"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Jasper asks as we head to the front door of Daphne's home.
"Jasper, I know that I never wanted to see them again, but things aren't adding up. I don't want my aunt to have to go through all the trouble of getting custody of Daphne and then have to deal with the guilt that we just ripped Daphne away from the only man that loved her." He stops me and turns to face me. He moves his other hand and holds my chin in his fingers.
"Hey, it's okay. I get it. Sometimes I would want to know why my father did what he did, I just don't want to see you hurt. Lia, I love you so much. Just don't hurt yourself to get answers." He leans down and gives me a peck on the lips. I look up at his eyes as he presses his forehead against mine.
"I'll be okay, I promise." He turns on his heel and we head towards the door. Daphne didn't want to be here, so she made sure that only Christian is home. I ring the doorbell and I hear a muffled 'I'm coming.' The door opens and Dad stands there.
"Ophelia," he says stunned, "And someone that I don't know."
"Christian, can we please come in?" I ask. I don't want to call him Dad. He doesn't deserve that title right now.
"Um, I guess." He moves and we walk past him into the house. Jasper moves behind me, letting me hold my own.
"Daphne isn't here." This is the awkwardest moment of my life. But, I have one question, why would he let me see Daphne? He didn't act like the parenting type when I saw him last. He lunged at me for God's sake.
"I know. She is with Aunt Maria." When I saw that, he takes a deep breath and looks up at me.
"Lia, I never-" He begins.
"Look, I don't want to hear some sob story or anything. I have dealt with that all my life. I just want answers. Because if what I think happened happened, then I am going to do everything that I can to protect my sister and make sure that she can grow up somewhere that she is loved." Christian looks down in disappointment. He knows how much his actions affected everyone, but he had no choice.
"No, I get it. Me and you want the same thing and I wish I could go back and do the same thing with you. Your mother is a vile human. I don't understand how she could just leave you. That was the last thing that I wanted to do."
"I really don't care what you wanted to do with me. What did my mother do? That is what I want to know."
"Look, it is a really long story that I don't want to get into. If you could just trust me-"
"Trust you?" I grab Jasper's hand and pull him towards the door with me. I turn towards Christian again.
"Trust is the last thing that I will ever give you." Jasper puts a hand on my lower back and leads me out of the front door.
"Lia, wait," he says chasing after me.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask, stopping and turning back to him.
"I just want you to trust me!"
"You left me alone at 10-years-old! What would you expect me to do! Welcome you in with loving arms. I came here to see what I needed to protect my teenage sister from." I turn on my heel and I start to walk towards the car, where Jasper is waiting.
"She killed her parents, alright. I am the only person that knows that and she has been dangling it over my head since you were born. She's a psychopath and I have been protecting you from that."
Well, I wasn't expecting that.
Jasper perks his head up and looks at me, as the expression on my face changes. I close my eyes tight for a second holding my tears in. I turn back around.
"I'll talk to you soon, Dad." I get in the car and Jasper drives away without a word. There are no words to describe how I am feeling. I knew my mother was vile, but I didn't think that it was that bad. I mean who kills her parents?
Jasper continues driving and I pull out my phone and I call someone and then I tell Jasper to drop me off there. He just does as he is told. He parks the car and I turn to him. I hold his face in my hands and give me a gentle kiss.
"I love you." I open the passenger door and I get out.
"I love you too, Lia. Don't forget that." I nod and he drives away. I head inside the building and tell the receptionist who I am here to see. A couple of minutes later, she comes out and sees me waiting.
"Ophelia, go ahead go in. I'll be there in a few," she says. I head inside the room and I take a seat on the couch. It's been a while since I have been here. Rose Harper eventually comes waltzing back in and takes a seat across from me.
"It's been a while," She states crossing her legs.
"Yeah, life got busy and things took a turn for the better and I feel like they are falling apart again."
"Oh?" She asks.
"Yeah."
"I hope this has nothing to do with your fear."
"It actually doesn't. I sometimes wonder if I ever had it. Yeah, I spent my life wondering how many more people were going to leave me, but they never left. I was the one that did. I was just searching for someone to love me. Anyway, Jasper and I are fine. It is the fact that I met my aunt that I never knew I had and then Daphne is back in my life. And then the worst part, I talked to my father."
"Well, how you explain what happened between you and Daphne and why that has to do with your father."
"I remember something about my childhood. The day that my parents left, he had left a note saying that he didn't want to leave, rather that he had to. I always remember them leaving a note, but I thought it was them telling me that they were going to the store, but that wasn't the case. My aunt wants custody of Daphne but I wanted to get the full story from my father, which I didn't exactly get, but I got some clarity."
"What did you find out?"
"That my mother is dangling something over his head."
"How did that make you feel?"
"I don't know. I guess it made me confused. I have more questions than answers."
"So you felt confused, what else?"
"Hurt?"
"Don't ask me. What were the thoughts you had when he told you what he did?"
"If I let him in like I am, is he going to leave again? If he leaves will Jasper too?" I continue to ramble on with these thoughts and I didn't even notice that I started crying.
"Have you been writing?" Rose asks, as I stop and wipe my tears.
"No."
"Well, that's your job. I want you to sit down and write what you are feeling. Then next time, you can talk about it. I don't have to read it unless you want me to." I nod my head.
"Well, our time is up. I'll see you next week, Lia. Tell Jasper to call my wife. She has a bone to pick with him."
"Will do, Rose." I grab my bag and head out the door. I look around and see that Jasper is waiting there. I knock on the driver's side door and he rolls it down and looks at me.
"Hey you," I say, giving him a kiss.
"Feeling better?" He asks.
"Yeah, everything is a little bit clearer. But, now I'm hungry."
"Well, what am I supposed to do about that if you are standing out there," he says poking at my cheeks. I slap his hands away.
"Fine, fine. I'll get in the car." I run around to the other side and hop in.
"Where to?" I ask buckling up.
"Food."
"Very funny, Mr. Atwater," I say, pulling my phone out of my bag.
"I try, Ms. Lockhart."
He is so lucky that I love him. He continues to drive and I open up a document on my phone.
So, it's been a while...