Poker Face ✔

Chapter 37

Early the next morning, I found myself with a paintbrush in my hand, painting the Evangelina forgery.

After spending hours upon hours painting I decided to take a break. I took out a piece of paper and began to doodle with a graphite pencil as sipping my cold, hours old coffee.

I wasn't even paying attention to what i was drawing until I took a step back. That's when I found that I had drawn Gabriello Larrunzario.

It was obvious that my subconcious was drawn to him, I guess that I just missed him so much. I knew, deep down that not seeing him was for the best.

I took a deep breath before throwing the drawing into the fireplace beside me. If my family ever found that sketch it would have been the end of me.

"I thought that you might need this" Chace started as he entered the art room.

I placed my empty coffee mug down on my desk, as Chace handed me a double shot cafe latte.

"Thanks" I sighed as leaning up against the wall, beside my easel.

I began to take small sips of the coffee as Chace admired the forgery. "You work yourself too hard" he told me.

"I don't think so," I admitted.

"You should-" Chace started.

"Is there something else you wanted?" I asked as firming my chocolate brown eyes.

I hated being alone with Chace too long. He stood in front of me in his white T-shirt, and black track pants with an unsure look upon his face.

Chace's diamond grey eyes looked so innocent yet worried at the same time. His short dirty blonde hair was perfect combed up.

"No, I just-" he said.

"You just what?" I cock a brow in frustration.

I was being cruel, I know it now and I knew it then. The truth was, I had an knack for pushinh people away.

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up" he sighed "you know everybody's worried-"

"Yeah well they shouldn't be," I assured him "they should be worried about my baby cousin who tried to take his own life"

"Yeah but Ta" Chace lowered his voice as taking a step towards me "so did you"

And that's what everyone around me thought.

"No, I....." I trailed off "I'm not having this discussion with you"

"Well you've got to have it with somebody" he softened his gaze.

I shook my head violently. Chace thought that he was special to me, I couldn't have that. I wanted people to fear me, I needed to be the big bad wolf in all their stories otherwise little Taylorina Ashton wouldn't be taken seriously in her home filled with criminals.

"You're a maid" I snapped at him "you work for me and my family"

"C'mon that's not all I am" he started slowly "...well at least not to you"

Six months earlier on nocte fractorum, I tried to sleep with Chace just after seeing my mother at the Koleawiskis medical centre. Being the man that he was, Chace pulled away from our kiss and told me that I didn't know what I was doing.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Am I interrupting?" My uncle Jared entered the room.

"No" Chace sighed "she's all yours" with than he walked out of the room.

"What is it?" I asked my uncle.

"Your dad's test results came in" he announced.

My heart sinks in fear - my father had tests down recently to see if he was improving. Aunt Kat was saying that it wasn't looking good for him, these results would determine if i would ever talk to my father again.

****

"So Daniel has lost brain activity...which was gradual" Sarah Koleawiskis started as looking back and forth from her chart and us.

"What does this mean for him?" Katie asked.

"There is a severely low chance of him waking up" she sighed as softening her green eyes "And even if he does he'll be struggling to live a normal life"

Katie gasped.

"I recommend-" Sarah started.

"Pulling the plug" I finished for Sarah, making her nod.

Sarah was the aunt of Vanessa, Kyle and Zac due to her sister being their mother and the ex-wife of uncle Jason.

My family and I fully trusted her with my father. Turning off his life support was something that I had considered. That way there would be one less problem in the world to worry about, but even then, he was still my father.

"Well, that's not an option" Katie cried "Tell them, Taylor!" She glared at me with her chocolate brown eyes "....Taylor" she blinked in confusion.

Suddenly I see a familiar face from down the hallway. The woman wore a black pencil skirt with a white button-up shirt and black pumps.

The woman had medium length blond loose curly hair, green eyes and fair skin - just like I remembered.

She set her gaze on me first as she then stood beside Sarah. The woman then took a step in my direction before wrapping her arms around me.

"I'm sorry" she said as pulling away from me slowly, look me in the eye "I can honestly say we've done everything we could"

"I know" I nodded.

"Kat" the woman turned her head to my aunt and my sister "you must be Katie"

"Katie this is Kiley" Aunt Kat introduced "Vanessa, Kyle and Zac's mother"

"It's nice to meet you," Katie nodded "...what can you do for my dad?"

"At this point, we've got two options" Her sister Sarah admitted. "Turn off life support or just leave him as he is"

"And if he does wake up...he won't be the same Daniel you all knew" Kiley added."He'll most likely be...."

"Retarded?" I finished for her.

"Taylor-" Aunt Kat cried in disapproval.

"Am I wrong?" I raised a brow at my family resulting in a long silence.

"Aunt Kat?" Katie glanced over to her in fear.

It was true - we all knew, even Katie, deep down. If we pulled the plug uncle Nate will be saying goodbye to a third sibling. If we left him how he was - he may never wake up or wake up with severe brain damage.

There was no win-win situation. We all knew that.