Angel looked over at Claudette. She was so beautiful in the evening sun. Her shoulder long, chestnut brown hair was hanging loose. Her grass green eyes were looking through the window. She probably wasn't looking at anything. She started cracking her knuckles and he reached a hand over to stop her.
"Sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous."
"You don't have to do this," he said.
"I have to. For my own sanity. Everyone should know the truth. I'm tired of them all blaming me and calling me a bad daughter for never visiting," she blinked a couple of times. "They all blame me, Angel. They blame me. I didn't do anything wrong."
He quickly hugged her before she broke down and started crying. She could cry all she wanted after. Right now she had to be strong in order to get through it.
"I'm right here with you, Claudette," he said.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Ready?" He asked.
"I'm ready," she said.
She blew out her breath and opened the car door. They walked into the building where her mother and stepfather were celebrating their 20 years wedding anniversary. She was 9 when they married. She had no memory of even meeting her stepfather before her mother came and told her she had gotten remarried, and that she now had a new father and brother. With that stepfather came a 15 year old son named Matt Riddle.
"Claudette!" A voice yelled.
She froze at the sound of Riddle's voice. Angel recognized Riddle from his facebook profile. Riddle came walking with a grin on his face, and Angel was quick to pull Claudette up against his side to try and shield her. She had endured nine years in hell beause of that man. No way would he get close enough to touch her if Angel had a say.
"You came," Riddle said. "Let me get you some champagne."
"She doesn't drink," Angel said.
"And who may you be?" Riddle asked.
"I'm her boyfriend," Angel said.
"Controlling, are we?" Riddle asked.
"I don't drink because I'm an alcoholic," Claudette said. "I stopped drinking four years ago and I'd like to keep it that way."
"You never told me," Riddle said. "But then again, you haven't spoken to me for a long time. It's like you don't care about me the same way I care about you."
Angel tigtened his arm around Claudette's shoulders. It took everything in him to not punch Riddle. Claudette had been an alcoholic because of this man. Riddle just smirked before turning around and walking away.
"I wanna kill him so bad," Angel whispered.
"Me too," Claudette whispered back.
Someone tapped a knife against a glass. The entire room went quiet, and they all looked over at Claudette's mother.
"Please, take you seats," she said.
They all sat down and had food served. Claudette and Angel couldn't eat. They just pushed the food around on the plate. Everyone was talking and enjoying themselves while emptying their plates. Claudette waited until everyone seemed to have finished the first dish. She tapped her knife against her glass, and the room went quiet. She stood up and cleared her throat.
"Over the years a lot of you have reached out, asking me why I never attend any birthdays or family gatherings," Claudette said.
"Pretty selfish of you," one of her aunts said.
"Selfish," Claudette gritted her teeth. "20 years ago my mother brought a new man and his son into my life. She told me they were my new father and brother, and that I would love them no matter what."
She looked down at Angel. He smiled warmly at her, nodded, took her hand and gave it a squeeze. He was right there with her.
"Most of you remember I was a scared kid. You often made fun of me because of it," she said.
Some of the guests chuckled and nodded.
"Riddle here," Claudette pointed at Riddle. "He would come to my room when I was scared. Well, I was scared because he came to my room but you all got told the other version. How he was a good big brother comforting me."
"Claudette!" Riddle growled.
Claudette ignored Riddle's threatening growl. There was a time she was scared of him. He couldn't hurt her anymore. Not the way he used to.
"He loved playing hide and seek," she continued. "Not the traditional game. No, he was hiding something under the duvet that I had to find. I would have to touch it and move my hand up and down, and something sticky would come out. Of course that game was only fun for a while. Then other games started happening. I had to use my mouth next."
Someone gasped in horror. It was the same aunt that had just called her selfish.
"And you can probably imagine what came after that," Claudette said. "For two years my hand and mouth were enough, but when I turned 11, he took my virginity."
"Enough!" Her mother slammed her hand down on the table.
"No, it's not fucking enough!" Claudette yelled. "Everyone needs to know the truth. I'm not a selfish daughter not caring about visiting my parents. I'm a woman who was abused as a child, and you knew. I overheard you talking about how he promised to stop, and you believed him. You believed him and didn't care to check up on me, so I continued to suffer until I turned 18 and could get out. I suffered for 9 years. And when I finally got away, the memories kept haunting me to a point where I started drinking. I was an alcoholic for years."
Claudette looked around. Everyone looked horrified at what she had just revealed. She turned her eyes back to her mother.
"Congratulations to my egg donor and the man she chose to marry who brought a pedophile into my life," she said. "May you all rot in hell. I'm done here. Never contact me again."
She pushed her chair back and walked out of the room. Once out of it, she started running through the building to get outside. She heard footsteps run after her. She knew it was Angel before he finally reached her outside. He wrapped his arms around her and she broke down sobbing.
"It's okay, Claudette. It's okay, mi amor. I'm so proud of you," he said.
He managed to open the car door, help her into the passenger seat and get the seat belt secured. He ran around the car and got in on his side. She kept crying while he started the engine and drove away.
"You did so good," he said. "So fucking good. I'm so fucking proud of you, mi amor."
He kept telling her over and over how proud he was. After a while she went silent. He glanced over to look at her. Her face was red and swollen from crying so much. He pulled over and took her hand. She turned her head and settled her green eyes on him.
"I did the right thing, right?" She asked.
"Yes," he answered. "They all needed to know what was done to you. Riddle, he... He's sick, Claudette. He's a very sick man. Who knows who else he might have done this to, or who he might planned on doing it to? Now that it's out in the open, hopefully someone else will come forward, or your family will beat his sorry ass."
"My mother must be so mad at me," she said.
"You think?" He chuckled. "Sorry, it's not a time for laughing but it is your mother. She's all about appearance. Her perfect little family picture shattered in front of everyone today. She's done. She's gonna hang her head in shame forever. They're all gonna shun her, and she deserves it."
She leaned over and hugged him. He placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled at her.
"You're so strong, mi amor. I love you so much," he said.
"I love you too," she said.
"Okay, let's go home," he said. "How about I run you a bubble bath once we get home and pour some of that pear cider you like in a fancy glass so you can pretend to be a stuck up woman with her life under control?"
She let out a laugh at that. It was music to his ears to hear her laugh after all the tears she had just shed.
"Does that roleplay come with donuts too?" She asked.
"I'll drive by the donut place and buy all your favorites," he said.
"That's gonna be a big box," she said.
"It'll be worth it to see you smile," he said. "Should we order takeout and watch a movie afterwards?"
"I want a four cheese pizza with garlic," she said. "You can pick the movie. I don't care what we watch as long as I can lie in your arms."
