Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
DYLAN\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
95\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was massaging my neck as I made my way to the dining table. I slept on the couch last night since this apartment only has one room. And obviously, I will not allow my parents to sleep on the couch so I can sleep comfortably. This situation wasn\u2019t easy for them as it is for me. At least I\u2019m still young and still manage to endure our current situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you have a good night\u2019s sleep, Dylan?\u201d my father asked as he sipped his coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t. But don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll get used to it,\u201d I replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you can just take up the room, sweetheart,\u201d my mom suggested as she poured me some coffee from the pot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fine, Mom. You need it better than I do,\u201d I insisted before taking a sip from my cup. But I immediately winced when the taste of cheap coffee touched my tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My parents noticed my reaction and quickly apologized. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. This is the best coffee we can get from the supermarket downtown. It\u2019s the cheapest one, so saying it was the best was probably not the right term,\u201d my mom explained as she slowly lowered her head as if she was ashamed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blew a loud sigh. \u201cHow long have you been living like this?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They both looked at each other as if they were trying to align what they were going to say. Before they could even say another lie, I reminded them, \u201cNo lies this time, please?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They forced a smile on their faces before my mom started answering, \u201cIt\u2019s been two months,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo months?! And you didn\u2019t even bother telling me? I could have helped!\u201d I exclaimed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you would, sweetheart. That\u2019s why we wouldn\u2019t want to tell you. We\u2019re the grown\u2013ups here, so I don\u2019t want to burden you with our mistakes,\u201d my dad replied. \u201cI\u2019m your father. I should be the one taking care of my child, not you,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd look where it got you, Dad. You\u2019re living worse than our pets!\u201d I didn\u2019t mean to say that. I know they already had a hard time more than they should. Blaming them will not do any good. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to say that,\u201d I quickly apologized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo worries, sweetheart. It\u2019s the truth,\u201d said my\u00a0<\/p>\n
dad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath before I forced a smile on my face, hoping it would lighten up the mood. \u201cI\u2019ll take care of everything. I\u2019ll make a few calls to our families and friends. I\u2019m also going to look for a job. I\u2019ll call the dance studio I used to go to to check if they have openings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom walked over to me, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and hope. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head. \u201cI\u2019m sorry we\u2019ve put you through all of this, Dylan,\u201d she said gently. \u201cBut I want you to remember\u2013it\u2019s not too late to go back to Beckett. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll understand if you just talk to him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, the weight of her words pressing on my chest. \u201cMom, we\u2019ve been over this already,\u201d I said, my voice\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
firmer this time. \u201cThere\u2019s no way I\u2019m going back to that awful place\u2013not while Sarah is still there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
95\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought of stepping foot in that house, of pretending everything was fine with Sarah under the same roof, made my stomach churn. Beckett might have been willing to make it work, but I couldn\u2019t. Not like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom looked at me for a moment, her expression unreadable. \u201cYou\u2019re so stubborn, just like your father,\u201d she murmured with a faint smile, but there was worry in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019ll know that there\u2019s no way I\u2019m going to beg Beckett to take me back. I can only take enough humiliation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. \u201cI just don\u2019t want you to regret anything, Dylan. Sometimes pride can keep us from fixing what\u2019s broken.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t about pride, Mom,\u201d I said, my voice softer now but no less determined. \u201cIt\u2019s about respect\u2013respect for myself. Beckett crossed a line when he brought Sarah into our home, and I can\u2019t just pretend that didn\u2019t happen. It\u2019s not something you can fix with a simple apology or by sweeping it under the rug.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom sat down beside me, taking my hand in hers. \u201cI know you\u2019re hurt, sweetheart. I can see it in your eyes. But running away won\u2019t make the pain go away. Maybe if you just talk to him\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked, Mom,\u201d I interrupted, shaking my head. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked, we\u2019ve fought, and we\u2019ve tried to make it work, but it\u2019s always the same. I can\u2019t keep going in circles with him. I deserve better than this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, the room was silent except for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Finally, she nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re right. You do deserve better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I squeezed her hand, grateful for even that small acknowledgment. \u201cI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s easy, but I\u2019ll figure it out. I\u2019ll stand on my own if I have to. I just need you and Dad to trust me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll always trust you,\u201d Mom said, her voice thick with emotion. \u201cWe just want to see you happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly, leaning into her shoulder. \u201cI\u2019ll get there, Mom. It\u2019ll just take some time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom wrapped her arm around me, pulling me close. \u201cYou\u2019ve always been strong, Dylan,\u201d she said softly. \u201cMaybe too strong for your own good sometimes. Just promise me you\u2019ll let us help if you need it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise,\u201d I whispered, though the lump in my throat made it hard to get the words out. I didn\u2019t want to worry her more than I already had,\u00a0<\/p>\n
*******\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
C\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alchemist of Broken Dreams by Sienna Rose Blackwell 7 Chapter 7\u00a0 Chapter 7\u00a0 DYLAN\u00a0 A\u00a0 95\u00a0 I was massaging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-alphas-golden-cage-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24358\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}