Secrets

The waiter returned with our drinks, then left again since Valentine seemed to have already ordered everyone's dinner. Everyone's eyes were on Valentine, well all but Clary's who kept going from her birth father to Jonathan and I and down to her lap. The only explanation was that she was texting everything that was happening to someone, whether it was Isabelle or Jace I didn't know. The atmosphere around the table was so heavy and tense that if anyone were to walk towards us I'm sure they'd walk straight into an invisible wall.

"Is this about the divorce?" Jonathan asked in a bored tone. "It was just one stupid case."

Valentine's dark gaze fell upon his son with a cold glance. "It wasn't just some stupid case." He stated. "It was the case of a close friend of mine, or at least he was." As he spoke his eyes moved to me and my stomach fell through the floor and landed in the dinning room right below us. I felt sick. How much did Valentine know about me? I thought he was just some creepy old guy offering housing to a random girl a year ago, maybe I was wrong.

"Was that case so important that you let your family fall apart?" Jocelyn hissed and Clary's head snapped up from her lap. Her green eyes, just like her mother's, were wide and full of questions.

"You knew from the start that my work was important. That it would keep me away for days on end. You said 'I do' and goodbye, Jocelyn." Valentine's tone never changed, it stayed even and firm. "I never wanted you to go."

"It was a month Valentine. You abandoned us for a month without any word." Jocelyn's face was turning red like her hair. Her eyes wild with distaste and anger. Luke was looking at her with a sort of sympathy. He loved her, it was plainly clear in his face, while Valentine's expression never changed. Maybe he loved her at first, but not anymore. He showed no emotion or spared the woman a single glance as he spoke.

"And yet I still believed in him, mother." Jonathan spoke up. His dark eyes narrowed at his mother who flinched away. "Four years old and I choose him over you and him." Jonathan's glare slipped from his mother to Luke who didn't seem fazed.

Four years old! That's when she left. Clary would have been only three, and wouldn't remember any of it.

"What made the case so special?" Clary asked and the side of Valentine's mouth quirked up.

"The friend of mine was arrested for the attempted murder of his daughter. Of course in the end the case fell through because his wife wouldn't testify against him, and the neighbors had no evidence to the claim." Valentine answered his daughter, but he wasn't looking at her. His black eyes were locked with my hazel ones and with a nervous gulp of air I felt my stomach land in the center on the earth where it shriveled and burned with fear. I didn't want to think about what was going on. Clary followed his gaze before looking down at her lap and I could practically hear the clicking as she typed away a text.

"Nathan?" Luke spoke up. "Our junior from high school."

Valentine's eyes moved away from me. "Yes, Nathan Tyler." Now Jonathan looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I felt like puking. "I had to help him, so I did everything I could, and it worked. He was let go and returned to his family."

"How could you do that?" Jocelyn gasped.

"Because I had made a deal with him. That's what took the whole month. He wouldn't hand over his daughter, but he agreed to hand over custody if something should ever happened to him or his wife. His wife wouldn't sign the papers and kept yelling, "Who-""

""-needs that useless trash."" I finished for him. The words were like acid on my tongue. I stared at my bubbling liquid, unable to meet any of the eyes that stared at me. I wasn't scared, or embarrassed. I was ashamed. Of my pathetic father, of my horribly selfish mother. I couldn't believe I even came from them.

"Valentine?" Jocelyn asked startled.

"I had another long case just over a year ago at the end of October," Valentine continued like I hadn't interrupted him. "Nathan and Emily had fallen from their apartment and died. It was a horrible case, everyone thought they had decided to die together, or that someone had killed them, but that wasn't the case. They hated each other. Loathed one another to no end, but were high school sweethearts determined to show their parents wrong. They had been fighting relentlessly since their wedding and the issues had just boiled over. They fought and by accident they fell and perished." Valentine explained and I clamped my hands together. I had long since removed my jacket and I could only fiddle with the hem of my blouse as I listened to his words.

I could see the whole scene in my head. The yelling, the raised hands, the looks of complete hatred as they charged towards me. The only thing Valentine didn't know was that they hadn't fallen through the window on their own. I could feel the color drain from my face as I saw them plummet to the cement. The scarlet splattering everywhere, the motionless figures in the pooling red. It made my stomach churn and I was sure I was going to puke.

"Then," Luke began but Valentine cut him off quickly.

"I handled all the legalities and took in the child like Nathan and Emily had given me the right to do." Valentine concluded and my heart stopped.

My head snapped up and I stared at his arrogant expression. "You're my legal guardian?" I blurted out catching everyone's attention.

"You didn't know?" Clary muttered.

"You've made me pay rent." I accused ignoring the redhead.

"And it's been collected in a savings account for whatever you want to do with it once you're out of high school." He replied without pause.

"I could have sued her without a problem?" I questioned as I pointed to Jocelyn who looked insulted.

"I asked you if you wanted to." Valentine brushed it off smoothly.

"Why didn't you tell me you worked on my parents case?" I demanded slamming my hands down on the table. Clary was the only one who jumped. Jonathan next to me watched on with a blank expression.

"Because it wasn't important. It didn't involve you." He said matter-of-factly.

My temper was boiling. My mouth was running wild. I was a complete mess. I was angry, sad, upset, lonely, and nervous. I couldn't tell why or what was to be so freaked for but I was. I slammed my hands down on the table again and jumped to my feet knocking my chair back. "You bastard. You know nothing!" All eyes widened. "I had everything to do with their deaths. They deserved it too. I only wished they would have burned instead of fallen!" My voice raised and I was sure I was gaining the attention of the other V.I.P. diners, but I didn't care, and neither did my mouth. "I pushed them! I got rid of them! And I would do it again. I hated them, and they hated me." I glared right at Valentine, but he showed no sign of caring.

Then everything seemed to happen at once. Clary was lifting her phone to her ear while I was storming through the mob of waiters delivering our meal. I pushed past them all until I was out the French doors that led to the stairs. I could hear the commotion I left behind me as I descended the stairs, rubbing away the stupid tears that had sprung up out of nowhere. I collided with someone at the bottom of the stairs. I pulled back to apologize until I saw who it was.

It was Jace. Phone pulled away from his ear and Clary's frantic voice chirping from the speaker. We stared at each other for a moment, at a complete lost. This wasn't exactly expected, but surely Clary was planning something having her boyfriend show up in the middle of her messed up family dinner.

"You okay?" Jace finally spoke as he closed his phone ending Clary's calling of his name.

"Clary been texting you?" I asked trying to will the tears to stop. They didn't. As my bad mood increased the tears fell harder, strangling my throat, and leaving me staring at the pale golden outline of Jace's head.

"Yeah." He exhaled.

"Then you know the answer to that stupid question." I mumbled.

Jace's phone began ringing in his hand and he looked down at it before opening it and pressing it to his ear. "Clary it's a family dinner. I can't go. Bye." He said and I could hear her hiss over the phone as he hung up.

"You're dead when she gets a hold of you." I stated as I began pushing past him.

"Yeah, well I can't always save her." He sighed as he stepped aside.

As I made my way past the matradee Jace followed after me. I glared over my shoulder at him. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Do you have money for a cab?" He challenge pushing open the door of Taki's and stepping out into the freezing winter night. I had forgotten my coat, again. I really need to start to remember to grab it when I hurry out of a place.

"No." I answered wrapping my arms around myself as we stepped outside.

"Then I'll give you a lift, my bike's out back." He said heading for a side parking lot for a neighboring shop.

"You ride a bike?" I inquired as I rubbed at the annoying tears that felt like they were freezing to my face.

"Of course I do." He chuckled. "And here." He dumped his jacket on my head. How many times was this going to happen to me? Getting saved by the last person I expected, when I really needed a getaway. First Jonathan, then Mark, and now Jace. When was it going to stop?

I pulled the jacket on as I followed after him. Around the corner of the restaurant was a sleek black bike with two helmets, clearing he was planning on stealing Clary away and not me. I took the helmet when he handed it to me, and strapped it on. The helmet had no face guard making like look more like a scooter helmet.

"Get on." He said as he tossed one of his long legs over the seat and kicked the stand off the ground.

"You're girlfriend is gonna be pissed." I stated getting on.

He walked the bike out of the parking spot and around the corner before starting it up. The bike roared to life under us and I gripped the back of his heavy sweater as we lurched forward.

"Mira?" I heard called across the packing lot. I turned to look at who was calling me just as Jace got the motorcycle going.

It was Jonathan with my jacket. He was staring at us with a serious expression. Dark and calculating. He's mad. Really mad. Jace, before I could tell him to stop, sped out of the parking lot wind whipping past us causing me to stick closer to the Lightwood than I wanted. I was sure Jonathan could see us under the streetlights as we charged up the street and into traffic. I wish he hadn't seen. I wish I hadn't followed Jace. I wish my life made more sense than chaos. I wish Jonathan had just followed me out of the restaurant.

I wish he liked me. The thought caused a new round of tears to fall as I clung closer to Jace as he whipped around a corner.

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