Chapter 25

Nick.

"Daddy?" escaped Miley's lips,

Her eyes looked into mine filled with a raging blind fury as she clutched the white sheets around her chest protectively. Miley was waiting for me to tell her that it wasn't true, that the little girl was lying, but instead my mouth lay open without any words coming out. What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to act? Apologize? Explain? What?

"You have a kid?" She spat waiting for an answer.

I turned my head slightly seeing Lucy awkwardly climbing off the bed, knowing she didn't want to be involved in this battle. She stepped towards her mom, who was staring between us proud she'd gotten front row seats to the fight of the century. Bitch.

"ANSWER ME!" Miley screamed her lip quivering.

My eyes shot back to Miles as she looked at me with contempt, "It's not that hard Nick, Yes or No? Just answer the question, is she your daughter or not?" I could already see that she knew the answer though, so why did she want me to say it? Why did she need to hear it from me?

"Yeah Nick answer the-"

"Shut the fuck up Selena." I snapped turning to my ex,

Sel instantly looked mockingly shocked as she frowned at me motioning to Lucy, adding a few clicks from her tongue. "Language Nick, remember we have a child in the room! My daughter, your-"

"You self centered evil-"

I moved to grab Selena and shake some sense into the whore's brain, as Miley stopped me throwing her arm out against my chest,

"NICK!"

"WHAT?" I yelled back looking to Miley who was becoming frantic,

"Answer the question, Yes or No?"

"Miley it's complicated and-"

"ANSWER ME FOR GOD'S SAKE"

"YES OKAY, yes she's my daughter, Lucy is my child." I yelled at her harshly,

Miley just stared at me her eyes wide trying to find any doubt in my own pupils, but I knew there wasn't any, Lucy was my daughter. I tried to calm down, but right now I was so pissed off and I didn't know what to say to help this situation, was there anything I could say? "Look Miley, I'm not cheating, I wouldn't do that to you! So you can think what ever the hell you want of me, but at the end of the day I was trying to protect you and-"

"He doesn't love you Miley, he was just lying to get you to screw him."

"SELENA!" I yelled,

She shrugged leaning on the door frame, "What? It's the truth,"

"No it's not-"

"Nick shut up." Miley hissed looking at Selena,

I saw the smirk grow as Sel strutted in knowing she was winning over my girlfriend, planting the seed of doubt in her confused head. I stopped realizing right now her explanation was a lot better then my failed cursing apology I'd just attempted. I need to calm down or she'd beat me and I'd loose Miley again.

"Miley don't listen to-"

"I said shut up," Miley snarled at me her eyes on Sel,

"Miley look at me, I'm the prefect example of what you're going to become, minus the money of course. I slept with Nick and look what we ended up with, her." Sel motioned to Luce who was up against the wall still, "Give it another year and this could be you, he's afraid of relationships Miley. Nick won't commit so why bother trying with him? He'll just get you pregnant and dump you like me! Plus I doubt you could afford to look after a child considering you are just a-"

"Selena stop it" I begged, "This isn't the truth, stop lying. Just because I-"

"You can't commit with anyone Nick, you aren't able to-"

"No I can, Miley," I begged looking towards her, "I can, I love you."

"Your just another one of your girlfriends Miley, added to his list of accomplishments. Plus do you really want to deal with his excess baggage? I mean come on, we hate each other already, and you're going to have to deal with me a lot more if you stick around and let's face it that will only be until Nick finds a richer improved version of you." Selena continued as I stared at her speechless,

"What is wrong with you?" I hissed at her, "You are completely-"

"Honest, she might as well hear it now."

"You're a bitch, you know that, you are a real-"

"Oh I'm sorry I'm such a bitch, but who made me this way Nick? Who?"

"You were always like this-"

"NO, no I wasn't, not until we had Lucy and you dumped me!"

"It wasn't just my fault!"

"YES IT WAS! I didn't want a kid Nick!" Selena yelled at me furious,

"Stop it." Miley snapped, "STOP TALKING. BOTH OF YOU."

She suddenly threw the sheet down and climbed out of the bed,

"Miley wait," I begged,

I rolled and crawled tangled in the bed sheets as I reached out grasping the long shirt that belonged to me pulling her back. Miley turned pushing my hand away as her hand flew to slap my face, only for me to dodge the blow. "Get your lying deceiving hands off me!" She yelled furious

She swung her hand again as I jumped up onto my knees, "Miley I'm sorry"

"SORRY? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You-"

Her hand collided with my shoulder as the first tear fell, "YOU LIED TO ME! You have a little girl and you just forgot to tell me that? You lied to my face! After everything, you didn't tell me! I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING NICK!"

I shook my head pleading as I headed off the bed keeping it between us knowing it wasn't safe, not with her so emotional right now. Tears began to fall rapidly down her devastated face as she shook her head,

"Miley please just hear me out, listen-"

"No, no you listen." She spat, "I've gone through all this shit for you but I'm not taking it anymore. I love you, and I don't know what you feel for me but I know something in you cares for me. To do this though, it's unacceptable Nick! Did you ever even consider that maybe if you'd told me I might have accepted it? Maybe if you'd sat me down weeks ago you might not be in this position? But your idiotic self centered brain clearly thought too less of me that you'd rather keep me out of the loop, you practically used my ignorance to your advantage." She hissed pointing her finger at me as I looked at her,

"Miley I do love you, and I was scared that you'd react-"

"LIKE THIS?" Miley stated throwing her arms up, "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?"

"Miley, I was going to tell you about Lucy, I was but-"

"No you weren't," Miley whispered, "You had so many opportunities and you know what… you blew them all! I'm not going to be part of this anymore, not a chance, and it's not because you have a daughter."

"Miley-"

"It's because you are just like her,"

Miley motioned to Selena her eyes locked on mine, "You two are prefect for each other, you know why? Because you only care about your goddamn selves! You are both terrible parents and never should have been allowed to have a child the way you are speaking! Everyone else including your daughter is just there for your entertainment, we're all the hired help."

She turned and grabbed the bathroom door throwing it open as it hit the back wall bouncing back. I rushed around the bed realizing that the bathroom also lead out into the other hallway, I tried to stop her only for Miley to slam the door. I grasped the knob pulling it as the lock slid across,

"We're done Nick, we're finished." Miley whispered from the other side.

"Miley I love you."

"I don't care, not anymore."

There was a deadly silence as I spun to see Selena still hovering near the doorway. There was a small smirk across her expression as she just shrugged looking at me,

"It was always going to happen Nick."

"You bitch,"

I threw myself towards her as she slapped me across the face and I pushed her back against the wall. "You get the fuck out of my house you hear me? You are never to come back here, ever! I don't want to see your ugly manipulative face near me again?"

Selena just smiled and ducked under my arm, "Then give me custody."

"No I'm not giving you custody of Luce-"

I stopped and turned looking around the room only to freeze,

"Where's Lucy?"

Miley.

I'd never felt like this before.

I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip Nick Gray to tiny insignificant pieces and turn them into dust. Selena was completely right, he had clear intentions with me and now that he'd completed them I would most likely be discarded, because I was trash, I was just rubbish to him. Clearly I wasn't important enough to be told he had a child, so why bother continuing to be fake to my face. How could he do this though? We'd been dating for fucking months and he just tried to hide his daughter? What kind of person does that? I thought he was different, and yesterday I honestly believed that maybe we could be okay, but now, there was no fucking chance I was letting myself continue like this.

I flew down the stairs crying, not in sadness or in pain, but sheer anguish for Nick Gray. For how he'd treated me, for how he treated his daughter and for how he treated himself. I rushed to the front door not bothering to collect my clothing from upstairs or my bag as I fled out the front door. I froze realizing my escape was to be short lived my car wasn't here, because Nick drove me here.

I sucked in a breath calming my tears as I quickly returned to the house making a quick brainless decision. I grabbed Nick's car keys for the Lexus and returned outside in a hurry heading towards the car. He could report it stolen for all I freakin cared, I would go to jail but I didn't give a fuck I just wanted to get the hell away from him and that devil.

I got to the car as it unlocked only to hear the loud sobbing.

I held the keys tightly and turned around to see one of Nick's tall oak trees, they definitely did not cry. I shook my head and turned back only to hear the sobbing continue but above me this time. I looked up and followed the branches back to the main trunk of the tree,

"Oh god," I whispered,

I dropped the keys ad quickly rushed over to the base of the tree looking up,

"Lucy," I called out scared, "Come down here right now!"

"NO!" She screamed back at me, "No, no, NO!"

My eyes widened as I looked at the little girl perched unstably on the tree branch. Her eyes swollen as she continued to sob clutching the branches for support while she cried her little heart out,

"Lucy-"

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Lucy I'm-"

"NO! They hate me, they've always hated me!" She cried,

"No...no they-"

"Mommy and daddy don't love me do they?"

"Of course they-"

"MOMMY HATES ME!"

"Lucy-"

I looked at the little girl and felt my own pain ease, she was only a little kid and to hear what her parents just said would have destroyed her. All because of me. "You're mommy and daddy love you so much Lucy," I pleaded looking at the tree as she shook her head, "Why don't you come down, and you can go inside and-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE."

"Do what?"

"They always fight, always, and I just want it to stop. This is all my fault."

"No it's not,"

I moved forward climbing onto a large rock getting a few feet closer, "It's not Lucy, the problems your mommy and daddy are having don't have anything to do with you. Your mommy she is just mad at your daddy because sometimes he isn't a good person, and your daddy is upset with your mommy too." I tried to help reason with the girl as she looked at me with her curls, just like Nick's,

"But they make it sounds like I'm their problem."

"Oh no, trust me you aren't a problem at all."

"Yes I am, yes-"

"Of course you're not, how could you be a problem?" I asked,

"But you're mad because of me, you're leaving my daddy and-"

"That isn't because of you Lucy." I whispered as she stared at me her tears finally stopping as she clutched the branches, "It's because sometimes things aren't meant to be, not all boys are prince charming."

"But daddy always talks about you."

She looked at me biting her lip Lucy's eyes welling with tears, "He made you sound like you'd be my new mommy, that you'd marry Daddy!" She whispered as I just stared at her unable to say anything, because I didn't know how I could crush the idea that not everyone had a happily ever after.

"I'm not going to marry your daddy Luce,"

"But I want you too."

She looked straight at me and let go of the branch as I froze. I watched panicked as she moved along the creaking branch towards me stopping just above my head,

"I like you Miley, you actually talked to me. The others all left when they found out about me because I'm a excess baggage"

I frowned hearing the girl repeat her mother's words, "Well you aren't the reason I'm running okay-"

"But I like you, I want you to stay!"

I smiled reaching up and offering her my hand, "I like you too, but-"

"I want you to stay with my daddy."

She looked at me her bright brown eyes staring down into mine pleadingly while the curls swarmed across her small-featured face. I shook my head feeling my lip quivering and tears threatening

"I can't Lucy,"

She looked at me trying to understand as I saw her brow crinkle ready to start another torrent of tears. I opened my mouth blurting out the only thing I could think of to stop her from crying and come down from the ancient tree,

"But we can be friends?"

Lucy's forehead instantly relaxed as a smile suddenly appeared,

"Really?"

"Ummm yeah sure," I stated nodding, "I mean we can go to the movies or something."

"I want to go see the flowers!"

"The-"

"At your work I want to see the flowers." She whispered, "Daddy talks about the flowers, I want to see them."

She looked down at me as I nodded, "I can arrange that, if you want?"

Lucy nodded and reached out talking my hand entwining her small painted fingers with mine. I carefully leaned up and took her weight with my other arm while carefully balancing on the rock,

"OH MY GOD LUCY!" I heard Selena scream,

I stumbled in fright as I felt hands grasp my waist stopping my fall. I turned quickly glancing at Nick as his face looked at me strained, but relieved. I frowned and placed Lucy on the ground as Selena instantly dragged her into a hug,

"Lucy what have I told you about climbing trees! I said no more! I said-"

"I'm fine mommy."

"You could have fallen and-"

I moved away from Nick's grasp looking at Lucy as she smiled, "Miley helped me down, she said we could be friends, she's taking me to her florist." Lucy declared as Nick looked at me surprised,

"Lucy that's not going to happen." Selena stated cutting her dream off.

Lucy frowned, "Yes it is,"

"No it's not, daddy and Miley aren't together any-"

"I know that," Luce stated with attitude pushing her mother away, "But me and Miley can still be friends, you can't ruin everything for me! I'm allowed to hang out with Miley even if you don't,"

We all stared at Lucy as she spun looking at me, "Right Miley?"

"Right," I whispered meekly,

I glanced at Nick to see him staring towards his car as I realized,

"But not today, I'm leaving Lucy. You come over anytime okay?"

She nodded happily, "Okay bye Miley,"

"See you soon,"

"Yeah Lucy,"

I turned and walked past Nick only for him to lunge at the keys on the ground. I quickly kicked them away and snatched them off the drive turning to him shaken up, "I'm borrowing your car, come get it tomorrow from the florist."

"Miley," He whispered, "Please don't-"

"I can't do this, not anymore. Bye Nick."

I turned to the car and climbed in refusing to glance at them. I started the engine and reversed unsure of what had just happened, the clear break I'd wanted had now been retied together by a determined little girl and I wouldn't let it change anything. I didn't want to look back, but as I drove out of the driveway I couldn't help but glance to see Selena fighting with a now determined Luce while Nick just stood their scratching the back of his neck…he was crying.

A/N I didn't really like this chapter at all, but oh well :( Thanks for all the nice reviews and the support you all are amazing! I've had a few people ask for my twitter so it's bec93 but it's my personal one so...but regardless come follow and ramble to me :P