"I have no idea what you are talking about, Michael. Are you sure-"
"Guess you couldn't pretend to want my family's money for long. Your true colors just had to show."
I still had no idea what was even going on, and it was no use trying to explain to Michael when he was like this.
"I was a fool to believe you."
With that, he hung, leaving me with a million questions. I wanted to believe that my father wouldn't do what Michael accused him of, but I wouldn't put it past him. He had long ceased to be the father I knew growing up and had become focused only on his alcohol. I dialed my sister to ask if she had told our father about Michael.
"I didn't say a word to him," she said, sounding as appalled as I felt with this new development. "Unless he looked through my case file.” I heard her slam her hand on a surface. “Argh, how could I be so stupid?!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I was workingon some documents for your custody case, and Michael's information was there. Dad probably heard us talking and snooped through my files. I'm so sorry, Jade," Sage sounded upset, and I could hear her pen tapping on the table.
I sighed and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache. Just when I thought Michael and I were making some progress, my father had to go and ruin it for me. I had already spent my youth taking care of his daughter and him too, and I would be damned if I let him take this away from me too.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
I needed to clear this up with Michael sooner rather than later before he had time to consider how to undo all our progress. I called Tammie to babysit while returning to Michael's hotel. My previous exhaustion had completely disappeared, and I would catch up on my sleep later. I wanted to make sure that Michael knew I was not, and will never be, the person who took advantage of his wealth. He could be penniless for all I cared, and I still would have wanted him to be in Robin's life.
"You shouldn't have come here," he said snidely as he opened the door.
"Let me clarify one thing, so we don't have to talk about this again," I began, clutching my purse strap tightly. "I will never try to manipulate you, lie, or cheat to get anything you have; I am just not that person. You know me, you saw where I stay, and you know how hard I work. That's me, and that has always been me."
His blue eyes bore into my soul as we stood there. Me, baring my soul and wearing my heart on my sleeve, and him, judging me to see if he could believe me. He finally opened the door wide to let me in, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
20
Michael
Something about seeing Jade standing there in her pajama bottoms and looking so upset compelled me to let her in. I was still angry because of everything that had happened, but I calmed myself enough to listen. She had made an effort to come to me so late, and the least I could do was listen.
"Where's Robin?" I asked as we sat.
"Home with Tammie," she replied, wrapping her arms around herself.
I grabbed the remote and turned up the temperature.
"What my father did was inexcusable," she began. "And I'm sorry you were all caught up in that."
I didn't understand why anyone would call someone they didn't even know to ask for money; it didn't make sense to me. There was no way he would have my phone number unless Jade had given it to him. It still didn't add up, so I had to ask.
"How does he even have my phone number?"
Jade sighed. "He stole your contact from my sister. My father has been troubled since my mother died. At first, we thought he was having trouble processing everything and that it would get better. But the drinking just got worse, and there was nothing we could do about it. We lost him the day we lost our mother, and he cares for nothing except his bottle."
I had also lost my father at a young age, and my family had been my pillar of strength. I couldn't imagine my mother falling apart and leaving me to clean up her mess, which made my heart ache for Jade. Losing a parent was hard enough but losing two was crippling.
"So, you stepped in?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Sage was so young, and it was difficult to explain why Daddy was so sad all the time, but we made it work. I had no choice but to take care of both of us. If I didn't buy food, there would be no food in the fridge. I ensured my sister had clean clothes, did her homework, and got good grades. In many ways, you could say she is my firstborn," she finished the last sentence with a sad smile.
Jade and I couldn't have had more different childhoods, I realized. No wonder it was so difficult for us to find the right footing; we just came from two different worlds. But all that didn't matter now. We had made one new world together in Robin, which meant even though we weren't together as a couple, we were still bound for life.
"I'msorry you had to go through all that," I said sincerely.
Jade nodded. "He must be desperate for some money for him to do this, and he will probably pull another stunt tomorrow to get it. It just never stops."