Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The entire train ride to my family’s neighborhood, I thrummed with anger. After arriving on their street, I marched down the sidewalk, walking past overgrown lawns and overflowing bins. Once I arrived at their house, I knocked rapidly on their door.
My jaw was so tense that my teeth ached. They’d wronged me so much throughout my life, but now they had crossed the line.
It was dusk, and they were probably seated around the dining table, having dinner. I didn’t care if this was an inconvenient time for them. I had to talk to them now .
A few moments later, Dad opened the door with a cranky look. His eyes widened when he saw it was me.“Brooke? What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk. To all of you.” When he didn’t move, I barged past him, striding down the hallway to the dining room. Mom, Gemma, and Brandon looked up from their meals and gaped at me.
“Why are you here?” Brandon said.
“You didn’t tell us you were coming,” Mom said.
I planted my hands on my hips as I took in the room. It hadn’t taken them long to make themselves at home after the place had been flooded. Empty beer bottles and cans covered the kitchen counter, and random junk filled the corners of the room.
“You’ve stolen from me,” I said.
My family stared. While I waited for them to deny it, my eyes caught on something gold and shiny on Gemma’s wrist.
“My watch,” I said, my cheeks growing hot with renewed anger. “You stole my watch.”
“I didn’t steal it,” Gemma said, voice high-pitched. “I borrowed it.”
“Without permission. How long were you going to keep it?” I demanded.
“I was going to give it back, but you kicked us out!” Gemma said.
“You can’t even let your own sister-in-law borrow something?” Mom asked me, looking at me as if I was the one in the wrong.
Screw it. I was done trying to win their approval. “No,” I snapped. “This isn’t borrowing something. This is theft. That watch is worth over ten thousand dollars. Do you understand that this is a serious crime?”
Gemma paled and quickly undid the watch, handing it to me like it burned. However, Brandon’s jaw tensed with anger.
“Are you telling me that you own a ten-thousand-dollar watch, and yet you can’t even buy your own flesh and blood nice things?” he asked. “Ten thousand dollars could help me start my burger shop.”
What happened to the donut shop idea?
“I have bought you stuff,” I said, on the verge of exploding. “How many things have I paid for over the years? You’ve squandered all of it.” I turned to glare at Mom and Dad, because they weren’t exempt from my words.
“The watch isn’t all I’m missing,” I said. “Return it all now, or I’m pressing charges.”
“Brooke, you wouldn’t,” Mom said. “We’re your family.”
I didn’t reply. My expression must’ve conveyed that I wasn’t playing around because, after a second, Mom deflated. She disappeared into her room and returned with a Chanel handbag and a Hermès scarf. Gemma also gave up a belt.
Earlier today, when I noticed a Chanel bag was missing, I combed through the rest of my closet and made a list of everything that had disappeared. The watch, handbag, scarf and belt was all of it.
I popped everything into the handbag and fixed a cold look on my family. “I can’t believe you would do this to me.”
“They didn’t mean anything by it,” Dad said. “Women like pretty things. You can’t blame them.”
“They took my things without asking,” I said. “That’s theft. Why didn’t you ask me?”
“Because you would’ve said no,” Brandon said.
Gemma nodded, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “It’s true,” she said. “You are kind of a selfish person, Brooke.”
I wanted to scream. Instead, I kept my composure. “Fine, I’m selfish. I was selfish when I paid for your hotel. I was selfish when I paid to repair the plumbing. I was selfish when I paid for your health insurance. I was selfish when I paid for Brandon’s course, which he didn’t even complete. I was selfish when I gave Dad money, even though I knew he’d just gamble it all away. I was selfish when I continued to try to get along with my family, even though you don’t respect me.
“All I ever wanted,” I said, my voice growing louder, “was for you to be proud of me. Instead, you make me feel guilty about my success. Well, guess what? I worked for it. And I got what I wanted, despite the fact my family doesn’t support me. I said I wanted to be a lawyer in high school, and you all laughed at me. Now you’re pestering me for money and stealing my things.
“Thank you,” I said, turning to make eye contact with each of them. “No, seriously, thank you. This entire time, I’ve thought I was a bad person, and I’ve been punishing myself for it. I was so eager to prove I was a good person that I invited a literal stranger to live in my home.” I laughed because it was kind of absurd when I said it aloud. “But now I realize I’m not awful. I deserve to be treated better than this. I deserve love and respect and support. So you know what? You can all fuck yourselves.” With that, I picked up the handbag my mother had “borrowed” and marched out of the house.
Once I was back on the train, heading toward the city, I reflected that telling my family to fuck themselves was not the most mature thing I could’ve possibly done. But I didn’t care. I felt weightless.
I should’ve done this ages ago, but I couldn’t imagine the version of me from a few months ago standing up for herself.
That Brooke was too hard on herself. She blamed herself for not trying hard enough.
I’d changed after meeting Robert. Despite how everything went down in the end, the time we had spent together had changed me. He’d helped me see that I was worthy of love. He’d held me while I broke down. He’d stood up for me. He’d told me I deserved better.
Despite the exhilaration of finally standing up to my family, my heart ached. I wished I could go home to Robert and tell him what I’d done. He’d sweep me up in a hug and say that he was proud of me.
But he had left.
Determination bloomed inside me. No. I knew what I wanted, and I knew I deserved it. I wanted love— real love—and I was going to chase it.
I couldn’t sleep that night. The bed was too big, too cold. I tossed and turned, reaching out for Robert and remembering that he wasn’t there. He was gone.
I could admit that part of it was my fault. I’d been quick to accuse him of stealing the watch. If I were him, I would’ve been insulted too. But our fight had been about so much more than that. We’d started talking about Mike, and that’s when he’d shut down.
Yes, he had admitted to cheating on his wife and being a bad father, but I couldn’t believe it. All my instincts told me that he was a good man. He’d been nothing but sweet and gentle with me, and I refused to believe he was a horrible husband and a deadbeat dad, like Mike had said.
I couldn’t let him slip away—not without getting a proper explanation out of him. We had something real, and I wanted it back. I was ready to take a risk for once and put my heart on the line because he was the person who made me the happiest.
Eventually, I dozed off for a few hours but jerked awake at the crack of dawn. I felt like I was buzzing with adrenaline, and I hadn’t even had my morning coffee yet.
I had a shower, dried myself off, and went through my morning routine, feeling like a woman on a mission. I applied my skincare products as I thought about what I would do. I needed to talk to him, but it couldn’t be over the phone. We had to have a conversation in person.
As soon as the clock hit eight o’clock, I called Robert’s work.
It was a Sunday, but I figured at least someone would be working.
“Hello?” A gruff male voice answered. “This is Clark and Co Building.”
“Hello,” I said, putting on my friendly yet professional voice. “My name is Brooke Collins, and I’m a lawyer at Ashcroft. I’m looking for a Mr. Robert James. Would you please be able to give me his residential address?”
I expected him to say something about not being able to give out confidential information, but to my surprise, the man replied immediately. Unfortunately, he listed my address.
“He’s no longer living there—I already checked,” I said. “I believe he moved to a new place a week or so ago?”
“Oh, that’s right. He moved out after breaking up with his girlfriend. Now, where did he say he was going?” There were a few rustling background noises. “Here we go. He’s staying at Unit 1207 at the Star Heights apartment complex. What’s this about?”
“Just some personal legal matters,” I replied. “Nothing to worry about; he’s not in trouble. Thank you for your help, sir, and have a good day.” I hung up, and five minutes later, I was out the door.
The name “Star Heights” made the apartment building sound magical, like a shiny skyscraper reaching up into the sky. In reality, the apartment complex was located in a dodgy area of the city. It was a wide, squat building, painted an ugly shade of yellow, with bars over the windows. The bars were likely there to prevent break-ins, but they made the place look like a prison.
As I approached the front entrance, my stomach twisted at the thought of seeing Robert again. What if he pushed me away? Refused to talk to me?
No. Despite everything, I still believed he cared about me. In any case, the least I could do was try.
A couple walked out of the building. They looked middle-aged, tired, and their arms were covered in tattoos. Before the door shut behind them, I slipped inside, then walked into the elevator with my head held high as if I belonged there.
The elevator had mirrored walls, but they were completely covered in scratches and graffiti. I hit the button for 12 and took deep breaths as the elevator rose, composing myself. It was the same routine I did before meeting with an important client.
Once I arrived on the 12th floor, I stepped out into a hallway with a low ceiling and carpet that might’ve been gray once upon a time but was so dirty it was almost black. Each of the apartment doors was dented and discolored. When I found the door for Unit 1207, I knocked on it.
A minute later, the door swung open, revealing a man in his mid-twenties with long hair, baggy clothes, and smelling of weed. He ran his gaze over me, obviously checking me out, then smirked. “Who are you?”
“I’m here to see Robert. Is he here?”
“Yo, Robert! Some chick is here for you,” he called over his shoulder.
The young man left the door open, and I stepped inside. There was a combined lounge and kitchen area, though calling it a kitchen was generous. There was a tiny fridge, a gas stove, and a small sink. Sitting on the couch, playing a video game, were two more guys.
Did four people live in this tiny apartment?
Robert entered the room, and as soon as he saw me, his eyes went wide. “What are you doing here?”
He still looked as good as I remembered. He did look tired, with circles under his eyes, but the sight of his stubble, thick brown hair, and strong figure almost took my breath away. I still found him so handsome.
“I need to talk to you.” I glanced at the other guys, who were all staring at me. “Alone.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “There’s a café down the street. I’ll get my things.” He disappeared into another room, which I assumed was the bedroom. I caught a glance of two bunk beds, cramped together.
The guy who opened the door walked over to me. “What did you say your name was again, princess?”
“I didn’t say it,” I replied evenly.
He tipped his head back and laughed. “You’ve got an attitude, haven’t you? What are you doing here? Picking up your dad?”
I recoiled. “He’s my boyfriend,” I snapped.
“That old man?” said one of the guys on the couch.
“Ran away from home, did he?” the other guy said.
Thankfully, Robert appeared, relief washing over me. He led me out of the apartment, ignoring the jeers of his roommates. The touch of his hand on my back sent sparks flying up and down my spine, and I stuck close to his side as we rode down the elevator.
The café was only a few minutes away, and it was pretty nice despite the area. There was lots of natural sunlight, and colorful flowers decorated the space. Robert and I ordered a coffee each, then sat in a corner, away from other patrons, so we had some privacy.
My back felt as stiff as a board, and my muscles were tense with anticipation. I took a deep breath, then met Robert’s eyes. “I know you didn’t take the watch. I’m sorry I asked you if you did.”
He shook his head. “I can’t blame you for wondering—”
“No,” I interrupted. “I never really thought you did. But Mike had seen me earlier that day, and his words messed me up. I jumped to conclusions. I’m so sorry, Robert.”
He nodded.
“But,” I said, “I’m also pissed as hell at you for leaving.”
His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Brooke. Sometimes I ask myself what the hell I was thinking. I’ve missed you so much, but... but I genuinely think that it was for the best. I’m not good for you, Brooke. I’m not a good person.”
“I’ll decide whether you’re a good person or not,” I said. “I’ve spent so long thinking I’m awful and selfish—”
“But you’re not.” He reached across the table to squeeze my hand, his eyes wide as he looked at me. “You’re wonderful and kind and thoughtful.”
“Thank you,” I said. “But you’re the one who helped me realize that. I stood up to my family last night. I couldn’t have done that without you—without you helping me see that I deserve better.” I squeezed his hand, loving the familiar warmth of his skin. “I want to know about your past. I have to know.”
He frowned and pulled his hand away. “It’s nothing good.”
“I don’t care. Tell me. Please.”