Chapter Two

Caden's POV

I sat up on my bed, and for a split second, I couldn't tell what was real or not, those tiny beads of sweat fell from my forehead and my chest. My sheets felt damp even with the AC on.

I had seen her again, she looked sad, really sad.

I wrapped my arms around her but she stood still, not returning my hug, not even when I called her “Mami” like she always loved.

 When I pulled away, she raised her hands to my cheeks, caressing them softly, her eyes were full of pain, it felt as if she was trying to say something before she disappeared.

After eleven years, there was no day I went to bed without seeing her, and she had never said a word, not even “Pierre” it was my middle name, she was French. She'd call me even when she had nothing to say. For a while I couldn't help but wonder if my coming here was necessary like I had thought before, did I make the right decision? What would she say?

I groaned, I wasn't a child, my mother wasn’t here, she had never been for a long time. I needed a drink and a girl…

I thought of ringing Rosey Claire but we had fucked thrice and I didn't want her to get any funny ideas. Grabbing my phone, there were many missed calls from Father, and messages too. I was drowning in anger and at the same time fighting the urge not to yell.

Without thinking, I grabbed my keys from the cute center table and drove out. It was time to visit the old man.

I hadn't been in this house for eleven years, everything looked the same.

The garden beside each corner of the house with beds of flowers, and the main house stood in the middle. It had always been ridiculously big and was still painted white, the water fountain stood in front of the house yet there was enough space between the house and the fountain. His endless lines of cars were not left out, if anything I know Father liked their position, it was all part of the show for him. It has always been and always will be. I could swear the pool behind the house still existed and those guest houses.

Father, a woman with bright brown curls and a little boy with the same curls stood in front of me. Father was smiling sheepishly, it was a smile I wanted to wipe off so badly.

“Ahh! Caden, finally,” he said with excitement, he hadn't aged at all except for the few strands of grey hair I could spot here and there.

I turned my gaze to the woman, she looked like she was in her late thirties or early forties, and she was striking. Instead of clothes that screamed “Rich,” she wore warm comfortable clothes.

I had heard about her but I had never met her until now.

She mumbled a “Welcome home” and moved to kiss my cheeks but I jumped back immediately, shocked at her boldness. Her face fell, the hurt evident but she still managed to smile kindly at me, almost like she meant it.

If Father was pissed, he did a great job of concealing it and instead patted the woman's back gently and I looked away.

My gaze unconsciously landed on the rooftop for a while before it returned to the people standing in front of me, especially Father. I looked at him

long enough to let him know that I hadn't forgotten or forgiven him and I could swear he got the message because he had begun to fidget.

The famous Adrien Gallagher was nervous. Who would have thought?

I still hadn't said a word, the little boy was staring at me intently, he looked about six or seven.

“Caden, this is Carolyn and Axel…”

“Daddy! Mummy! Is this my big brother Caden?” The little boy interrupted Father.

“Axel!” His mother tried to caution him gently while smiling apologetically, both adults were looking at me and smiling nervously. It made them look stupid.

But the little guy wasn't going to back down so easily.

“Err…Yes” Father stuttered and if I was in a good mood I'd have laughed at the sight.

But I loved what my presence was doing to him.

“Doesn't he talk? Why is he so quiet?” The kid probed further. “Can I hug him?” Without waiting for any response he was already hugging my knees, he didn't seem to care that I didn't budge or hug him back.

When he pulled away, he was smiling at me, his smile was contagious because I almost smiled back but remembered I wasn't here to play happy family.

“Hey big brother, I am Axel” I could see the excitement on his face when he struck out his hand as if he was daring me.

“Caden” I finally said, shaking his tiny hand.

His parents seemed so excited that it irritated me.

“Can we go in now?” The child asked not letting go of my hand

“No, I have things to take care of” I was trying to be polite as possible but it didn't stop me from sending death glares to Father.

“Really? I thought you were going to live with us” the child scowled. I wasn't good with kids, his mother called him but the little guy who was still clinging to me refused to move.

“No!” it came out harsher than I expected and broke the boy's heart who ran to his mother's side for comfort.

I started walking toward the gate, I had parked my car outside. Father followed.

“Caden, can't you stay?” He tried to touch me.

“Don't!” I yelled and he froze.

“Caden you need to talk to me please, I am sorry for all the pain I've caused you, I am different now, I am better” If I didn't know him any better, I would have fallen for him but Father was a tactful manipulative piece of shit.

“A different person?” I scoffed. “Did you tell them what you did to Mom?” His eyes went wide and no, I wasn’t done. “Did you tell them what happened that night on the rooftop? I bet you didn't and do you hit Axel too? Or Carolyn? No! You got yourself a trophy wife and a son so save me this bullshits” I wanted to strangle him.

“Do you think it's any easier for me? Living with this guilt? The least you can do is cut me some slack” He was pissed now.

“Cut you some slack? You deserve everything and even worse, you deserve to die. You lied, it was all in the papers, you said she was sick!” I hated how I sounded like my 17-year-old self. “I hope you die in the most dehumanizing way and then rot in hell”

I saw his jaw clench and unclench, I needed to see him lose his shit but he didn't.

Getting mad at myself for coming here, I brushed past him to my car and drove off. My vision was blurry from all the anger I felt and I almost ran into a group of teenagers who yelled angry curses at me.

Where could one get booze? I had almost forgotten the city.

I stopped in front of a coffee shop, it looked fancy. Three girls were chatting intimately with each other, all three had blonde hair - it was bleached. The one in the middle stopped talking when she saw me moving closer, whispering something to her friends who all turned to me, each one of them eye fucking me. It was something I was used to.

I sent her a wink and watched her cheeks turn red.

She left her friends and was suddenly seated in front of me, her nipples that were visible through the thin animal-skinned fabric that was a flimsy excuse for a blouse called me and she knew I was staring. She sat upright almost pushing her enormous bosom to my face.

I couldn't remember anything she said or her name as I slammed cock into her repeatedly, rougher than usual because I needed to cool off all the anger that was threatening to burst out of my chest.

 I fucked her until she was a crying mess, her mascara ran down her face making her look like a clown.

After she left, I still wasn't satisfied so I settled with punching the walls like I always did. I didn't usually stop until I was a bleeding mess and today was not any different.

The cold shower ran down my messy knuckles and the feeling was almost euphoric. I liked the pain and pleasure it gave me. It was better than feeling nothing.