20. Divorce

Connor's POV

I went back to writing as I had before the attack, but my ideas had been driven out by different thoughts and memories. I was thinking back to the days of my youth, back when my father wasn't as cold-hearted as he is today...

"Daddy!" I cried out, only six years old at the time. My parents were in the other room conversing about one thing or another, and I really wanted their attention right this second. I called out again, and after a few seconds with no answer, I was pretty upset with them. The third time that I asked for him, he opened the door to their office. Back then, when my parents were too young for relationship troubles, they were closer than two atoms in a chemical bond. I doubt they could have had two separate offices without getting lonely.

"What is it, my little prince?" he asked as he always did when there was something wrong with me. I had grown to enjoy it as a kid because it was something that only he said; it was so special to me. I miss the days when he would call me that. He would think I'm too old for it now. I mean, he wouldn't be wrong.

"I just missed you!"

"Well, I missed you too, Conny," he declared with a joking smile, and I leaned into him. This was well before I had hit my first growth spurt, and he was able to lift me easily still.

"I love you a lot, Daddy."

"I know that you do. I love you too." Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I heard him tell me that he loved me. I would die for him to tell me how he's so proud of me... I don't know; it's a lot for my small brain to handle. I just wish I could feel like his son again. I want to be close like we were when I was young, but it's all very different now. He wouldn't want me to make an effort now.

I looked around the room at a few of the pictures, and my mind was swift to tell me exactly how ancient all of them were. Any that contained either of my parents were from my teenage years. Those that weren't didn't feature a happy me. I was too busy thinking about whether I was mature enough for the role pushed into my hands or not. I wasn't ready to consider my own emotions, and it was evident looking back. I wish that I had spent more time thinking about myself instead of other's expectations of me.

My eyes made contact with my phone, and I had a fleeting thought. What if I just pay my papa a call... He used to be really good at convincing me everything was much better than it actually was. Maybe he can help me now. I just hope that he didn't change his number without telling me first.

I dialed the last known digits that could reach him, and the phone rang for a few minutes before finally being answered. "Hello?" his voice responded, and I opened my mouth, hoping that some kind of constructive words would come out. However, nothing came out at all, and I knew that he would hang up thinking that it was a telemarketer soon enough. I need to say something. "Hello?"

"jakjakbuafbd," I finally answered. Wait, that didn't make a single grain of sense.

"What was that?" he asked, and I soon realized that it had been so long he didn't even know the sound of my voice anymore.

"I had something to say, but I forgot it," I breathed, and there was a sharp intake on the other side.

"Connor?" His voice was layered with a lot of emotion, and it pulled on my heart. The way that he said my name told me he was about to cry, and I really didn't want that to happen.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Why the hell haven't you been calling! I've been worried sick about you for years!"

"I didn't think much about it."

"Wow, you didn't even think about your own father? You're so inconsiderate."

"I didn't mean it like that. My life has been kind of crazy for the past 100 years, in case you never noticed. It was too dangerous for me to call you because of their rules on council member communication. I didn't want them to think that I was talking to dad instead. If I had, they would probably have killed one of us."

"That isn't any kind of excuse, mister. Apologize right now!"

"Fine, I'm sorry for not calling you at all, papa."

"Now that that's done... How have you been?"

"I've been doing fine; not much has been going on for me recently."

"Well, that sounds like a drag. Your father and I haven't been doing so great recently..."

"Oh no, what's wrong? Did you disagree with something serious?"

"I know that you've noticed in the few interactions you've had with him. Your father has been slowly falling back into the way that he was raised. I'm trying to tell him that I don't like it, but he won't even acknowledge that he's doing it. I don't want to hurt him, but I just can't tolerate the way that he's acting."

"Papa, you need to tell him exactly how you feel. Nothing will ever change if you don't. I'm sure that he'll be more than willing to go back to the way he was before."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore. He keeps pushing me away emotionally. I don't know if it's because he's remembering his childhood, or if he's just falling out of love with me. Still, it really hurts, and I just want my old Oliver back..."

"I know that you love him a lot, but it's a very serious situation. He shouldn't be making you feel as if you're doing something wrong. You two are supposed to be in love, not tearing each other apart."

"You don't understand it yet because of how young you and Varian still are. Sometimes people just drift apart. There could be a defining event, or it could just happen naturally over time. Either way, there's nothing the two can do after it happens."

"Are you trying to suggest that you and dad don't love each other anymore? Aren't you supposed to be soulmates and be with each other for the rest of your lives?"

"We have never been the typical couple, Connor. Even when we were young, we would have these petty little arguments. Neither one of us would apologize, and it would just go on and on. We both knew that eventually, the tension would snap, but we didn't care. We were too caught up in the then, and it has translated to now. I don't want to share the failing relationship with you but you're the only person that will talk to me."

"Papa... Do what you think is right."

"Connor, I want to divorce your father."