Passion's Crossfire

Chapter 120

Adam

The realization hits me like a tidal wave, and I'm left speechless. My godfather, John, was a close friend of my mother's from high school. Growing up, my parents always spoke highly of him, praising his incredible talent as a published poet. When I was younger, my mother took me on regular trips to visit him. She insisted that it was crucial to have a strong relationship with him, so I should see him as often as I could.

And that's what we did—until my mother started meddling with my life, and John took her side when I talked to him about it. Back then, I couldn't understand why he did that, but now it's all too clear. I used to love him so much, as he was always fun to be around. Every time we visited him, he had something amazing organized, and I looked forward to those trips. I even got to the point where I begged my mother to take me to see him.

Oh my god, I begged her. So convenient for her, so infuriatingly convenient. She had her son as an excuse to see her lover. My initial sadness is now replaced by a burning rage.

"I have some of his handwriting; we can compare it to the letters you found," my father suggests.

"Dad, it doesn't matter," I say firmly. "What matters is that I found proof that she was cheating on you. You can divorce her. She walks away with nothing," I add.

"She deserves nothing!" my father yells. "I gave her everything she ever asked. I was present for her, I cared for her! How could she?" His voice breaks, and his eyes well up with tears. He clears his throat, shaking his head. I know he won't cry in front of me. We sit in silence for a few minutes, my father taking in deep, ragged breaths.

"I can see now why you didn't want your mother to know I am awake," he says, and I nod, looking down at the floor.

"Good call," he adds. "Go to my study; you will find some of John's correspondence to me. Take it. You have to get everything to my lawyer. Tell him to compare them, so we know for sure that it's him. It will help our case. Then he has to draft divorce papers and deliver them to her," my father instructs.

"Okay, Dad. I'll handle it," I say. My father looks at me with pain in his eyes. "Thank you, son," he says.

We stay in silence for a few more minutes. I can't imagine what he is thinking, what he is feeling. I feel even worse than I did this morning. Knowing that my mother cheated on my dad was one thing, but finding out that she used me to see her lover without raising suspicion? It makes me sick. She deserves everything coming her way.

I hope everything goes well. I can't believe the end is near; it seems too good to be true. But this time it is. Her reign of terror ends now. She won't have the resources to mess with my life, or Mallory's, or anyone else's for that matter. That reminds me; the Vanguards.

"Hey, Dad, did you know that the Vanguards don't want their daughter to marry me?" I say. He snaps his head to me. "They don't? Then why don't they fucking say so?" he asks.

"They are afraid of Mom," I shrug, and Dad rolls his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Goddamnit, this woman!" he says.

I fill him in on Eleanor's visit to my apartment and everything she told us. He is appalled. "My God, they fear her so much that they would really do that to their daughter," he says, shaking his head.

"Well, they should fear her. Thankfully, not for long. Eleanor asked me to help her. I'm not going to tell her what we're up to, but I'm sure she'll be forever grateful once it's all over," I say.

My father nods, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Definitely," he says.

I decide to stay with my father and keep him company until Mallory's shift is over. We don't talk about Mom and those damn letters again. We keep the conversation light. By the time Mallory comes by the room, we're full-on laughing, reminiscing about funny stories from my childhood.

"Looks like you two are having a good time," Mallory says, smiling as she enters the room. "I heard you before the elevator doors even opened," she adds as she walks to me. I stand up to greet her with a soft kiss on the lips. She smiles at me and turns to hug my father. My heart swells to see them hugging; I'm so glad they like each other. I hug my father too, and we leave the room, hand in hand.

We enter the elevator, and I push the button to the ground floor. The doors slide closed, and we're silent as the elevator starts descending. With a ding, the doors slide open, and we walk out of the hospital.

"So? How did he take it?" Mallory asks.

"Well enough, considering," I say. Mallory nods and turns her gaze to the street.

"John is my godfather," I say, and Mallory stops walking. She turns and looks at me, wide-eyed. "What?" she stammers. "Yep. It's messed up, I know. And you don't know the half of it," I say and explain everything about my relationship with my godfather. Mallory is listening to me, clearly shocked. By the time I am finished, we are entering our apartment.

"I'm so sorry, baby," she says. She is so sweet. "I have to go to my parents' house tomorrow. John has written some letters to my father as well. I have to take them, see if they match the letters we have. Will you come with me? If my mother is there, I will need you to distract her, so I can search his study and take them," I say.

"Of course, baby. Anything you need," she says, smiling.

"Great," I say, rubbing my hands. "Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, I will have given everything to my dad's lawyer," I say. I really don't know how I am going to face my mother tomorrow. It makes me sick to even think about it. She used me in such a twisted way; I don't know if I will ever forgive her. But I am doing it. This has to end, and it will. Nothing can stop me now.

I spend the evening going through the letters and documents, organizing them in a way that will make it easy for the lawyer to understand. Mallory offers her support, but there's a heaviness in the air that even her comforting presence can't fully lift. As the night wears on, I can feel the weight of what I'm about to do settling in.

The next morning, I wake up with a knot in my stomach. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that I'm doing the right thing. Mallory is by my side as we head to my parents' house. The tension builds with each step, but I push through it. As we approach the front door, I steel myself for what lies ahead. Whatever happens, I can't let my mother manipulate me any further. This is the moment of truth, and I'm ready to face it head-on.