Warning- this chapter may contain triggers for suicidal tendencies, death / grief over death, dysfunctional families and similar issues as it basically has Val narrating what she calls 'her sob story' so tread carefully, lovelies.

Song of the chapter - 'Shatter Me' by Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale

'I'm scared of changing, the days stay the same
The world is spinning but only in gray
If I break the glass then I'll have to fly'

"This is a pretty complicated story so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get it at first," I warn him before I start narrating my story.

"A man by the name of Fabian Sprawlex- that's a weird surname, I know, so you can laugh," I interject when I notice he's close to laughing.

After he's done laughing, managing to draw a small smile from me, he apologizes and nudges me to continue so I do, "This man somehow winds up marrying a Lamona Tyler, several years younger than him and beautiful beyond description. After about five uneasy years of arguments and accusations, they have a daughter. While they were excited for her, she wasn't anything they expected, driving him to demand a replacement from the hospital, claiming that they had somehow exchanged their actual child. Two years later, they welcome another daughter, only, she's everything they wanted. She has the best of her parents' features and traits."

I pause to wipe away a tear before I go on, "They love to focus on raising their second daughter, leaving their first, a mere two-year-old to grow jealous of the baby and attempt all sorts of stunts if it meant she would have their attention. Flash forward to a month before the younger girl's first birthday and the father decides he just can't cope with the lifestyle of raising the girls and just leaves them. You wouldn't be wrong in assuming that the girl had an extremely quiet birthday, as their lives are until two years later when the mother meets a Deacon Barnett and they're married by the end of the next year and have a daughter together."

Josh's face takes on a pale and ghastly demeanor as he asks me warily, "Your mom let you know that much?"

"Well, I happened to listen to a lot of her conversations with Dad, the second guy. Even though the first guy is technically mine and Vanessa's biological father, Dad was our actual father. He raised us and, though he was more attached to Violet considering her status of being his daughter by blood, he never treated us any differently. He was the one person I'd confide everything in, even when it came down to stuff I didn't even tell Mom."

"Was?" he asks me gingerly, seemingly not wanting to hit a sore spot.

My voice cracks a bit as I continue, "He passed away in a freak accident when I was seven. Mom was broken and she barely did anything for about a year or so. We had no living relatives except for Dad's mother, who then lived across the continent. I remember crying my eyes out in her room in hopes that she would at least take a look at us, desperate for her attention that never truly seemed to come our way as I struggled to bring up my sisters properly."

"Wait, you were seven?!" Josh's angry voice cuts in.

I nod, "I was seven, Vanessa was five and Violet was nearly one. I guess none of us had proper first birthdays, all dampened by hate, death or sorrow, or some combination of them. I could barely comprehend the fact that there were so many things to do to take care of an infant, let alone think about anything other kids my age did. It didn't help that I was starved of affection and didn't know how to properly attend to both of them. I almost went off the deep end that year until, by some miracle, Mom revived herself enough to look after them both. Me? I guess, somewhere along the way, I stopped expecting her to take care of me. I couldn't let myself get used to her if she slipped past us again, I couldn't afford that and neither could my sisters."

A lump solidifies in my throat, refusing to budge as I realize I'm telling a complete stranger my life story at three on a Sunday morning in a park whose location I have no clue of. If Stacie decided to stay up, she's going to kill me when I reach home but she's probably not going to, considering how tired she was when she left. I pull myself together and continue.

"We grew up and Mom was back to actually smiling and laughing by the time I was 11. We had one amazing year, we did, but then that world caved in and reality drenched us like we were caught up in a thunderstorm after years of existing in a desert with no rain. Mom died in an accident, just when I had begun to think about letting down my wariness and beginning to trust her. At least we're luckier this time with our grandmother living in the neighbouring city and we have Stacie to support us and actually be there for us to turn to but things are probably going to take a turn for the worse soon considering Grandma doesn't seem to have a lot of time left and Stacie barely managing to make ends meet for herself let alone for us."

Unable to hold back my tears anymore, I rest my head in between my palms and on my knees. I hate that I'm here, breaking down in front of a stranger when I promised myself I would stay strong for Van and Vi. They shouldn't ever have to fight to provide for themselves, they shouldn't ever contemplate the thought of just ending it all to get rid of all the pain the way I have too many times to count.

"Erm, Erie, can I give you a hug?" Josh's words are barely audible to me over the pounding in my head as I simply nod.

I'm pulled into his warm embrace, my head resting on his shoulder and him gently running his fingers through my hair. He tries to tell me it'll be okay but he falters, probably at realizing that he can't guarantee me that.

I pull away, wiping my tears hastily, saying, "I'm sorry for wasting your time with my sob story, Josh. I didn't mean to bore you, I'm sorry. If you hate me now, let me know so I can leave. You know what, I'll save you the trouble, I'll leave."

I get up to walk away from him, not realizing our arms are still linked as he pulls me back towards him and slaps me in what seems like a fit of rage.

- - - - - - -

Hey there! Finally we get to see her backstory pieced together by her, with some unbelievable parts. What do you think of her reaction, and his? Do you understand why some of her behavioural routines are the way they are? Why do you think he slapped her?

I can assure you that he isn't going to become one of the abusive type so don't you worry your pretty little heads about it. Valerie certainly has been through a lot and will go through a lot in this part of her journey, so brace yourselves!

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