Chris POV
Abandonment: 'The act or fact of abandoning or being abandoned.'
Abandoned: 'Having been deserted or cast off.'
Abandon: 'Cease to support or look after; desert.' 'Give up completely.'
Each and every form of the word was represented by the man in front of me. And by the look on his face, he doesn't seem to regret it, but yet shocked that I know who he is and what he's done.
I stare at the man, waiting for him to speak, my jaw tight as well as my fists that clench behind my crossed arms. I watch as he swallows, his mouth opens and closes repeatedly, as if he's trying to decide what to say.
"Speechless?" I ask him.
He opens his mouth again, "I, I uh-"
I hold one hand up to him. "You have no words, because there are no words to excuse or give reason as to why you'd walk out on your four year old daughter."
Phillip backs up further from the desk and away from me. I counter and step towards him. "Chris," I hear my mother's voice behind me.
"You walked away from Opal after she'd already lost her brother, then her mother. What kind of diluted individual puts themselves above their own toddler?" I question him, ignoring my mother's voice.
The man stares me down, ready to make a come back. "I was broken, it wasn't fair to her."
He thinks his comment excuses his behavior. He's got another thing coming.
"You were broken? You were broken?" My voice raises slightly as I repeat the words. "You were a grown man." He opens his mouth to interrupt me. "A grown man who lost his wife and unborn child, but you still had flesh and blood to take care of!" I take another step forward, now realizing I'm a foot taller than the sad excuse of a human being. "You never deserved her."
"Christopher!" Ma scolds me. I hear Scott whispering to her as he stands next to her.
"And what was it you told Laura when she found you online?" I challenge him to answer the question that will support the scum that he is.
He gives a small chuckle, and a smile. "My daughter was getting married and I couldn't risk not being there for it." He reaches for his phone in his pocket. "She was a beautiful bride, I have photos if you'd like to see?"
I'm completely taken aback by his actions. "You really did walk away without another thought, didn't you? You disowned her, a four year old who worshipped the ground you walked on!" My chest rises and falls, my breathing becoming difficult. "Your first born was battling for her life and you didn't care! Did you even bat an eye when you were told she needed a transplant?"
He's flipping through photos on his phone as I speak to him, completely oblivious and unaware of the severity his actions created so long ago.
My head shakes as my hand involuntarily snatches his phone from his hand, tossing it onto the couch that sits in the foyer area. "What are you-"
"You are going to listen to me. You are going to give me the respect you haven't given Opal her entire life," I huff with anger. "Do you understand?"
"No, I'm not.," he says, smirking at me. "I don't have to listen to anything you have to say. You are no one to me."
"How in the hell did you turn out this way? I met your father. I loved the man your father was and I have no idea how you turned out the way you did. It's almost making me thankful you left her all those years ago."
Phillip now crosses his arms against his chest, puffing out slightly. "You think you and I are so different from one another," he motions between us. "We're not. The only difference is you'll leave her because of your occupation. I had a choice and made it before I could hurt her any further. What are you doing now? You're choosing to walk away from her every single day that you're a cop. You'll hurt her more than I ever did."
My hands that have been hanging by my sides now clench into fists as my nostrils begin to flair.
The man takes a step towards me now. "You'll hurt her worse than I ever did. How many memories of me do you think she actually has?" My jaw twitches. "But with you? She'll relive those memories over and over, each one hurting her a bit more that she remembers them." His finger comes up and pokes against my hard chest. "Not very selfless of you, is it, officer?"
Instinctively my arm rears back, hand ready to connect with his jaw, until I hear the strong voice behind me. "That's Sergeant Evans, to you, Mr. Lucas." My arms drops as I turn to Opal, catching her gaze, bringing me back to myself.
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Opal POV
It's not fair.
It's not fair that the man who loved me for the longest in my life was taken away, only to bring in the man who walked away from me.
It's not fair that I let this man continue to cause me to break over and over again.
It's not fair that I still allow this man to hold so much power over me.
This is when it stops.
Considering that my office isn't a great distance from the front desk area, I can hear Chris' voice getting louder. Unaware of what is actually being said, I can still tell by the volume that it can't be good.
Carefully I stand, my dress covered in coffee. The floor around me holding the shattered pieces of the mug that I allowed to slip from my hand. I keep my eyes on the floor, watching where I step, before I grab the handle of the door. I unlock it and pull it open slowly, only cracking it to hear what's being said.
My heart leaps as I hear Chris tell him that he loved the man my Pops was, only confirming what I'd already come to know. Chris loved Pops as if he was his own flesh and blood.
But it's short lived as I hear my father begin to question how he and Chris aren't really different from one another at all. His words making me nauseous as I listen to them, finding there is a sense of truth in them. I know it's his job, but yet Chris does choose to walk away from me each day, knowing that might be the day he doesn't return to me. Every day, others are put before me, before us.
How do I live with that?
I'm tired of hearing his words, knowing that they're making me question things that haven't bothered me in months. This has to stop for my own sanity.
Throwing the door open further I take a handful of steps down the hall, holding my head up.
"Not very selfless of you, is it, officer?"
"That's Sergeant Evans, to you, Mr. Lucas," I say with confidence as I step further into the room, looking directly at Chris.
His demeanor immediately softens as he looks into my eyes, even from a distance. His clenched fist releases before he shoves them both into his suit pockets.
"Opal," my father says, dropping the hand that was originally poking against Chris' chest. "I'm sorry about your grandfather-"
"That's Miss Lucas to you." I make my way behind the desk, keeping my distance from him. "While I appreciate your condolences, they are unwelcomed, as are you. Please get your luggage and leave my establishment, Mr. Lucas."
He actually has the nerve and audacity to cock his head to the side like he doesn't understand what I just said to him. I hold my head a bit higher. "Are you having difficult comprehending my words?"
Holding his hands palm up, he shrugs, looking around. "I don't see the problem here, or why I should leave?"
"Then let me make it clearer for you, Mr. Lucas." He scoffs at me using his last name. I walk away from the desk, passing Lisa and Scott, and make for the door which has already been left open since Chris' entrance. I hold the knob tightly in my hand, my heart racing, as I smile. "I'm the owner of this establishment and have every right to not serve you."
"Ope," he says with a smile, walking towards me as if he's going to pull me into a hug.
My lips form a very tight line now, dropping all pleasantries as he uses my nickname. I put a hand up to stop his advances. "You don't have the right to use that name. The man that gave me that name picked me up after you broke me. Piece by piece he collected me, and put me back together. That name is only for those who have stayed by me. You left me when I begged you to stay. But this time," I take a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage I can, "I'm TELLING you to leave me. Listen very closely." I take a step forward, moving about a foot away from him. "Get. The. Hell. Out."
He doesn't move immediately. Why did I think he would actually grant me this request?
"How does it feel?" he asks, causing me to quirk a brow but keep my face emotionless. "For everyone to constantly leave you?"
My hard expression falters at his words. I'm not alone as I see Chris actually lunge towards him, only stopping because Scott grabs him and Lisa stands in front of him knowing he won't hurt her.
"Now," he says turning towards the small crowd around us, smirking, "if you'll excuse me, I have a family to get back to."