Chapter 84

***Dayle***

~
When I entered the car, a text enters. It's from Dom. What does he want? I ask myself. I enter the text to read it's full context.
*Dayle, you need to come home now!*
*No second thoughts, it's urgent!*
I toss my phone to the seat next to me and start driving. For him to sound this way then it must be urgent. I know that Dom and I haven't spoken for days now—It’s no grudge but it's only a way of not crossing each other’s path.

*
As soon I pull over, some security men start hovering around me. There's no point in asking questions even if I wanted to ask, they will only stare at me without response.
“Sir, are you hurt?” Bobby asks me and I only stare at him with askance.
“The fuck? Do I look hurt to you?!” I hiss walking off. Three men follow into the house leaving me to wonder.
I see Mom and Dad in the living room, they look restless, and Dom is nowhere close. There are a couple of police officials and they are about to leave. One official stops at me to ask a question but interrupts.
“Thanks, officer. I'll handle it, please.”
The official nods and heads out of the building with his partner. I didn't even notice if there had been a police car outside or not. Ms. Lena raises her head to meet my gaze, her warm eyes are welling in tears.
“Dad? Ms. Lena? Are you okay?” I wall over to her kneeling on a leg. She swallows up, her hands are shaking as well. Isn't this situation bad for her health? And besides, where is Chrissy? She knows how to pacify every in a situation like this, I mean that girl is a natural. She starts sobbing, not a word can escape her lips. I pull her in for a hug.
It's weird.
It's the first time we hugged or came this close and now I have just realized that it is not so bad after all. Dad comes around taking his wife from me. I move away wondering a hell of things in my fucked up head. It's strange not to see Chrissy here, didn't she come home? She left before I arrived home. Egan had told me that she had left with Ellen.
“...Baby, you have to be strong right now! You should get some rest while I get things right.” Dad says to her but she pushes him away—it’s light.
“...Don’t touch me. Don't freaking touch me, Owen! It's all your fault!” she tells him in a shaky angry voice. Nina is just by the corner, I motion for her to help Ms. Lena to her room. Nina comes forth immediately and assists her.
I toss my blazer and backpack on the sofa while Dad drops on the sofa. He looks frustrated. What the fuck is happening that I'm yet to find out?
I sit next to him staring at him, he should by now that I want answers to all these phrased conversations.
I scoff. “ Dad, why is she mad at you?” I ask
“Dayle,” he plops his elbows into his thighs intertwining his fingers. “Go in and take some rest. Have lunch—”
“Well, I'm not fucking stupid old man, what's up? She was mad at you, I've never seen her in such a state. She's always happy and calm! And besides, where’s Chriss? Isn't she home?” I ask but Dad doesn't answer, however, beads of unintended tears start rolling down his cheek. Now, this is very confusing to me. My face wrings at once.
“Are you okay? Do I get the doctor to come over or what? What's wrong Dad? You're scaring me!” I ask him again. He's keeping the same face he kept when my mother died.
“Fucking go in there and REST, son!” he yells
I instantly rise. “I fucking won't. I want to know what's happening and you're not being a man to tell it to me, Dad!” My voice isn't cool, I couldn't hold it for long, I hate the suspense. If he had been the one asking questions and getting no answers then he’d have had Dom punch me first to let the words out. He doesn't say a word still.
I run on the stairs, taking two at a time. I enter Chrissy’s room but she's nowhere to be found, her bed is neatly laid and straight, and she's not in the bathroom or her closet. I hurry out of the room like I'm being chased only to find no one. I return to my Dad in the large living room but he's not there as well. I see Brenda conversing with someone—a housekeeper as well.
“Where is Chrissy?” I ask. I can feel the rage inside of me, I have a bad feeling that she's not home. She's not been home ever since we left for school. She's been mad at me over my confession about Molly, I know that I'd be worse because of the fuck list.
“Sir, she...” Brenda stutters, I know that nothing will come out of her.
“Where is Dad?”
“His study, sir!” she snaps.
I head to the study.

*
Bobby attempts to stop me but I maneuver my way in, what's wrong with these huge men? They constantly think that they can do anything they please because of their humongous size. I see Dad’s rare, he's sitting. His phone rings, and he swerves the spinning chair to answer. He sees him and quits answering the phone.
“I'll wait!” I snap crossing my arms. He answers the call.
“Yes Dom, anything?... What have you got then?... If you have nothing to tell then don't call me... Find her wherever that she may be...!” he cuts the call tossing the phone.
“Chrissy’s missing?” I ask leaning on the desk.
“It's not what you heard—”
I hit the desk angrily. “I'm not stupid! What's wrong with this family anyway? Ms. Lena is mad at you, Chrissy is missing and you are not even yourself!” I blurt out.
“Yes, Chrissy is missing. We can't find her anywhere...” he breaks the news. I drop on the seat near me with my mouth hanging in shock. “Elle drove down saying that they got attacked by some men. They only took Chrissy away. Ellen is in shock. Everyone is in shock!” he explains. He ruffles his hair ferociously. I bury my face into my palms rubbing my face angrily before my fingers take my hair constantly.
“Why? Who took her? Is it your fault that she got taken away?”
“Dayle, don't he ridiculous—”
“Yes, I have to say things. Chrissy is a nice girl, she doesn't make enemies, and why the hell would men take her away?” I question him but he remains silent. “What should I be told?”
I stand up to leave the study but he calls me back.
“There is something I need to tell you, please sit! Dayle,” he says. I turn to him, I sit on the chair gaping at him like a mutinous student to a teacher.
“Your biological mother is alive...”
“I have one mother and she's long gone—”
“No, she's alive.” he snaps to interrupt me. What does he mean, I can't decipher his words either. “Freya is your mother!”
“Freya? That pychotic you spoke about?” I chuckle. “That thing can't be my mother. I see that you are way too old for your age...”
“I'm not joking, Dayle. Freya is your mother.” She almost raises his voice to make me believe him but I'm not moved because he's saying gibberish. After all, I don't understand a fucking thing.
I chuckle a sad one. “I don't believe you,”
“Dayle, I wouldn't lie to you to things like this...”
“I said... I don't believe you!”
“It's the truth—”
“I don't believe you!” I yell at him. This is hard to swallow or digest, it sounds like a lie to me. I can't bring myself to believe him.
He walks around the desk to meet me but I motion for him to not come any closer. “Vee is my mother, she birthed me—I... I saw the baby pictures...” The tears in my eyes are this close to rolling down. I feel betrayed.
“Vee is your foster mother, Freya is your biological mother. She was the one who birthed you. She used to be my girlfriend not until I met your Vee. I found out that she was mentally unstable whilst she was carrying you at that time. Freya hated me because I didn't marry her, so she attempted to run away with the child instead since she knew that Vee couldn't bear a child. Freya got caught after attempting to ruin my life by taking you away, I sent her into rehab instead. I just had to send her away from us. Vee asked me to keep you, she wanted to be a mother to you regardless. She wanted to feel motherhood!” he sighs. “You were only a month old and so you won't remember anything. I thought that Freya would never return or want to find you—”
“How?”
“She lost her memory and all of that! I just thought that she’d be of no use to be a part of us that was why I sent her away. I just... I just wanted to be a good father to you and a good husband to Vee until Vee died.”
“This is... is a dream. It's a fucking nightmare that I wanna wake up from so bad. 19 years of my life has been nothing but a lie? How could you do this to me? You could have told me even after Mom died,”
“I didn't know how to start Dayle,”
“No. That was enough time to tell me everything but you kept hiding it. You lied to me and everyone.”
“Dayle, please understand. I was only trying to protect you. If I had told you then you'd start searching and Freya is not a good woman—”
“No, you're the bad one now. You're the reason why Chrissy is missing, I fucking guess that you also lied to Ms. Lena too.” I blurt out
“Dayle, I’ll fix things. I'm not going to lose you or your sister or Lena—”
“But you already lost me and you're ready to lose my so-called biological Mother too, isn't it?”
“I have good intentions, son!”
“Same as me and that's why I'm gonna leave your leave because you didn't want to keep me anyway!”
I storm out of the Study, I hear him calling my name. Severally.