Arabella Rivera "Margie- "No shut up and let me finish," Mother spat. I was tempted to go downstairs and face him as well but she did tell me to stay there. I had to trust that she could handle it. "I did everything to be a better wife for you. I tried so fucking hard to make this work. Yet here we are today. Turns out my husband for years have been sleeping with an underage girl that I once considered as a daughter- Mother laughs dryly but I could hear the raw pain in her voice. "I should've seen this coming, the late nights, the not satisfied with anything I do for you. You've been doing this for years behind my back weren't you?" Her voice cracks and my heart squeezes painfully. She didn't deserve this. "Margie she came on to me- "Great, a cliche line overused by many cheating husbands. What does a bastard do when he's approached by underage teenage girls? Oh he accepts their advances and even pays them like they're prostitutes." Mother sneered and the hatred in her voice sent chills down my spine. "She means nothing to me- "And here we go again with another cliche. You're really good at this John! Keep going, I might just actually listen to the bullshit." "Margie- "I want a divorce." I flinched by how cold those words slipped out of her mouth. Those words should've made me feel dread, make me feel that I didn't want to lose our family. But we were never a family to begin with and father didn't deserve her. It was best they parted ways before things got worst and ugly. "Is this some kind of joke?" Father snorts and I grit my teeth. Of course he'd think this was a joke, because why would anyone leave a cheating bastard? "I'm not kidding John. I want you out of this house by tonight and you'll be hearing from my lawyers. Hopefully, you get a good lawyer because you're going to need one when everyone finds out you've been taking advantage of a minor." She sneers. "The hell I am Margie. This is my fucking house!" Father roars and I jump away from the wall."You sad man. Trying to act like you were the perfect husband, perfect father. I was dumb and blind to not having seen you for who you truly are. Now pack up your shit and leave this house." Mother argued. By the tone of her voice, it was very evident that she was growing more and more furious. "This is all a huge misunderstanding Margie, I did not touch the girl. She came on to me and I told her to leave. Nothing happened." "Hope you can recite those stupid words to the cops and your lawyer. Now get the fuck out of the house and stay away from Arabella and I!" Mother says harshly. I squirm when father's voice grew. "I will do no such thing, she's also my daughter. You can't keep her away from me!" " You must think I'm stupid to allow you anywhere near my daughter, you fucking criminal! Don't look so shocked, I know who you are John. And to think I've been married to someone wh- The sound of a loud smack resonated through the air. "Mr. Rivera!" Gertrude stunned yell drove me into action. I found my feet bringing me downstairs where I witness a scene I never wanted to see. Mother's palm pressed to her cheek as she looked at father with unshed tears. He had slapped her. Gertrude runs over to mother, tugging her away from father while looking at him cautiously. "Watch your fucking mouth when you speak to me Margie. I am your husband and will remain your husband. There will be no divorce or separation. I will not have you ruin our perfect family." He hissed. "She's not ruining anything that hadn't been ruined before. She's not the one who ruined this family father. It was all you." It takes a moment for me to realize that those words came from me. And it takes him a second to turn around and pin me with a harsh glare. " This is between me and your mother Arabella. Has nothing to do with you." I lift a brow. "Really? It has nothing to do with me? So you're saying that it wasn't my best friend you've been sleeping with? That it's not my mother you've hurt with your actions?" I looked at him dead in the eye and said."You're just mad that you got caught. " Father fixes me a vexed glare that would've made me squirm before, but right now, I held my ground. " I blame that delinquent boy for changing you into someone I don't even know anymore."I shook my head. "Typical of you to blame someone else. Are you going to blame him for Snake's death too? Or are you going to man up and confess that you killed him?" Father stilled while mother looked between us confused. Right. I hadn't told her about her husband being a murderer. She only saw a gun and a bag of illegal drugs. "What are you talking about Arabella?" Mother asked, seeming to already dread the answer. I kept my gaze on father, noting the look of shock that crossed his face. "Father killed a man last night. Haiden was there and saw everything- Father cuts in. "Don't forget that you were the one who made me kill Snake Arabella. Did you think a guy like Snake would have let you go easily? I did you a favor, something a father would do. I was protecting you." I clenched my jaw. Of course he was blaming someone else even though it was him who had done the dirty work. "Right. So that justifies you killing someone? And to protect me? Stop lying. You only killed him because Haiden was there and you needed Haiden to fear you so he'd stay away from me." "I'm right? Aren't I?" I asked. " This wasn't for me. This was for you to feel superior. " Father's entire form shifts into rage. "I will not have you make me seem as if I'm the bad guy in my own house." I shook my head in disappointment. "You don't get it father, you're already the bad guy." Gertrude who had been holding onto mom moves away from her and inches closer to the house phone. "John you killed someone?" Mother whispered, her eyes wide as if not quite understanding what I had just said. Father snaps his eyes to her. "This is all a misunderstanding- Mother shook her head. "Stay away from us. I should've divorced you a long time ago- "No one's getting divorced!" He yelled, making both Gertrude and mother jolt in shock. Suddenly everything looks to be in slow motion. Father turns to Gertrude and notices her fingers inches away from grasping the phone. "Don't you dare Gertrude." He warns. I stumble a little when he suddenly pulls out a gun that seemed to have been tucked in the waistband of his pants. Mother gasped, her eyes growing in fear as he points the gun towards Gertrude. "I'm not going to let you ruin my family. Don't make me have to kill you too." He grumbles. Gertrude's face turns ashen with fright as she trembles. "John." Mother gasped, shocked that those words came out of her husband's mouth. Father snaps his head to face her. That little distraction gave Gertrude the opportunity to grasp the phone quickly. But it seems to be too late. The sound of the gun going off was deafening. Maybe it was my scream or perhaps mother's that rang my ears as we watch Gertrude's lifeless body slid down the wall and to the floor with a hole in the middle of her forehead.