The Omnipotent

Chapter 19: Pulling all the Strings

"What was Papa talking about when he said you can't love us both." I swallow hard,

"Nothing, we weren't talking about anything."

"Don't lie to me."

"Gaia, I am your mother and if I don't want to talk about my private business then-"

"Because when I saw you bent over Selles, I thought you were checking to make sure he was down but now I'm getting the feeling that it was for another reason."

"You don't know anything about Selles and I. Now go-" Gaia cuts me off with a dry laugh before looking at me with hard eyes. It's like she is a pure embodiment of her father. Her stance tensed as she looked at me.

"You love Selles."

"I didn't say that I-"

"You love him?! How could you even fathom loving him after what he did to me? He still haunts my dreams, it should be a no brainer."

"Gaia,"

"You know I thought Papa was the worst parent, but now I know it's you. You're standing here pretending that everything is back to normal while harboring feelings for a man who tortured me. A man who stood over me and told that my life meant nothing. The same life that you brought into this world. The same man who cut me so many different ways and enjoyed it, that's the man you love! What were you doing defending him!" Gaia shouts as her frame shook from rage. I looked her in the eyes but had no words for her. I didn't have the answers to her questions, and she knew that. This was not how I was expecting my first day back to be like. I could tell that most of her anger was directed towards Jace and I. Perhaps we should all sit down and talk about it.

"Gaia," I finally respond as I calmly reach for her wrist. Gaia flinches, and something flashes in my mind. It was short, too short for me to actually see anything. But I did feel something, fear. Gaia pulls away,

"Did something happen while I was gone?" I push, and she looks away from me briefly. When her eyes return to me, they are emotionless,

"Yeah, I lost a mother."

"But, I'm right here. I'm here now and anything you have to tell me you can tell me now." I reply, but Gaia backed away from me.

"Like I said, I lost a mother." I watched her retreat out of the room and felt pain spread across my chest and body. I plumped on the bed and breathed in and out. I felt like I could barely breathe. I ran my fingers through my hair and stared at the floorboards.

"Alina."

"Alina!" Jace calls a bit louder, and I look up to see him peering down at me concerned. I close my eyes and sigh before standing to my feet,

"You've been like that for a few hours, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"What did you do to Gaia?" I question. It was my turn to be angry. Gaia was hurting and mad for some reason. I could clearly see the reasons she was hurt and mad at me but not him. Jace looks at me before walking over and closing our bedroom door.

"I didn't do anything to Gaia."

"Gaia seems to think that you don't love her. And that you would pick my life over her's. Why would our daughter say those things?" I press, and he sighs with his back to him. He turned around and I could see the hurt in his eyes,

"I love Gaia, I would never sacrifice her life for yours."

"Then why doesn't she think so?"

"I haven't made the best decisions regarding her," Jace admits as he goes to sit on our bed.