Another Chance

Chapter 42

ANNA'S POV

I explained everything to my Mother, it taking more than an hour. She didn't ask much, instead just listening and nodding, taking it all in. She didn't seem as surprised as I thought she would be, and she even found herself smiling a few times, causing me to do the same. I tried to explain how well Jared treated me, as I could tell that she was concerned about that, but I quickly killed the doubt in her mind.

I wanted them to meet, and when my Mother was ready, I would ask if she was willing to come downstairs. I knew Jared was anxious to chat to her and prove to her how much he loved me.

My stomach was growling, and I noticed the way my Mother clutched at her own stomach too. I laughed, making my way out of the room, moving quickly downstairs. Jared was waiting for me, and he wheeled his way over to take my hand, caressing my knuckle.

"How is she?" he asked, and I shrugged, a smile making its way up onto my face.

"She's surprisingly okay," I responded. "I really thought she was going to freak out and call me crazy."

Jared chuckled.

"Jared, Anna's Father is-" Clara spoke as she rounded the corner, her eyes going wide once she spotted me, stopping mid sentence.

I sighed, and Jared pinched the bridge of his nose, turning to me with sorry eyes. He knew that I wasn't ready to face my Father for what he had done, but I did need to eventually. Something was going to have to happen to him, and it most likely involved keeping him held captive for the rest of his life, or killing him.

I didn't want to know what they were going to do to him. Even though I hated him, the idea of anybody being killed wasn't nice.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you in here," Clara apologised, but I shook my head at her. It was fine.

"Do you want to know?" Jared asked me, cocking his head, and I ran my tongue along the front of my teeth. I wasn't sure.

"We don't have to tell you if you don't want to know, but just know that he won't be hurting you or your Mother ever again," Clara informed me, and I nodded, deciding that that was all I wanted to know. I didn't need to know the details. I could ask about them later on in life when I was ready, but for now, just knowing that my Father couldn't get near us was enough.

"I'd like to live in ignorant bliss for now," I spoke, and Jared and Clara both nodded in understanding.

"And regarding Amelia?" Clara questioned, appearing hesitant.

I hummed. "I mean, she wasn't that open to hearing what I had to say, which was expected. I don't even know why I tried talking to her. For some stupid reason, I really thought that she might have tried to see things from my perspective, or even Jared's."

"It wasn't stupid," Jared told me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me down onto his lap. "I understand why you wanted to get closure. Unfortunately, Amelia isn't the type of person to admit when she's wrong. There's no convincing her when she's got it in her head that she deserves something."

I wished that Amelia could let go of her past. I understood that she still had feelings for Jared, but it was too little, too late. We were together and she wasn't going to have him.

"Did you mention anything to your Mother about her staying here? We want her to know that she's welcome here, but we also understand that she probably already had a house she was staying in."

My Mother did. In fact, she had told me how she had met a lovely man named Geoff and they had been in a relationship for the past six months. They got on extremely well and had already moved in together.