Harwal, book 3

Chapter 10

"What?" I exclaim and squish Dante's mouth. "Who told you what?"

Dante takes my hand off his mouth and frowns at me. "I heard grandma talk with the doctor when I was sick. They cursed my father, so I made them tell me everything," Dante says and turns to glare at Harwal. "I'm not stupid. I know you were hurt by him."

I gasp and resist the urge to demand gran for an explanation. First, I need to calm Dante.

"He isn't your father," I say slowly. "Definitely not him."

How could Gran just spill it out? She better have spun a fucking story.

Harwal takes a deep breath and leans back. "I don't have Kits."

"That you know of!" Dante raises his voice and points at him. "I know what you did to mom!"

I'm speechless and mortified by the continuous awful events. This is one horrifying misunderstanding after another.

"I have not fucked her."

"Oh my god!" I yell and force Dante to look at me. What the fuck is Harwal spouting to a kid? "Please listen to me… he's not your father."

"I understand you had to contact him to save me, but you don't have to lie to me…" Dante says, and then he mutters, "now is the chance to kill him."

I snap my eyes wide open and grab his shoulders. I never wanted him to know about any of this. How could grandma tell him? "What the hell did she tell you?"

"Don't mind that, we should kill—"

"Stop it!" I yell and shake him. "You're not killing anyone! Stop talking!"

I turn furiously to grandma, she immediately closes her eyes. "Hey!" I yell and she jerks, so I stomp in front of her. "I know you're awake! What the fuck did you tell him?"

Grandma sighs deep and straightens her posture. "He was insistent… I told him everything. Even I was shocked by that Zohra, he looks just like you described, but we know he —"

"He's a child! What is wrong with you?" I continue yelling, my whole body feels like I'm being burned alive. I don't even know if I'm embarrassed, furious, or scared anymore. I don't know what to do. How could she tell my little boy those horrible things?

"He's already old enough to know," Grandma says angrily.

What the hell? Nobody is ever old enough to know that shit.

"What if I die? What if he mixes with the wrong kinds of people and you're not here? What if he unknowingly meddles with that man? What then? He deserved to know," Grandma continues.

"That's a fucking lot of what if's!" I stomp my foot and pull my hair. "What the hell are you spouting about? Stop making excuses!"

"Mom, calm down," Dante says quietly, but I ignore him.

"I trusted you to take care of him, but you shit on my trust like this?" I fight the urge to shake her like a ragdoll. "How could you? What the hell did you think you achieved by telling him? You're awful!"

Grandma hunches and turns her head away from me. "You're ungrateful."

"Ungrateful?" I screech. "You told him about… about… goddamnit!"

Hands grab my shoulders and spin me around. "Don't yell at grandma," Dante says quietly and I meet his teary eyes.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, you need to lay down and rest," I whisper.

"I'm fine. I feel much better," he says, tightening his hold on my shoulders. "I'm sorry mom. I just needed to know. I knew something wasn't right… every time I tried to ask who my father is you shut down and became weird."