Addicted

Chapter 71.

After his confession we went back downstairs to join everyone but on the way I needed to use the bathroom to clean myself up a little bit. Zac insisted on waiting for me, but I knew my way back from here. After going to the toilet and cleaning myself up, making sure my makeup and hair were still presentable.

I left the bathroom, walking down the steps lightly. When I reached the bottom steps, two massive doors on my left caught my attention. One door was slightly ajar.

I walked towards it, the large room enticing me until I reached the door and tentatively opened the door to reveal a wall to wall library.

"Wow," I murmur to myself. I went to the closest wall and began lightly tracing over the book spines. It smelt so nice in here. It smelt similar to Last Words, but it was more of a richer old smell of paper.

"Do you read, dear?" a voice called, and I jumped turned around and in the far left was a woman sitting on a throne like chair with red felt material. She wore a dark blue coat dress with pearls. Her hair was cut short like a white cloud on her head. I couldn't help but compare her to the Queen.

"Pardon?" I ask.

"Do you read, Dear?" she repeats, a posh accent laced in her voice.

"Yes Ma'am." I began walking closer.

"What's your favourite book?" she asks. A book lay on her lap and she left it open to keep her eyes on me.

"Pride and Prejudice," I confess.

"Ah, typical. If there is anything that I taught my children and grandkids, it is to be original."

As I got closer to her, her age began to show more and more.

"There's nothing unoriginal about liking Pride and Prejudice. It is a great book and deserves the appreciation," I defend, and I hear her chuckle.

"Take a seat, Dear," she commands, and I do just that, sitting on the seat next to her.

"So, you're Isaacs new girl, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am, and you're his Grandmother?"

"Grandma Imogen." She nods her head. "I'm glad he has someone like you. He needs someone strong and independent in his life, not like that spineless blonde Isla is so fond about."

I smile to myself. At least there is one person in his family who doesn't like her.

"The years have been really tough for him," she tells me. The smell of tea was strong on her breath.

"Has it really? How so?" I asked, hoping she would share more about the boy I clearly didn't know much about, yet loved him so much. I leaned in closer.

"Oh yes, I think you can really help him with his addiction problem, terrible thing. Isla and Garret never knew how to handle it properly."

My head inches closer and the wind is knocked out of me. Did I hear her right?

Addiction problem...

It feels as if someone has ripped the floor from under me.

"Addiction problem?" I ask after what feels like a century of falling through the floor.

"Oh yes, Dear, hasn't he told you?" she asks, her forehead crinkled in worry. As nice and sweet of a lady she was, I could sense a darker side of her.

I didn't want her thinking that I didn't know.

I didn't want her thinking that maybe Zac wasn't in love with me enough to share this significant part of his life.

After a moment of thinking I decided it was best if I faked knowing.

"I know about it, but it's strange to hear it from his relative's perspective," I say, pulling this poor excuse out of thin air. "Was it terrible for you?" I ask.

"Very, Dear. I worried some days he would spend the night in jail. Of course, Isla would never allow that of her second born."

"When did it start? He's always very vague about it all," I ask. My mouth was dry and I felt like crying.

"It went on for years, Dear, starting from when he was sixteen. Then, there was all these debts building up from his addiction. Sometimes even strange men would come around demanding money or dropping him off at the doorstep..." her voice faded into the background but was still the peak of my interest.

I looked up from her to the room around me and met a pair of familiar light blue eyes staring back. Zac was standing at the door, his smile was wide and his eyes carefree, and I knew that even if I tried to smile, he would know that something was wrong anyway.

His eyes drifted over to my companion; his Grandmother, and I could see the gears working in his eyes, putting two and two together.

I found out.

I found out this secret he was keeping from me.

In his hand he held a champagne flute, and as his smile dropped with the realisation, so did his glass. It erupted on the floor and despite the soft lull of music in the background from the dining room. His Grandmother jumped slightly from the interruption.

"Isaac, Dear."

"I just met your lovely new girl," she says. "Her favourite book is Pride and Prejudice, isn't that just hilarious," she says.

"It is Grandma," he says.

"Please excuse me," I say to her in my most polite voice. "It was lovely to meet you," I add as I stand. I watch Zac leave the room and I try and make my way out of the room to catch up to him.