The Beard

Chapter Thirty-Six

"What?" I stagger back before gathering my senses. I step forward and take a seat next to him on the couch. "He had a heart attack?"

Sebastian's head is back in his hands. He nods but says nothing else. I blow out a breath, shaking away the disbelief I feel. I would have never wished for that to happen to anyone. Yes, I had talked an extremely big game, but having a heart attack is so serious. Though I still can't help but feeling like this is karma.

"Is he still...alive?" I ask softly, my voice quiet, almost a whisper.

Sebastian breathes in and finally lifts his head. He leans back against the couch. "Yeah, he's okay. He's at the hospital, my mom is there visiting him now."

Subconsciously, I had begun to hold my breath, but with Sebastian's assurance, I let that breath out. I feel immense relief that his dad is okay, but the reason is terrible. I'm relieved because I didn't want to be responsible in some otherworldly way. When I found out that Damien had hit Sebastian, I had thought so many horrible things about him, things I'm ashamed to have thought.

"What happened?" I dare to ask. Now I'm just hoping Sebastian won't snap at me.

Sebastian takes a deep breath and I brace myself for what's to come. I'm actually a little surprised when he lets the breath out.

"You know the fight with Cody?" He starts by asking. I nod my head, confused on why he would start there. "Well, when that happened, my dad had been on a business trip so they had called my mom instead. She wasn't exactly happy that I had gotten in a fight, but she knows I had a reason. She's understanding like that, you know?"

I give a small smile despite the circumstances. "Yeah, I know." I nod my head. "Moms are pretty great."

"Well, I never told her why, but she didn't care, you know? Anyways, my dad comes back from his trip, fuck." Sebastian pauses, his eyes closed and his hand now gripping his blonde hair. "He knew, Emie. Somehow the picture had gotten to him. I don't know from who or when, but he had the fucking picture on his phone."

Stupidly, I almost ask how, but I catch myself before I can utter the question. Instead, I place my hand on his leg, squeezing to show my support. I want him to take his time and not rush to breach such a serious topic. I know I had kind of forced my way in, but only because I can't keep letting Sebastian bottle his emotions up.

"He came at me." Sebastian finally speaks. His jaw is clenched and I'm sure if it gets any tighter, he'll break a tooth. "He got home, saw me, and came at me. He was like a fucking bull, Emie. I was actually scared for my life."

I can just imagine an angry Damien. His nostrils would be flared and his face would be red. I can picture the way his potbelly would juggle as he runs towards Sebastian, his large frame so intimidating that Sebastian's heart probably stilled in that moment. It makes me happy that Simon isn't around to see all this.

"And my mom...Emie, my mom got in front of him." Sebastian raises his voice, showing me how shocked he is that his mom would step in front of his raging father. "He hit her and honestly, I don't think he meant to. I really don't, not with the way my dad loves my mom."

"Oh, god." I mumble, biting my lip after. "Is she okay?"

Sebastian only nods. He sighs and looks over at me. "Her body just kind of flopped on the ground you know? She hit it so damn hard and I got so mad. I didn't think, I just knew that I needed to show him that he can't do this. So I got in his face and I felt like a rabid dog.

He was so shocked, I think mostly from the fact that he hit her, but shocked nonetheless. I was yelling so loud, Emie, I had a sore throat for days. But I had to get my point across. My dad, he lifted a hand to stop me I guess, but I knocked it away and that's when he fell. He just fell and I didn't know what to do. He was clutching his chest, but I just stood there."

Sebastian's voice cracks and I know that I need to do something to comfort him, anyting to calm his guilt. I already know that Sebastian is blaming himself for his dad's heart attack. But it's not his fault. It can't be Sebastian's fault. I climb into his lap, straddling him. My arms are thrown around his neck, pulling him into me so his head can lay agaisnt my chest as he cries.

"Fuck, I just stood there." He's trembling in my arms so I hold him tighter. "My mom brought me back to my senses. She had me call the police so they could get an ambulance, you know? Jesus Christ. I thought I killed him."

I pull back and hold Sebastian's face up. My hands are holding his cheeks tightly and my face is stern. This point has to get across.

"Listen here, Sebastian," I start. "This is most definitely not your fault. Your dad is a businessman, he runs his own company. That's a lot of stress, okay? And, I'm sorry, but he doesn't have the best health. You cannot blame yourself for something that was inevitable. He should've never exerted himself by trying to harm you."

Sebastian says nothing. He closes his eyes and I know he's trying to hide even though we're face to face. He doesn't want to admit that he has nothing to do with his father's heart attack. That's okay, it'll take time for his guilt to go.

"Is your mom okay? Like okay, okay?"

Sebastian nods, acknowledging that question. "Yeah. She's fine, just a little shaken up. This has kind of pushed up the process."

I furrow my eyebrows, confused by his words. "What process?"

Sebastian opens his eyes. His tears are gone, but his cheeks are still wet. "I'm his heir, Emie. now that my dad...now that he's not able to perform, I'll have to take over the company faster than expected."

For some reason, his words make me sad. We had always talked about going to college together when we were still dating. Both of us knew it was a long shot, but it was still something we liked to dream about. We would've maybe taken a year off so that we could enjoy our final years as teenagers, but that dream is long forgotten. Sebastian would have to go away to a nice university while I'll do my years at a community college.

"Is that what you want?" I ask him. I don't think anyone has asked him this question, not for a long time.

"I can't complain. My life is laid out for me and while I haven't gotten a chance to explore my options, I can't be upset."

I blow out a breath and move my face closer to his, resting my forehead on his. "Then...we'll just have to make the most out of these last two months."

With that, my lips press against his.

*Another chapter has passed by. This is more of a filler so it's a bit shorter than normal, sorry about that. I want to also say this chapter is a lot heavier than other parts of the story. It deals with themes of domestic abuse which is never okay. If any of you, or anyone you know is dealing with that, just know that there's someone who cares. You don't have to deal with it. So, on a lighter note, how did you like this chapter? Also, did you expect them to kiss? Do you think Emie kissed Sebastian out of some kind of pity and sympathy? Let me know with a comment and please don't forget to vote. Thanks for reading.*