You Were Always Mine

35: Unsuspected Visitor

Jasmine

Quiet. Only the faint sound of my socked feet meets my ears as I make my way around my empty house. I thought I had heard voices yelling, but all of the rooms I have checked so far have turned up empty. I traverse down the hallway that leads to my father's office, where I am sure I hear the sound of an argument coming from behind the door. I stretch out a shaking hand and turn the doorknob. Silence.

A pit forms in the bottom of my stomach.  Something is not right. I release the handle and turn to flee, but I end up frozen in place at the sight of him.

"It's been a while, hermosa." A menacing smile forms on his face.

"A-Angel." My words come out in a whisper laced with fear. "What are you doing here?"

He takes a step towards me. I go to move back out of reaction and realize quickly that he has me trapped. I reach behind me, feeling for the handle of the office door. His eyes follow my movements, darkening when he realizes what I am trying to do.

Heart hammering behind my chest, I slowly begin to turn the knob.

"Do it, and they die." He grits.

"Angel, please." I plead with him. "Don't do this." His eyes soften momentarily, and I take the chance to act, quickly turning the doorknob and rushing into my father's office. A loud shattering noise followed by screams has me shooting awake, clutching onto my chest.

Raged breaths force their way past my lips as I take in my surroundings. Snacks and drinks litter a small coffee table beside where I sit on my couch. I recall my girls' night with my mom last night as I take deep, slow breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

My ears perk up to hushed voices coming from the kitchen. I quietly make my way closer and hear my parents going at it. When did my dad get home? I peek around the corner and see my mom throwing away some broken glass. That explains the shattering sound in my dream as well as the arguing.

"How could you have kept this from me, Diana? Is she not my daughter as well?"

"I wasn't trying to keep anything from you, Henry!" My mom whisper yells at my dad, "I was capable of handling our daughter on my own. You had business to worry about. I did not think it was so important to tell you at the time."

My dad scoffs at her words. "So when exactly would it have been important enough to tell me that there is a video of our daughter performing a sexual act on one of her classmates that got sent out to her entire school?!" The anger in my father's voice startles me as I continue listening to them discreetly. "Jasmine is our only child, Diana. She is the future of everything that we have built. And you said you were handling it? How exactly are you handling it? They have not even found the bastard who sent the video out to begin with!"

"I already told you, Henry, I can say it slower if you like." My mom laughs in an annoyed tone, "the police traced the video back to one of the computers at the school, meaning anyone could have sent it out."

My dad shakes his head at her, seemingly defeated. "There should never have been a video in the first place! And then you're supposed to be here dealing with her, but instead, you gave her a free pass! I didn't raise my daughter to be a-"

"To be a what Henry?" My mom cuts him off, crossing her arms over her chest. The look she gives him tells me she is daring him to finish his sentence. After a moment of silence passes between them, my mom speaks up for him.

"What happened was traumatic for her, Henry," my moms voice shakes, "it was punishment enough for her having to face her peers after the video went out!"

She collects herself and continues on. "Do you realize that neither of us even really knows our daughter? We have treated her for so long as our "future of the company" and not as our child! Yes, she has made mistakes, but so have we. And if you need proof of that, then just take a look at recent events." She shakes her head. "Jasmine was spiraling, Henry. And neither of us even knew. What does that say about us?"