Family Unraveled

Chapter Nine

"Everything stinks in here! I want to go back to New York! I don't want to be here. I want to go stay with my father in New York!" April retorted angrily.

Brie took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, despite April's outbursts. "Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you. I miss New York too, but we're here now and we're going to make the best of it together."

April's anger intensified as she stomped her foot. "I don't care! I hate it here! I hate you for letting us move."

Brie's heart sank as April said those words, but she knew she had to stay strong. "April, I know this is tough, but we can't go back to New York right now. Your dad has his own life there."

April's eyes filled with tears of frustration, "I don't care about his stupid life. I just wanna be with him."

Brie pulled April into a tight hug, trying to comfort her. "I know sweetheart, but we're in Beverly hills now and we have to make the best of it. We'll figure this out, okay?"

April pushed away from her mom, still fuming. "I don't want to figure this out. I just want to be with Dad!"

Brie took a deep breath, trying to remain patient despite April's outburst. "April, I understand you're upset, but we can't just drop everything and go back to New York. Your dad has his own responsibilities there!"

April's face twisted with anger. "I don't care about his stupid responsibilities. I want to be with him!" April sat down in the sofa.

Brie knelt down to April's eye level, her voice firm but gentle. "Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you right now, but we need to focus on our new life here. We'll visit your dad as often as we can, I promise!"

April got up, her fists clenched at her sides. "It's not fair! You never listen to me!"

Brie reached out to hug April but she pulled away, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I hate it here! I hate you!"

Brie's heart broke again. "I love you, April, even when you're angry at me!"

Meanwhile,
In a cozy suburban home in New York City, David sat at the kitchen table, his wife, Emily, watching him closely as he scrolled through his phone, a worried expression on his face.

Emily crossed her arms, her tone sharp, "What's going on, David? You've been acting quite strange."

David sighed, knowing he couldn't hide the truth from Emily any longer. "It's April! Brie told me she's struggling with her stay in Beverly Hills. She wants to come back here."

Emily's face darkened, her disapproval, evident. "I knew this was a bad idea. Bringing her here was a mistake."

David's heart sank at Emily's words. He knew she had never fully accepted April as part of their family, despite his efforts to bring them together. It was a constant source of tension between them.

"I can't just ignore her, Emily. She's our daughter too!" David insisted, his voice pleading.

Emily shook her head, her expression hardening. "She's your daughter, David. Not mine. My kids are Lexy and Renaud. And I won't have her disrupting our lives here."

David felt a pang of guilt as he realized the strain his relationship with April was putting on his marriage. But he couldn't turn his back on his daughter, no matter how difficult it made things with Emily.

David's phone buzzed, interrupting the tense atmosphere in the kitchen. It was a message from April, pouring out how she wanted to be in New York with him.

Emily's eyes narrowed as she saw David's reaction to the message. "More drama from your other family, I assume?"

David hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He knew Emily resented April and their connection to his past life, but he couldn't ignore his daughter.

Ignoring Emily's glare, David quickly typed a response to April, promising to call her later and talk things through.

Emily shook her head in disbelief. "You're so quick to drop everything for them. Don't you think about us at all?" She then walked away and went to the bedroom.

Beverly Hills,
Ashlyn was fast asleep. Alyssa sat on the sofa, her phone in her hand. She was looking at some pictures of Kody, her boyfriend.

She looked at the pictures with love in her eyes. She was so engrossed in it she didn't know the time the doorbell started ringing.

She got up and went to answer it and to her surprise, it was Alisha. Alisha walked in hurriedly.

"Sister, where were you? We've waited for damn so long." Alyssa closed the door.

"Alyssa, I'm very sorry. I got stuck up in something. Where is Ashlyn?"

"Waiting for you so much, she's falling asleep. By the way, why didn't you pick up our calls?"

"I'm sorry, lil' sis but my phone died. I'm extremely sorry."

San Francisco,
Wilma was ready to head home but it was too late. It was past 2am.

"Love, it's late. Why not spend the night here? Look, it's past 2!"

Wilma checked her phone and gasped. "You're right. I need to go to work tomorrow, too. Are you sure?"

"Of course, I am! Don't worry if you don't want us to share the same bed now. I've got two other more guest rooms."

Wilma smiled and went closer to Brandon. "Thanks, love!" They shared a passionate kiss.