58 Taking My Life Back

(Jayden)

My brain can’t handle all of this. The revelations hit me like a freight train, shattering my composure and ripping through the thin veneer of control I thought I had.

I just don’t want to think about the emotional and mental abuse I copped from the man I thought was my father.

He always acted like he hated me. Every scornful glance, every harsh word, a bitter confirmation of how he despised me. I never got it back then. Now it’s all clear, the pieces fall into place in a sickening puzzle.

Why would Mother keep us there like that? Greg was nothing short of cruel to her at times. The memory of his rage, his unrelenting criticism, sears through me. I often thought he hated her as well. I wonder why they ever got married if there was no love.

I pace the room, my hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. I’m confused and angry, a tempest of emotions swirling inside me. If this Gus thinks he is going to be welcomed with open arms as my father, he has another thing