Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“Yes, Brian and I had a drunken hook-up a few months ago. If you had told me he was your son, I would have shared this with you. But I never knew it was relevant! Why didn’t you say anything?”
The anguish in my voice is palpable, and I continue.
“And yes, John, I found out today I am with child. But the baby is yours! I know it is, and there’s no chance it isn’t. I love you, and I am pregnant with your child, but I’m absolutely horrified and terrified now that I realize I actually know nothing about you. How could you not tell me?” I demand, my voice becoming hysterical.
My handsome lover stands silent for a moment, and there’s no expression on his face. I have no idea what to expect and begin to cry even harder.
But then, John turns his gaze away from me and fixes it on Brian. The antipathy and threat there make us both shiver.
“I love Megan, and I will treat this child as my own, whether it is my child or my grandchild. Megan and the baby belong to me, and you better get yourself out of here before I pound you into the ground. No one treats the woman I love like that, and that includes sniveling weaklings who have the audacity to come into my office drunk.”
Is that true? I look up swiftly and regard Brian. Yes, he’s red, puffy, and sweaty, but he’s almost always red, puffy and sweaty. But now that he’s been called out, I can see it. The bloodshot eyes, the shaking hands, and the lack of impulse control give it away.
Unfortunately, Brian has no idea that he’s been overpowered and outclassed. He begins to scream at his father like a child having a tantrum. He shrieks and cries, with tears coming down his face. A bright red vein is beginning to bulge from his forehead, and then to my horror, Brian literally throws himself down on the floor and begins kicking and screaming the way a toddler would.
“Dadddyyyy!” he wails. “You’re scum! To fucking betray your own son this way. You saw me at the table with her. You just had to intercept, and take what was mine. What kind of fucking father does that? And all these months, you’ve had the nerve to hide it!”
Disgust crosses John’s face.
“What choice did I have? You showed up drunk and then abandoned her with the check. You have my DNA, and I felt obligated to pick up the pieces you left scattered on the floor.”
Brian bursts into fresh tears, pounding his fists on the floor. He’s sobbing and sniveling, with snot dripping from his nose.
“Do not give me that crap, Daddy! If that were the case, you would have been honest with Megan about who you are, and your relationship to me. You would have told her that we’re father and son, but you didn’t! Because why? Because your relationship is dirty, nasty, and filthy, which is how you like it, Daddy!”
It’s seriously freaking me out to hear Brian refer to John as “Daddy.” I don’t think John likes it either because he grimaces each time his son says the word.
“Get off the floor, Brian. Be a man. This is embarrassing, and I feel embarrassed for you.”
Brian just shakes his head and continues pounding his fists on the floor, letting out wail after wail of agony. John grimaces while staring at his son.
“Look Brian, I’m sorry. I did swoop in and steal your date that night. But you left her at the table, and Megan was utterly stunning and yet devastated by your actions. And how the fuck was she going to pay the bill? Did you think of that?”
Brian presses his visage into the carpet, and it looks very strange because he’s literally facedown.
“But you didn’t have to have sex with her! What kind of fucked up father does that?” he moans in a muffled voice.
John’s disgust is rising with every second that passes, and he jerks his head away, as if he can’t bear to look at his son.
“What’s done is done, Brian. We can’t turn back the hands of time.”
“You lied! You hid! You betrayed us both!” Brian screams. “And now, you’re lying about this baby. That child is mine! You’re too fucking old to be having a kid. You’re too old to be with Megan! The baby and Megan are mine! Miiiiine!”
As he gets more and more hysterical, his voice gets louder and more insistent. The vein in his face seems to be pulsating, and I worry he is going to have an aneurysm. There is so much chaos swirling around us in this small room, and then it suddenly happens. One moment, Brian is screaming on the floor, and then suddenly, his arms and legs drop, and he’s still and lifeless on the ground. The office is silent, except for my gasp and John’s breathing. What just happened?