The Kissing Contract

Chapter twenty four

"What do you mean Cara?" My dad's voice booms through the whole house, instantly waking me from my drunk slumber. I lift the duvet cover from my head and roll over, unsure why my dad is yelling downstairs.

David King is not a man who ever raises his voice.

"I said what do you mean? Answer me for gods sake!"

My legs carry me to the bedroom door and press my ear against it in an attempt to listen to the muffled chatter between rare moments of raise voices.

"David you don't understand. You're never here I just-"

My mum is trying to talk between sobs and my heart is sinking further and further into my stomach.

"You just slept with another man!" my father growls. I can tell they're both trying not to wake me but unfortunately it hasn't worked.

I pull open the door to my bedroom and head down the stairs, unsure what awaits me at the bottom.

There in the kitchen, my father still shouting from the island counter, his coffee and newspaper in front of him, and my mother is stood over my the sink looking as though she's been crying for days.

"Because you don't love me anymore!" She cries as I step into the room. Two pairs of blue eyes turn to me.

My mum opens her mouth and closes it again before turning to the sink, her gaze out the window. My father takes a sip of his coffee (which is assume is cold by now) and attempts a smile in my direction.

"Hey pickle what's up?" he glances over my face which is probably covered in smudged eyeliner and mascara. "Rough night? I heard the party was good."

"What's going on?"I ask even though I know it can't be good.

"Your mother's moving out," he replies, turning towards my mum who is still staring out the window.

"What?" I shout the moment my mum says, "he's right."

I turn to her instantly. She's facing me with a grave look on her face. "Ellie, I can't stay here. Me and your father- we haven't been getting on and I have messed up. So I'm leaving," she explains, her voice on the verge of breaking.

"No! You can't leave! You guys can work this out! Please mum don't do this!" I shout, tears beginning to spill down my hot cheeks.

After everything, she's still my mum and despite our tensions recently, I don't want to lose her.

"Baby girl," she moves towards me and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into her. "Don't cry. Everything going to be okay." She stokes my hair gently and I can feel her tears dampening my hair.

"You can't go," I say, letting myself sob into her shoulder. She holds me tightly in her arms for a moment before moving back to the sink, this time facing my father and I.

"Ellie," it's my dad's turn to address me, his voice soft. "Me and your mother haven't been okay for years. This is just the tip of the iceberg. She can't stay here anymore. She's..." he gulps in some fresh hair and I can tel he's trying to hide his tears. "She's broken my heart."

He drops his gaze to his coffee, shielding his eyes from us. My mum loves past me, her hand brushing my head. "I'll pack a bag now."

I want to scream until my lungs are raw. My family is slowly being ripped apart at the seams and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

She heads upstairs, leaving my dad and I in the kitchen, not speaking, not doing much of anything. I reach for a mug, even though I don't feel like having anything to drink.

My dad shifts on the stool and I turn to face him. He's looking up now and I take this moment to process his brokenness- his eyes have dark rings under them along with tear tracks.

This is breaking him apart.

"Did you know about it?" his voice is quiet and lacks accusation but I still feel a stab of guilt for never telling him about this.

"She told me she stopped. I saw her texting this guy and she-"my voice cracks and I feel more tears begin to spill over my cheeks, "she promised me it wouldn't happen again. I didn't- I'm sorry-"

"Ellie it's not your fault. You...you...I'm not mad at you. I understand why you didn't tell me. She's your mum," he says, his tone still soft and soothing.

"And she's your wife. Please dad don't make her do this!"

He runs a hand over his face as I hear my mum move down the stairs. "It wasn't my choice," he says, his eyes meeting mine.

"What do you mean? She wouldn't-" he cuts me off with a raised voice.

"She wanted to Ellie okay? She wants to fuck off and find another family. It was her choice!" he yells.

I feel like I've just been slapped across the face and punched in the gut all at once. I step back from my dad, my heart even more broken than before. He covers a hand over his mouth, regret seeping into his gaze and tears beginning to slip down his face.

My mum has re-entered the room now, with a duffle bag slung over her slender shoulder. I catch the regretful look she gives to my distraught father and turn to her with a steely stare.

"Is that true? He's not kicking you out? You're just leaving us?" My heart is heavy and I don't think it's possible to feel more broken than now.

"I have to get out of here Elle. This city. This house-"

I cut her off.

"This family? This husband? This daughter!" My throat is raw and dry but Im still screaming at her, "why do this mum? Why break apart our family? Why?!"

Everything is gone. My perfect parents are fracturing in front of me. My mother is slipping from my grasp. And I can only watch in horror as my life falls apart.

"Because!" fresh tears are glinting in her deep blue eyes and her stare meets mine. "I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant with his baby and he wants to look after me."

My dad stands up from his seat and faces my mother. "And I can't look after you? I can't- Me? Your husband? We can't get through this? Is that what your saying? That he loves you more! Cara you are breaking my heart!" he's sobbing now, uncontrollably but my mother does nothing to console him. Neither do I.

I don't know what to say anymore.

But my mum does.

"You already broke mine."

And then she's gone. With a slammed door. And a growl of a car engine. And the screech of tires.

She's left us.

And my family just fell apart at the seams.

-*-
Hello!

Hopefully these updates are going to be a bit more regular as I'm hoping to finish the book in the next couple of months.

However I am starting back at work soon and so these updates may become once a week!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment telling me what you think is going to happen next!

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