Chapter 182 Dead!

Chapter 182 Dead!
For Amelia, I was willing to talk to him, but she’s dead. For Dad, I’m not willing to make that sacrifice. I’ve spent too much time trying to make other people happy. 

“Sorry, Dad.” 

Seated on the bed while I stand, Dad looks defeated and tired. “What about Mace?” 

“When the time is right, I’ll tell him.” 

“When will the time be right?” 

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. 

I will take it one step at a time. I will stop sulking. I’ll stop hiding. I’ll go out there and meet new, better people. I haven’t talked to a man who isn’t Dad, a staff or Jason in over  eighteen months. It’s time to change that. 

The vibration from the table cuts our conversation short. My mind is made up as I pick up the phone to block him. Dad stops behind me. His eyes linger on the phone, questions swim in his blues but he doesn’t voice any of them. He will get over it.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Cathy.” 

I don’t. But I’ll be fine. 

“Goodnight, Dad.” I hug him for the last time and he leaves the room. As soon as the door shuts, I check on Mace, then jump into bed without taking off my clothes.

The only thing ringing in my mind as I drift to sleep are the words: I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. 

Mace’s cry wakes me up. My eyes open with much effort and I stare at the ceiling for a second, trying to piece everything back together. I’m in Dad’s house. We came yesterday. I get out of bed and rush to my son. His cries increase, and I take him out of his crib, rocking him while I try to figure out what the problem is. I drop him on the bed after checking his diapers. He needs a change. A bath would be lovely. I need one after the crying I did yesterday. 

A familiar ache takes over my chest when I remember yesterday. I walk over to the window and pull the curtains open like the dawn of a new day will melt the sad reality. 

Amelia is dead. She’s really gone. 

Unshed tears prick the back of my eyes. I return to Mace, carrying him with utmost care. We head to the bathroom for a bath. After cleaning us up, I breastfeed him. He sucks like the happy child he is and my hand reaches down to pat his curls. Why does he have to look so much like his father? 

My stomach rumbles while I’m feeding him. I didn’t eat all day yesterday. It felt wrong. I wait for Mace to finish feeding before I grab my phone and head to the living room. Dad is already up. I peek at the time. 

8:51 am.

“Good morning, Dad,” I call out. 

The kitchen door is open so I can see him. He walks over to me with a spatula and kisses my forehead. Mace blinks up at him. 

“Good morning.” His finger pokes Mace’s cheek, he coos and Mace snickers. “Slept well?” he asks me. “I’m making breakfast.” 

“Thanks.” 

I set the table and take out everything we will need. Mace is fully asleep by the time I finish. I drag his rocking chair beside one of the dining seats and place him inside it.

“I love you,” I whisper to him. 

His snores permeate the air. I laugh softly and make a turn to the kitchen. My phone vibrates in the pockets of my shorts. It can’t possibly be Calum calling me with another number. I check my screen. There are missed calls and some texts. I can’t tell if they are new or old messages. I unlock the phone to check.

Rose called. Taylor also did. 

I call Rose, retracing my steps to the dining for some privacy. Mace is still asleep. I pull a chair quietly and drop down into it. The call connects, it’s an audio call, but Rose requests to switch to video call. Her face shows up and I wave. I didn’t inform them before leaving. Everything happened in a rush. 

“Hey,” I greet. 

“Hey. Hold on one sec. I’m calling Taylor.”  

In some seconds, Taylor connects. A pang of sadness creeps in on me. There should be four of us on this call. They must have been thinking the same thing because an unusual awkwardness sets in. I smile and clear my throat to rid some of the tension. Amelia wouldn’t have wanted this for us.

“Soooo,” I start. “I missed your calls.” 

“Yeah,” Rose replies. Her playful side is gone, replaced by a strict less-laughing lady. I don’t know if it’s due to Amelia’s death or if the university is kicking her ass. “You left early.” 

“We stopped to check in last night but Jason told us you were gone,” Taylor adds. 

“Something came up, I had to leave,” I reply.

The two pairs of brown eyes focus on me, and I force a smile to my lips. Rose breaks the ice first. “You left because of him?” she asks. “Jason told us. He told us he was here.” 

“And Ashley confirmed it,” Taylor murmurs.

There’s no point lying. “Yep.” 

“Did you speak to him?” Taylor asks. I click my tongue. I don’t want to talk about him. “He has been trying to reach you, Cathy.” 

“How do you know...” I trail off as it hits me. This is why they are calling me, right? They did something. They must have given him my number. “What did you do, Taylor?”

“We were trying to reach you,” Rose offers. I drop the phone on the table. “He couldn’t get to you, and no one knew where you were.” 

“You could have called my dad.” 

“He wasn’t picking,” Taylor replies, a bit exasperated. How dare she sound annoyed? 

I’m the one who should be pissed? 

I tilt the phone back up to have glances of their faces. “Fine. What did you two do?” 

“We gave him your address,” Rose says. 

“And your dad’s,” Taylor adds.  

“I hate you two,” I spit out.

Their faces pale. Taylor whispers, “Amelia told us to help him as much as we could.”

“Amelia is dead!” 

I end the call and slap my phone down on the table. God. My fingers tangle in my hair. Footfalls sound closer to me but I don’t look up. 

“Is everything okay?” Dad asks. 

The doorbell rings. My gaze darts between the door and Mace. What if it’s Mr Dissick? I can’t let him get to Mace.