoffed. No. Of course he wouldn't. "What you painting?"

"A pretty rainbow with flowers and unicorns and leprechauns."

"Pretty brown for all that." I turned my head, staring at Nicky with an unimpressed face. "I didn't do anything, why are you all pissed off with me?"

"You knew just as much as he did."

"I did not." Bullshit. I didn't believe that for even a fucking second. "Okay, maybe I did but-" I groaned, slamming the pallet down on the table beside me and walking over to the sink to wash my hands and hang up the apron I'd bought months ago. I'm done. I'm fucking done listening to everyone's shit and sitting in this damn house and I'm done listening to everyone trying to let his excuses make sense. I'm done having him trying to act like everything's normal. Done sitting here.

I grabbed my phone and headed for the front door. It was below freezing out there today. Ice and snow that had frozen solid. Horrible weather.

"Where are you going?" Nicky followed behind but I didn't give him a chance to grab what he needed to follow me. He'd find me anyway. I know for a fact they all have access to the million trackers Sebastian has on me. I'm surprised they don't know when I go to the toilet.

"Out." I slammed the front door behind me, getting in my car and pulling out of the drive. I don't even know where I'm going. I just put my foot down, wind the windows down until the wind is whipping my ponytail around behind me and there's pins pricking at my face.

I pull up at some random coffee shop on the opposite side of town to where I'd normally go, put my earphones in. Grab an extra hot coffee to go with the plan of driving around a little too fast and wanting it to be the perfect temperature when I calmed down a little.

I don't even know where Sebastian is right now. He said he'd be home tonight. He was here last night and I heard him leave this morning. He'd knocked on my door like he did yesterday but I didn't answer. I was sat on our bed staring at the shadow below the door frame.

I'm too stubborn for my own good sometimes. The thing with this though is it's an easy point to make. One I don't intend on having to make again and it's a huge deal breaker for me. He can keep what he wants from me unless it's about my family and people he knows I care about.

I realized my mistake on getting the extra hot drink when I slipped on a sheet of ice, ankle twisting under me as I fell backwards and the drink emptied onto my hand.

"Shit. Fuck. Ow." I looked around and groaned, tugging my phone out of my pocket, and dialling.

"I was honestly not expecting you to call."

"I need help."

"I'm 2 minutes away." Of course, he is. "What happened?"

"I slipped on some ice and I've spilled my drink and I think I've twisted my ankle." I tugged at the laces on my boot, rolling my jeans up. "Yeah okay. Hopefully just twisted it but it's getting swollen."

"Don't move."

"No shit sherlock." I rolled my eyes, phone beeping to let me know the call had ended and I sighed. What a fucking year this is turning out to be so far. My hand is burning and I watch as it blisters from the heat I have no way of cooling down.

"Poppy!" Nicky slammed his car door a few feet away as I managed to hobble to my feet. "Jesus fucking Christ your hand!"

"I said I burned myself."

"No. You said you spilled your drink."

"On my hand." He mumbled something and scooped me up. "My car's down the block."

"I know. I'll send someone to grab it later. Let's get you home and sort this though shall we? You're out of my sight for half an hour and give yourself 2 injuries."

"Yeah and if you tell Sebastian I'll knock your head off your shoulders. I'm fine. I've had worse." He sat me down in the passenger seat raising both eyebrows before standing up. "You told him already didn't you?"

"He's on his way home."

Wonderful.