Chapter Twenty-Three

I felt the color drain from my face. I felt my shoulders droop and I just hung my head. In this moment I felt irrevocably and hopelessly lost. If what she said was true, I honestly had no one. I had never felt so alone in my life.

"Dad, is it true?" I look up to meet his eyes. His eyes that were so completely different than mine. I look at his strong, proud nose and mentally compare it to my small button nose. His light hair to my dark. How did I not ever realize how different we were? I bring my eyes back to his and take note of the pools forming in them. My heart was broken and for once it wasn't for him, it was because of him. I had lived with him my entire life. Had taken care of him. Had blindly trusted him and he wasn't even my father? Fate must really have it out for me.

"Biologically, no, I am not your father but Riley I am your dad in all of the ways that count." I stand up. "Riley, please. Hear me out." I laugh.

"Hear you out? I have heard you out for the past seventeen years. My entire life is an honest to God lie and I am done." I watch the tears stream down his face and I feel nothing. "In a way the only reason you probably even kept me was because I was some kind of sick connection to her." I point at the bitch across the table. "You followed her here didn't you?"

He has the nerve to look guilty. "You uprooted me on my senior year of high school for a woman that has never and will never care for either one of us. You sold my childhood home for her. Which doesn't matter at this point because my childhood was a lie as well. You are a fool...Nicholas." He's holding his hand over his mouth, seemingly holding back sobs.

I begin to walk away when I feel Trevor firmly grab my wrist. "I have no idea what the fuck just happened here, Riley. I promise you I didn't know." I shake my head and slowly pull my wrist out of his grip.

"I highly doubt that you didn't know. The two of you probably laughed about it, didn't y'all? She might not be your real mother, Trevor, but there is a lot of her in you." I look back at her and she looks sadly at the boy she had raised.

"Of course he didn't know, girl. I would never own up to the likes of you." I felt pathetic for it but that really hurt. The only true relative I actually had and they wanted nothing to do with me. I just look straight ahead and make my way to the exit.

I hailed a cab and gave him the directions to Nicholas's house. When I get there I hurriedly unlock the door and run up the stairs. I strip the dress and heels off and throw on a black tee and some sweats. I slide my boots on and reach for a duffel bag. I blindly throw whatever clothes I come into contact with first into the bag. The tears wouldn't stop flowing.

When the bag is full I make my way back down the stairs, pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail as I do. When I reach the bottom the front door forcefully open and Trevor is the first one in. Then dad. I mean Nicholas. I say nothing as I hold my truck keys tighter and beeline towards the door.

"Riley you don't understand. Let me explain." Trevor grabs me and tries to hold me still as Nicholas keeps talking. I refuse to look at either one of them. "I wanted you to meet your mom so bad. I thought that when she saw you she would magically become the mother you deserve. I was wrong. I was so wrong and I'm so very sorry. That woman back there- that wasn't the woman I fell in love with when I was younger. I have no idea who that was. Just know I never meant to hurt you." I wasn't buying any of it.

"You drug keeps across the country as leverage to get the woman you love back. You selfish liar." He looked as though I had slapped him. I could tell the wheels were turning in his head. "Save it, Nicholas." He winced. "Don't you dare lie to me anymore."

"Riley, you've been my daughter from the moment you were born. You want the truth? I'll give it to you. Your mom and I were high school sweethearts but she always wanted a life I could not provide her with. I didn't know it but eventually she had begun cheating on me. She formed a relationship with an older man who promised her the things I couldn't. But when she became pregnant he disappeared. She finally confessed to me. It shattered me but I loved her so much. I promised to accept you as my own. The day you were born was the happiest but the worst day of my life. I went to the hospital nursery to check on you and by the time I made it back to the room your mother was gone. I was sixteen years old, Riley. I was a sixteen year old boy with a brand new baby girl. I felt so broken but when I looked into your innocent eyes and felt your little hand wrap around my finger I felt so whole. Even though what she had done was terrible I still had hopes that we would still be a family one day. So I vowed to become financially able to provide her with the life she had always wanted and eventually I tracked her down. When I got a for sure location I lost all sanity and I brought you here with such high hopes. I'm sorry, baby. I am so sorry. I never thought she would actually tell you that I wasn't your father. Please, please forgive me. Please." He looks so pathetically into my eyes and I feel sick. "I'm sure she'll come around eventually." Now it was Trevor's turn to speak up.

"You have got to be kidding me. That bitch raised me as her own and I don't want her anywhere near Riley. Fuck coming around and fuck you too. You don't deserve her anymore than Elizabeth does." I look up at Trev and see the sincerity in his eyes and I start crying all over again. It was all too much. I had to get out of here.

I took advantage of the fact that neither one of them was really paying me any attention at the moment and made a run for it. I jumped in my truck and got the hell out of there. I managed to tell my phone to show me how to get to Georgia and I didn't look back.

I didn't know what I was going to do. I just wanted to go home. I'd figure school out later if there was even any point. I'll find a job. I just wanted to get away from this place and everyone in it.

I was all I had in the world and I wanted a fresh start. I had to figure out who I really was. What I really wanted. But most of all I needed to learn to not let anyone in. To be happy being alone. Because some way, somehow, everyone would eventually let you down. Eventually hurt you. I didn't know much but what I did know for sure was that never wanted to feel that way I was feeling now ever again.

A few hours later and I was saying bye to California. I swear I felt relief as soon as I crossed that state line. My phone had finally become silent after declining all calls and not even opening the messages.

Trevor was a great guy but he deserved better than me. Better than the broken girl with no one. At this point I was a nobody. And he deserved a somebody.

Claudette would be fine without me. Better even. I was just the new girl that got a little too comfortable with the guy she was in love with. What a shitty friend I was.

And Matt didn't really know me enough to miss me. He was a good person, he would find a good girl.

I wasn't worried about anyone else I was leaving behind. I wasn't worried about anything in fact. I stopped to fill BB's tank up and then I drained around ten grand off of the credit card Nicholas had gifted me with when we first got to Cali. I didn't even feel guilty about it. This was the least he could do. Then I shredded the card and smashed my phone. Here's to a new chapter.