Breakthrough

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

HARPER

All the years of Mom being stricter with me, meaner and less affectionate than she was with Jordan and Layla made sense to me now. She was taking out her anger and hurt over what Dad did to her on me, because I was a living, breathing reminder of the fact that he had cheated on her. She doesn't hate me, I knew that from that conversation of hers I had overheard in Atlantic City, but I kind of understood why she felt so disconnected from me. The fact that she still raised me up until, well, disregarding me said something, but I guess now I was just too much of a reminder of the woman that had stolen her husband from her for however long or brief their affair had been.

And Dad. . . I couldn't believe he would do that. He was one of the most genuine, moral men I knew whom I loved with my entire being, but finding out I was his daughter with some woman because he wasn't loyal to the woman I had believed was my mother painted him in a whole new light. If trust wasn't available in a relationship, then what was left? It was the foundation, in my opinion, and I'm surprised that my parents are still together.

Parents. Could I even call Mom my mom anymore? She never wanted me in the first place, and that mere thought prompted a shuddering breath to rock through me.

I was sitting cross legged on the grass in one of the local parks, the grass tickling my exposed legs due to my shorts, as I tore at the grass absently. It was nearing eight in the evening and no one was here, the sky dark and I knew being a girl and sitting by myself at a park wasn't the best of ideas, but I couldn't bring myself to care. My world had more or less imploded already. My phone was put on the do-not-disturb setting, ignoring the calls and texts coming in from my parents and siblings as I sat alone.

The distant whirring of cars driving by sounded in my ears occasionally, though I never looked up as I was lost in my thoughts and in my actions of assaulting the grass. Honestly, I don't know how long I was sitting here because suddenly I felt people sitting on either side of me. My back straightened, startled as I looked up, before my body relaxed when I saw who was here. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Layla texted me," Lennox spoke softly, sitting to my left with Caleb to hers and Sebastian to my right. "Said some serious shit went down and asked me to check up on you. I brought backup, just in case," she added with a light laugh to ease the tension.

I nodded absently, gaze dropping as I took a piece of grass and began ripping it into smaller pieces. "How'd you find me?"

"The Find My Friends app," Caleb answered truthfully, my lips puckering in acknowledgment.

Sebastian was the next to speak up, his own legs crossed. "Harper, what happened?"

My teeth sunk into my lower lip harshly, almost painfully, rubbing my hands together to rid of the bits of grass that got stuck on my skin. The tears had dried on my cheeks, though I was unsure if they could tell I had been crying since the only light provided was by the lamps at the perimeter of the park. My friends waited patiently, silently, and I was grateful that they were here. I'd rather them than someone from my family.

I took in a breath, shaky and deep, before vaguely stating, "I found out why my mom treats me like I'm the bane of her existence." My words were followed by a humorless chuckle, wringing my fingers together as my eyebrows drew together in distress, hurt, and so many other things that I couldn't describe but felt heavily. "I'm not her daughter."

"What?" came all of their replies at once, confusion coating their voices as Lennox prodded, "Harp, what're you talking about?"

My eyes fell shut as my head lowered even more to press my hands against my face, rubbing it as I clamped my trembling lips together. The thick lump had taken up residence in my throat as I croaked after dropping my hands from my face, "my dad had an affair and nine months later I was born."