Abbie's POV
It had all come to an end. Finally, my senior year, which seemed to be an unending nightmare had come to an end. Words can't explain how happy I am right now. I can finally get away from this from the disappointment I call a life, and start afresh in a whole new place.
I straightened my back and went through my answers, just to be sure that I picked the right ones. I've gone through them about 3 times, and all the answers seem perfect to me. I looked at the clock, while waiting impatiently for the bell to ring. It finally rang after what felt like a thousand years, and everyone submitted their papers and hurriedly made their way out of the class room. The hallway was jam-packed with happy students, and everyone headed outside. Ray and Sophie held my hands in an attempt to prevent us from being separated by the other students.
We made it through the crowd, and i was surprised to see dad waiting for me. I usually take the bus to and fro school. I wonder why he came today. "Okay, guys. See you tomorrow" I said to my best friends
"Right. What time should we pick you up?" Ray asked me
"Seven works perfectly for me" I replied
"Okay, then. Stay safe"
"Byeee!" I yelled, as I went to dad's car. I got in the and reached out to give him a hug and a peck on his cheek.
"Someone's happy" he said, as he started the car
"Why shouldn't I be happy, dad? I just wrote my final exams. I'm done with highschool!" I exclaimed, and sat back, feeling relaxed. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
"That was today?! I'm so happy for you, princess" dad said, as he drove away from the school
"Yes, dad. It was today. I'm so happy right now"
"I'm glad you are. So, where do you want to go?"
"Everywhere!" I exclaimed.
I took my phone out of my bag pack and scrolled through Instagram. A few minutes later, I looked up and I was happy to see the park in sight. Dad used to bring me here here after school when I was much younger. We used to have ice-cream and cotton candy, play on the swing and the seesaw, after which we would go home. As a little girl, I loved ice-cream. I still do. My favourite flavours are chocolate chip and mint. Dad used to get me one scoop of each. On some days, we'd have both ice-cream and cotton candy, while other days, we'd have just cotton candy or ice cream. My face beamed with happiness when I remembered the memories we made here.
We got down from the car, and dad draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer as we approached the ice-cream truck.
"Good day, sir. How may I help you" the lady at the other side of the truck asked dad, beaming with a plastic smile. I bet she's paid to smile at every customer. She looked like she needed to stop smiling though. She had smile wrinkles on her face.
I was about to make my order, when dad started "good day. I'd like two scoops of chocolate chip and mint ice-cream for the lady, and 2 scoops of butterscotch for me" I looked in awe when I heard him make my order for me.
"You remember" I said, smiling
"Of course, I do. How could I possibly forget?"
"I don't know... It's been ages since you got me ice-cream. I thought it might have slipped your mind"
"Well, it didn't"
"Here you go, sir" the ice cream lady said, and stretched out her arms to give us our ice creams
"Thank you, Rosie" dad said, and paid for our ice creams and left a tip for her "keep the change" he said, and she nodded
"Thank you sir. Do enjoy your ice-cream"
"Sure thing" dad and I went straight to the swings and sat on them while we ate our ice cream.
I rushed my ice cream, and had a brain freeze for a few seconds. I waited it out, then repeated the cycle till I was done with the ice cream. For some odd reasons, I love the feeling of a brain freeze. While eating my ice cream, took a glance at my dad. His ice cream was melting, and he looked like he had something on his mind. He snapped himself out of the trance he was in and ate his ice cream too. When I finished my ice-cream, I began to take light swings on the swing.
"Sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you" dad said, with a serious tone
'Oh, shit' my subconscious said "yes, dad" I replied
"Well, ever since Helen mysteriously popped up in our lives claiming to be pregnant for me..." I stopped swinging and paid keen attention to what dad was saying.
He continued "I suspected that the baby may or may not be mine, but because of everything that was going on at that time, I decided to keep my suspicions to myself" wait, what?! I was about to interrupt, but I decided to let him finish talking before I talked.
"To start with, I have no memory, whatsoever of sleeping with Helen. The only memory of Helen I had before she popped up with a pregnancy that was allegedly mine was meeting her at a bar. That night, I remember her throwing herself at me, and the next morning she was laying naked on my chest when I woke up. I was so confused. When she suddenly called me to say we had to talk, I was even more confused, because I couldn't recall giving her my number or collecting her's that night. Later on, it occurred to me that she might have dialed her number with my phone when I was asleep that night. Since the birth of Charlie, you've been your happiest. I know how fond of him you've grown, which is why I owe it to you to find out the truth about all this before you get too attached to him.
"I know you've been through a lot lately, and I promise you that this little bit of hurt is the last I'll ever let you get"
I sighed. I honestly had no idea what to say. Lately, I've learnt to repress my feelings whenever I get hurt. It helps me cope with whatever I get hit with. "It's okay, dad. If there's one thing all this drama has taught me, it's how to get back up after being hit. I think I can handle one last hurt. So, when do you want to get the test done?"
"Jack says if I provide what he asked for, the tests will take 24 to 48 hours. My plan is to give him tomorrow, because the earlier the better, I guess" he seemed surprised that I took the news well
"Okay. What did he ask for?" I asked
"Since it's a secret DNA test, he said a swab of cotton dabbed in Charlie's saliva or a few strands of his hair would do"
"Okay, then. Leave it all to me. Let's get to it, shall we?" I stood up and looked at dad, waiting for him to get up from the swing. He seemed surprised that I took the news well. He stared at me for a few seconds, but he got up anyways.
We arrived at Helen's house, and dad still looked a little worried. "Abbie, you don't have to do this if you don't want to" he said, looking weary
"It's okay, dad. I want to" I smiled "shall we?" I asked, while unfastening my seatbelt.
"Sure"
We got out of the car and went to the house. I rang the doorbell, and waited patiently for her to open the door. In no time, Helen opened the door and let us in.
"Hey" dad said, while faking a smile.
"Shhhhhhhh" she put her index finger on her lips and pointed at Charlie's room. "He's asleep" she whispered.
"Sorry" dad whispered, and we went in.
"Can I see him?" I whispered
"Sure, why not. Just be extra quite" Helen replied
"Okay" with that, I tiptoed to Charlie's room. I opened the door gently and closed it behind me. I walked to his crib as quietly as I could. He looked so peaceful 'he's not your brother' I heard my subconscious say. I grabbed a little pair of scissors from the top of Charlie's little wardrobe and walked back to his crib. I'd have preferred dabbing a swab of cotton in his saliva, but I don't want to wake him up. I picked a few strands of his hair very gently and cut it off. I had no idea where to put it, so I looked for a plastic bag or a piece of paper. I found the former in a drawer, and I left the room right after putting the strands of hair in the plastic bag and tucking it in my pocket.
"Hey, dad can we go now? Ray just called" I lied.
"So soon?" Helen replied
"I wasn't talking to you, whore" I wanted to say, but instead, I said "I'm sorry"
"Okay, princess" dad said and we left.
Dad dropped me off at home and went to give the samples to uncle Jack.
*
Dad gasped "you look beautiful, princess. Very beautiful" he said, as I got out of my room.
I was dressed in a red A-line sweetheart tulle ball gown. The upper part of the gown was designed with stones, which made the gown glitter, and I had more make up on than I usually do.
"You look like a princess" dad added he kissed my forehead and walked me to the door. "Have fun, princess" he opened the door for me, and I got out of the house.
Ray and Sophie were waiting for me in his dad's car. Their facial expressions were priceless when they saw me. Their eyes were so wide, I thought it would pop out. "I think we have the wrong address. Excuse me, miss we're looking for a girl named Abbie. She's ye tall and..." Sophie said.
"Shut up!" I laughed. "I can't possibly be that hard to recognize. I just have a little make-up on. Well, more than I usually do, but I don't look different, do I?" I got into the car and Ray drove off
"You look beautiful, Abbie" Ray said
"Very very beautiful" Sophie added
"Thank you, thank you" I said.
Since Rob and I broke up before prom, Ray and Sophie asked me to go with them. Not as a third wheel, but as friends. They wanted all three of us to go as a group.
*
I had fun at the prom yesterday. It was uneventful, but I had fun anyways. Kayla was crowned prom queen, and Drake, the captain of the football team was crowned prom king. How typical.
The sun was setting, and I wanted to get a feel of the cool breeze. I was trying to decide on whether to take a walk or jog. Since I couldn't decide, I wore a tank top and a pair of shorts with a pair of sneakers and I got out of the house.
I ended up jogging and walking. When I got back, I saw uncle Jack's car in the driveway, and I knew what was up. I braced myself for the worst before going in.
"Hey, uncle Jack. Hi, dad"
"Hey, Abbie" they said in unison.
I sat on the couch and they looked at me. "What's up?"
"She knows" dad said to uncle Jack.
"She does?" Uncle Jack asked
"Yes. She was bound to find out sooner or later. I chose the former" dad said.
"Oh okay. I'm so sorry, Abbie the results came out negative. Charlie is not your father's son" uncle Jack said to me
I expected this. I want to know why, though. Why did she do this? Why did she ruin my parent's marriage? Why did she almost ruin my life? If my parents hadn't gotten a divorce, I probably wouldn't have been raped by Rob, and almost raped by Michael. Micheal wouldn't even have been in the picture to start with. Why did she let me find solace in something that isn't real?
"Oh" I finally said "why though? She could've pinned the pregnancy on someone else. Why did she pick dad?"
"I don't know, Abbie. I wish I did" uncle Jack said
Dad stood up "I need answers" with that, he got up and left. Uncle Jack look confused, but he followed him anyways.
Nathan's POV
I was so confused and furious. I had my doubts from the beginning, but knowing the truth infuriated me. I drove to Helen's house for a confrontation.
"Do you mind explaining what this means?" I said as soon as she opened the door. I gave her the test results and watched as her facial expression changed. Jack and I got in and he shut the door.
"I... She... How... What..." Helen stuttered
"Ba-ba-ba-ba cat got your tongue? Talk!"
"Take it easy, man" Jack tried to calm me down
"This is me taking it easy!" I yelled at him. Helen quivered in fear as I glared at her. "Speak" I said, very coldly.
"I'm sorry, I can explain" she said, trembling
"I'm listening" I said, sternly
"Your ex-wife. She..." Helen started
"Wait, what?!" I interrupted "what does Laurel have to do with this?"
"She said you wouldn't find out. I didn't want to do it, but she said you wouldn't find out"
"Get to it already! What did she do?!" I yelled impatiently
"She paid me to pin the pregnancy on you. At that time, I needed the money so I agreed" she paused
"Carry on!" I yelled again
"I found out I was pregnant shortly after I got dumped by my boyfriend. I was ranting to my friends at a restaurant when Helen walked up to me and said she wanted to see me for a minute. She urged me to keep the pregnancy, saying she'd give me whatever I wanted. She said she was in an abusive marriage and she wanted to get out, but didn't know how.
"She showed me a picture of you and said she'd give me updates on your location. She wanted me to drug you and act like we had sex. That night, she followed you to the bar. That was how she knew you were there. She called me right after you got in, and insisted that I drugged you, so you wouldn't have any memory of that night.
"I had no idea how to make it work, but the bartender was my friend, so I just told her to slip something into your drink, and she did. I'm so sorry, Nathan. I really am. Please forgive me" she cried.
I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to say. "I want you and your son out of our lives. Don't call, text or visit my daughter and I"
She sobbed "Nathan, I..."
"Don't even" I said sternly, and left with Jack
"I can't let you drive. Gimme the keys" Jack said, and I tossed the keys at him. "Where to?" He asked
"Laurel's" we entered the car
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack asked
"Are you going to lecture me or drive me there?" I asked
"Hey, hey, hey. I'm not the enemy. I'm only trying to help" he said, while driving to Laurel's house
"I'm sorry" I sighed "I didn't expect things to turn out this way. I didn't expect Laurel to be involved"
"I know" he said
*
I banged Laurel's door so hard, my fist began to hurt. I rang the bell again and again and banged harder. Michael finally opened the door.
"What do you want?" Micheal asked rudely. I punched the lights out of him and searched the house for Laurel, starting with the kitchen.
"Oh my God, Mikey, are you okay?" I heard Laurel exclaim.
"Laurel!!" I yelled as I stormed out of the kitchen "this is the height of it!"
"What is it this time, Nathan?" She asked nonchalantly
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?! How could you stoop so low? Why didn't you just ask for a fucking divorce?!"
"Urgggggg! Come on, Nathan. Grow up!" She said, while walking out on me
"Don't you dare walk out on me" I held her upper arm in a successful attempt to prevent her from walking away.
Micheal groaned as he gained consciousness. "Let go of her!" He stood up "leave her alone!" Jack punched him. This time, harder than I did.
"Shut up" Jack said to Michael
I glared at Laurel "start talking"
"What?" She asked
"Why did you do it? Why?"
"Do what?"
"Don't play pretence with me, woman. You know what I mean. Why did you pay Helen to drug me"
"Oh, that" she rolled her eyes "let go of me" I let go of her arm and she started talking "you and I know that marriage was going to end. I only helped to fast track it. How am I the bad guy?"
"Are you even listening to yourself?! Did I ask you to fast track anything? Did I tell you I was tired? I loved you, Laurel. Even after the divorce, I still loved you. I remained faithful to you all those years, despite the constant arguments, and this is how you pay me?"
"Oh, please. Spare me that crap. We had a toxic marriage. Getting a divorce was a sane thing to do"
"Yeah, but the marriage was toxic because you made it so! If you wanted a divorce, you could've just told me!"
"Yeah, sure. And take the risk of our daughter looking at me as the bad guy for the rest of her life? No way!"
"Oh, I see" I clapped "well played Laurel. Well played. You couldn't bear to have my daughter see you as the bad person that you are, so you had someone pin a pregnancy on me. You'd rather she thinks I cheated on you. That's too low, Laurel. Even for you"
"Yeah, whatever"
"You were messing with him" I pointed at Micheal, who was still in the floor "while we were married, weren't you?"
"I don't owe you an explanation" she rolled her eyes and folded her arms
"You cheated on me"
"Again, I don't owe you shit"
"I can't believe I got married to a whore like you" I said, and stormed out with Jack.
Abbie was fast asleep when we got home, and I felt relieved. I needed some time to process all this before telling her. Jack left about 2 hours after he drove me home, after which I tried to get some sleep.
*
Abbie's POV
"What?! How could she? Why did she?!" I exclaimed, as dad told me what happened yesterday. I was so disappointed in both mom and Helen. I felt pity for dad and tried to console him "I'm so sorry, dad at least, you know the truth and it's all over. Cheer up"
Dad seemed a little surprised "Abbie, listen. I know these past months have messed with your mental health one way or the other, and I want you to get it off your chest in a healthy way. I think you should see a therapist"
"I'm fine, dad. Do I seem otherwise to you?" I smiled
"I know you're a strong girl, but once in a while, people need to vent out one way or another, and you don't seem to do that. I just want to make sure you have a sound mental health. Please?"
"Okay, dad. If you insist. This doesn't mean I'd talk though. I'll go only to make you happy"
"Thank you, princess" he hugged me
"I love you, daddy"
"I love you too, my princess" he kissed my forehead.
*
Finallyyyyyy 😫 "Broken" has officially come to an end. Thank you for reading this far. Thank you for the votes and comments. Each time I get a comment that says how nice the chapter is, I get motivated to write another chapter. Special thanks to izzu500 kaybee__ yoyinola Its_raheeem and Kittycatlane for constantly reading and voting. You guys are the best 💜. My new book, titled "Happily Ever After" will be out soon. Once again, thanks for reading this far. Don't forget to vote. Also, tell your friends to tell their friends to read this book ☺. Thank you 💜