Chapter 31 Door Step
Brielle's POV
I arrived at the apartment, dropping the keys on a little table beside the door. I slid my backpack strap down my arm and tossed it on the ground. I went to say what had to, but this whole thing just showed that Tim was hiding. Perhaps he was afraid that I would tell anyone about him.
I went to the kitchen and took out some lasagna and warmed it in the microwave. Some meals I bring home with me from the cafeteria. Some days I just don't want to cook. I had my meds that I needed to take. I didn't want to go back to Daylan anytime soon. He knows more about my condition than any other doctor that I would trust about my health at this point.
As I wanted to sit down, there was a knock on the door. I let out a sigh, it better not be Daylan. He is the last person that I want to see right now. I walked out of the kitchen, leaving the lasagna on the kitchen table.
I looked through the peephole. It was Tim. He looked down the hallway. I took a step back from the door, not knowing what I should do. He might be back because I showed up at his company earlier. But did I want to hide from him?
I sucked in a breath, I opened the door. "What is it?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow.
"Can I come in?" he asked. His hands were shoved into his pants pockets, he seemed desperate.
"Why would you want to come inside? You hit me the last time and how can I trust that you won't do that again?" I asked sternly.
"Brie, I am not going to try and be nice, we need to talk, and I will not be talking in the hallway. My reputation is too precious to lose, and these people might know me."
"That is not good enough. Do you think that I care about your reputation?" I scoffed, but then be brushed past me, pushing me slightly out of the way. I bit on my teeth as fury rose from within. He walked into the lounge and stood where the coffee table once was. He turned to look at me.
"I don't need you to stop by my company. I don't need you to make a scene or threaten me about it because it won't end good for you. I worked hard to get to where I am. My father pushed me to be a wealthy man and to have the best life. I'm making him proud, and I don't need you to ruin that too," he hissed.
"I don't care about any of that. You want to pretend that you're not evil and hide what you did to me. You have a fiancé, she doesn't know the man that you truly are. I feel sorry for her, but I know she won't believe me because you fed her nice little stories and how much you loved me as your little stepsister. You made sure to cover your ass whenever I popped up and tried to ruin you. You paint yourself as a saint, but you are far from that." I hissed back at him.
"Sometimes we just learn, okay? I cared about you when you were missing. I thought you were dead. All that f^cking guilt ate at me, and then two weeks ago, I happened to see you walking on the sidewalk while I drove past you. I had to make sure that it was you. Seeing that you were alive and beautiful," he caught himself when he said that. "The anger boiled inside of me for what you put me and my father through. You are just like your mother," he glared at me.
"Have you found her?" I asked as I folded my arms under my breasts.
"No. We didn't care much about finding her. Why bother looking for someone who doesn't want to be found? You, on the other hand, were young. When my father gave up looking for you, I never gave up." he held my gaze, there was more sadness in them than the darkness I was used to.
"Why do you go from caring to being an evil person?" I asked.
"I may be a lot of things to you, but I do care...more than you know. I may have had my issues with you back then, but I was only a young man who lost his mother. Everything was going well for us, our home was filled with love, her death is what shook the foundation of our home. My father suffered with alcohol, and then he started to be a crap father to me. I managed to keep that special bond with him, he continued to be a good father to me after he realized how he started treating me. He liked the idea of having someone new, months after my mother passed, because he thought that if he had someone new, he would forget all about her. You all took over the life that I once had. I wanted you and your mother to leave. I just didn't expect that it would actually happen the way that it did. My father was never the verbally abusive type and I never hit anyone, but you brought it out of me. That moment I saw you again after so many years, it pissed me off," he said.
"Maybe if you didn't try to be part of the problem, then maybe I didn't need to run away. If you were a genuine brother, you would've protected me from any harm. But you didn't. I can be beautiful to you, and maybe you have a change of heart now towards me, but that does not excuse the way that you showed up and hit me. I'm the one that suffers the aftermath. I won't even bother to interfere with your fiancé because she will take your side. She is a beautiful and nice person. Don't you dare ruin that. I hope that if you have kids one day, that you won't treat them like sh^t either. I hope you won't change your ways towards Sophia. She deserves better than you. If you genuinely want to be a better man and think about your reputation, then do the right thing." I tried to encourage instead because I don't want Sophia to end up suffering by his hand one day.
"That-that does mean a lot," he said, "I'm sorry for the other things. You didn't deserve that. Sorry about all the other times," his eyes glazed over. "I won't tell my father that you're here, although he is sick. He has a heart condition and I try to be there for him. Thank you for keeping our past a secret. I don't deserve this treatment from you, but I guess it's a chance at a better life," he shrugged.
"We all need a second chance at something in life. Just don't screw up again. I will stay out of your way and I expect you to stay out of my way. Do not show up on my doorstep again, or I will call the police. Is that clear?"
"Crystal. But now I ask that you do not show up at my company either. We can go our separate ways, but my company is off limits," he held my gaze until I agreed.
"I won't go there unless you start something first," I replied.
"Good. You won't have to worry about me again." he said as he moved past me, and then he stopped in his tracks close to the door. He turned around to face me again, "It was actually nice seeing you again, that you're alive and managed to get through life this far. Great apartment too. Just know that Sophia and I are expecting our first child, she told me just before she left to go home. Your words does help," he said, and then he turned on his heel and left.
My heart was beating at a rapid pace, not knowing when he would lash out at me, but I stood my ground. What caught me off guard was that he took my words seriously. When we were young he would brush them off or laugh in my face. Maybe he is genuinely trying. Daylan wouldn't be happy with me if he found out where I'd been and that Tim showed up here again. But Daylan doesn't have a say over my life anymore, no matter how much he wants to protect me. I'm guarding my heart and that is why I think its best not to see him often.
I can take care of myself and I made the exception for him to remain my doctor. But it is difficult to see him with Abby everytime, knowing their history. Maybe over time, my feelings for him will disappear and then he won't affect me as they are now.