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Austin POV:

I couldn't believe my eyes when my dad told me about that day 15 years ago. I mean, I am his son aren't I? I do have a right to know that my mother is alive and I have a little sister. Wow; even listening to myself say it in my head sounds crazy. I thought it was always going to be dad and me and now we have company.

"Uh, Austin." My dad called from outside my bedroom door.

"Yes, father?" I answered angrily.

"Son, come on. It wasn't my place to tell you that your mother abandoned us. She needed to tell you that herself when the time was right."

"So, what you're trying to say now is that my own father was not supposed to tell me that my mom is alive and is in an unknown location with this so called sister of mine? Yeah, right, dad it sure wasn't your place to tell me (!)"

"Austin, come on. I know this is hard to hear but it was too painful to keep it from you."

"Goddamn it, Dad! You just don't get it. I have this—well I did have a special connection with you and I can't find it anymore. Things like this are NOT meant to be kept secret. All these years I spent thinking my mom had died when she was really alive."

"Austin—"

"You know, dad, the weird thing is that if you'd told me that my mom had ran out on us, I could've spent this time hating her… now I'm hating you when you have been by my side from that day I was born. Well, I assume."

"Ironic, huh?"

I ignored my dad's side comment and I got out my guitar. I strummed random strings and thought of lyrics in my head that could relate to the dilemma is was in. So far I had nothing. All I could think about was the lies that my father told me for 15 years. Did you know that 1 year is 8760 hours? Imagine someone telling you pure lies for 15 times that amount? I'd tell you I can't imagine it but, I'm already living it.

When I finally heard silence at the door, I put my guitar back on the stand and slowly and carefully walked towards the door. I twisted the handle and stuck my head out before opening the door completely and heading downstairs.

Strangely, the kitchen door was closed. I pressed my ear against it to hear if my dad was doing anything inside. There were small sobbing sounds. My heart almost pounded out of my chest at the sound of my dad crying. With no ulterior motive whatsoever, I pushed the door open to see my father on the floor surrounded by a small pool of tears and holding a blade centimetres away from his wrist. He hesitated to turn around at the sound of my panicky breathing. His eyes were red and filled with salty tears and they had this look of depression about them. His body drooped so low that he almost looked like he'd been stuffed into a box for 6 months.

The blade almost met his wrist and I winced at the sight of it. I thought that there was no way my dad would do such a thing but, boy was I wrong! The sharp end of the blade pierced my dad's skin.

"Dad! Dad, please no!" I cried, running to his feet.

"Son, I think you are better off without me here to stand in your way." He replied with a raspy tone of voice.

"What are you talking about? You've always been here for me never against me. I can't live without you. Please."

"Austin." He said as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I love you more than anything, but I can't have you in pain and I'm the cause of it all. Besides, with me gone, we'd both be free of pain."

"Stop the crazy talk, Dad! I will love you no matter what you do. What goes around comes around so I have to stick by your side because you stuck, and are sticking, by mine."

There was silence for a minute.

"Son… don't ever, ever, ever again… call me crazy." He replied with a slight smile on his face; he tossed the blade across the kitchen floor.

A flood of tears came rolling out of my eyes at the sound of my dad saying something sane for the first time in two hours.

"Dad… I love you." I cried loudly and put my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm tightly around me.

"Son?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Remind me to never let you go,"

"I don't think I'm going to have to remind you, Dad."

I looked up to see he had a wide smile on his face and his eyes were no longer red and swollen. My insides warmed up at the sight of it. The world would be crazy without corruption, wouldn't it?