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( 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙔 𝙏𝙒𝙊. ) ▬▬▬∘◦ ☆ ◦∘▬▬▬
THE MONOTONE VOICE OF Henderson Rosewood filled Jaylene's ears as she sat on a stool by the counter, picking at her breakfast with no desire to eat any of it. There was one thing she wanted in that moment, but it wasn't food. Ever since she smoked pot with Kiara and Sarah, she'd felt the desperate desire to pick up on her old habits again. She knew that she'd relapsed already by inhaling the toxin and chugging cheap beer that summer, but she didn't wanna get herself involved with hardcore drugs again. That would ruin her and she knew it.
If it hadn't been for the hunt for the Royal Merchant gold, she probably would've been in the gutter right now, drowning her sorrows with highly addictive drugs, but she was extremely thankful for the distraction that had stopped her from committing any sort of mistakes that she wouldn't be able to come back from.
However, now that the gold had finally been found, her brain felt like it was being clawed at as she stared at the medicine cabinet nearby. She felt taunted. And being forced to eat breakfast with her family didn't help in the slightest.
"I don't understand why you're still trying to act like we're some sort of picture perfect family." Nathaniel's harsh voice flooded her ears, instantly snapping her back into reality as she allowed the fork to fall onto her plate. It was a topic that was bound to be brought up at some point, but she expected it to come from her.
Looking upwards towards her brother, Jaylene uncomfortably shifted in her seat, bringing the cup of orange juice up to her mouth and taking a large gulp from it to help swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She knew that they'd have to discuss this sooner or later, but she didn't want it to be now. It was far too early in the morning to get into an argument. And considering that she had yet to tell Nathaniel that their mother was still alive, she couldn't help but feel guilty as she stared back and forth at everyone.
Henderson looked up at his son, eyes widened at the fact that those words were coming from Nathaniel's mouth and not Jaylene's. She was usually the one who initiated the arguments in that household. "Well, we obviously have a lot to talk about. And I hope you two know that I'm able to hold myself accountable for errors that I commit in the past—"
"You married her. So it clearly wasn't an error that you commit in the past." Nathaniel's voice rose as he mocked his fathers words, sending a harsh glare in Henderson's direction as the man allowed a guilty look to form on his face. "And the fact that you two can't bring yourselves to realize how fuc—"
"Nate, stop." Jaylene spoke up, not wanting him to say what she was thinking. "They're not even worth getting mad at anymore. It's like getting mad at children." Her tone was cold as she stood up from her seat, no longer wanting to be there.
"Seriously?" Nathaniel stared at his older sister in disbelief, annoyed because she had been the one who had gone out of her way to dig up the family secrets that had been buried a long time ago. "What? You're just over it now? You don't care that they've been lying to us this entire time."
