Him and I (Declan Harp)

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Anna

The warmth of a fire in a fireplace kept me warm, but I still found myself at the cold window, looking out it with my arms crossed. I'd rather look out at the world that I've been taken from then look at the man sitting behind me.

"Anna?" My father's voice said behind me as he sat at a table. "Look at me, please," He half begged.

A scuff left my lips, "Look at you?" My head turned to look at the man, "That's new."

A sigh left my father, Edward's, lips as he looked down at the table. "Anna, I know you must hate me-"

Quickly I cut him off, pointing my finger at him as I took a small step away from the window. "No, no, don't try to switch this conversation around. I didn't hate you, you hated me." My voice was full of anger as I spoke.

Edward looked at me confused, "I never hated you."

My voice rose, showing how pissed I was at the man before me. "Then you hated the man I love! I mean Grace wasn't thrilled to meet Declan Harp or about the path I've chosen but she never turned her back on me. Never. You were the one who told us that family stays together no matter what. But one look at Declan and you wiped that sentence away."

"Anna-"

"I told you I loved him, that I wanted to marry him, that he made me happy. And what did you do? You told me that if I walked out that door with him then I would not be wanted back. That I wasn't part of this family anymore."

"And you walked out with him. Because you are a strong women," Edward said, trying to make his words clear as he used the opportunity to speak. He began to chuckle, "You were always harder to control. No one could ever tell you not to do something, and if someone tried then you'd do it anyways just to prove a point."

My head turned back to the window as the room drew silent.

"I know I haven't been the best father-"

Quickly I shook my head, turning back towards Edward, "No. You're not my father."

"We're family though."

"But we're not blood. We're water that's separated by land," I said, my arm swooping the air in front of me.

I let out a breath as I pulled out the chair in front of the table, sitting down. My elbows sat on my legs as I ran my fingers through my hair.

When Edward spoke up, his voice cracked, sadness in them. "Must give you some happiness. Hm? See your useless old man get his comeuppance for all the pain I've caused. I'm sure you've dreamed of this day."

Fake smiling, I looked up at Edward, shaking my head. "Don't flatter yourself, Edward. You never made it into my dreams. You left us to fend for ourselves. Grace and I had to rely on each other to make it through this world."

"And you both thrived! You showed as much mettle as any man could. You both learned how to be tough, to be strong. My failings became your successes. I don't know how my wrongdoings have now landed you here, but-"

I stood up, pointing my finger at Edward. "See, there you go again. Not everything is about you dad. Why I'm here, is because of me. Not because of you, not because of Declan, but because of me. I sought out revenge for my son just as much as Declan. I lost the fight that got me here. I'm the one that's pregnant."

Edward looks at me shocked, his mouth dropping slightly.

Continuing, I said, "Why I'm here, why I'm alive is only because Benton probable wants to kill me in front of Declan or wait until my unborn child is born to kill me."