Family Secrets

“I didn’t actually think you’d admit it, Mom.” Cassie tells Sylvie as she steps in front of you. Cassie not only goes between you and Sylvie, but also confronts Sylvie directly by standing mere inches away from her.

“That I know you’re dating him before coming here? That I know you’ve always looked at him differently? Of course, I knew! That’s why I’m here!” Sylvie shouts at Cassie, and it hurts you to hear that Sylvie is so vehemently against dating her daughter; but you also know where she’s coming from. You’d have the same concerns if you were placed in the same position as her.

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I don’t give a shit about what you think about my relationship with Jay… and I know for a fact you don’t really give a shit that I’m dating him either.” Cassie replies coldly.

“You should have listened to me when I told you to ‘pick a lie’. Juggling too many in the air causes slip-ups, and you’re not as talented of a liar as you think you are.” Cassie continues, goading her mother for a reaction.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Sylvie tells Cassie dismissively.

“I’m talking about your admission that ‘Avi’ told you about my relationship with Jay.” Cassie clarifies for Sylvie. The look of realization, and the subsequent look of horror and panic that appears on Sylvie’s face tells all three of you that she wasn't supposed to reveal Mr. Hoffman’s involvement in this. More than that, it also confirms what Cassie suspected all along.

Sylvie’s been lying about not knowing who Cassie’s dad is.

“Oh my God, that means…!” Stella gasps in realization, almost at the same time as you mentally connect the pieces to the story in your mind.

“Yeah, Stella. It does mean that. It means that mom actually is friends with Mr. Hoffman. More importantly, it means what Mr. Hoffman told me last night was true. He knows who my dad is… and that my mom does too.” Cassie adds, trapping her mother with her involuntary admission.

Sylvie’s eyes dart rapidly from one person to the next, seemingly panicking after hearing Cassie’s conclusion. Sylvie stutters to try and explain, or maybe even find a lie to explain as Cassie assumes she’s going to do since Cassie doesn’t let her speak any further.

“Don’t try to lie out of it, mom. Please, just fucking once, be honest with me. I just want to know why you had to lie about him? Why is it such a big deal that I don’t know who my father is?” Cassie asks Sylvie with a pleading tone.

“Don’t change the subject! I’m here to get you out of this fucking apartment!” Sylvie finally shouts at Cassie, after a moment of trying to think of something to say.

“Do you even really care about my relationship with Jay, mom? I mean, really care?” Cassie asks her.

“Yes! I’m not leaving this apartment and allowing you to stay here any longer!” Sylvie answers.

“Then why allow me to stay here at all? You said you always kinda knew, right? If you really wanted me to not have a relationship with him, why’d you agree for me to stay for the entire summer?” Cassie asks her mom pointedly.

“As much as I’d like to think you care about me; I know you fucking don’t. So stop pretending that you do and and just answer my fucking question about my father!” Cassie shouts at her, and you can hear the pain in her voice as she openly says how she feels to her mother for, what you assume, is the first time.

“Cassie…” You involuntarily say out loud, knowing that you can’t really say anything to try and comfort her. Instead, you do the only thing you can, and try to help make her feel something good by taking her hand from behind her, and stepping up to stand next to her as she confronts Sylvie. You hold her hand and grip it tight, to tell her that you’re there for her and to maybe even cosmically transfer some of your energy to her. Stella, not falling behind, does the same thing you do and holds Cassie’s other hand.

Sylvie, once again, darts her eyes between the three of you; not even trying to hide her panic anymore as she’s obviously trying to come up with something to tell her daughter.

“I’ll just call the police and have your boyfriend arrested for ****. Is that what you want, babe? Your boyfriend in jail? His career in tatters?” Sylvie calmly threatens you and Cassie.

“I’ll call the police for you if you want.” You tell Sylvie sarcastically, showing her you’re not afraid of her threats.

“Can we please not go back to empty threats? You and I both know you won’t do shit.” Cassie calls her out.

Sylvie’s eyes glare at Cassie for calling her bluff, before she finally closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her inhale goes so deep that she shifts her shoulders as she does so.

“Why’d you have to grow a fucking spine now?” Sylvie asks in a mix of irritation and pride at her daughter’s defiant demeanor, letting out a small chuckle as she does. Cassie, surprisingly, chuckles at her mother’s statement too.

“I’ll tell you about your father… but you need to come with me. I have a hotel—” Sylvie starts negotiating, before you and Stella simultaneously react to her suggestion.

“Over my dead body, Sylvie”, “No fucking way!” You and Stella react to Sylvie’s suggestion respectively. It gets a smile out of Cassie as she hears your supportive reaction.

“We’re not stupid, mom. This conversation ends the moment you walk out that door.” Cassie tells her confidently, knowing she’s in control of the situation, and not her mother.

“If you haven’t noticed, I never asked you who my father is, because I don’t give a shit who he is. I just want to know if you chose to hide him from me, or if he’s the one that asked you to, or maybe he even made a deal with you to lie about him so that I won’t grow up curious about who he is.” Cassie points out to Sylvie.

“A part of me still hopes that you’re not as shitty as you are. That lying about him was his decision and not yours.” Cassie tells her mom, in a much softer tone compared to her earlier statement. You can see that Sylvie is visibly hurt that Cassie thinks so little of her now that she’s not visibly emotional.

“I’m willing to answer your question, babe. I am; but if that’s my only leverage here, then I’ll use it. I won’t tell you unless you come with me. I can’t leave here without you.” Sylvie tells her, and she’s the one that has a pleading tone now.

“Can’t? You can’t leave without me? Why? I know for a fact it’s not because of your concern for my goddamn well being. You never gave a shit about that.” Cassie calls out her mother once more.

“Of course I gave a shit! I never left you without supervision, did I?” Sylvie finally argues against her daughter’s perception of her.

“I DIDN’T NEED SUPERVISION! I NEEDED A FUCKING PARENT!” Cassie explodes in anger once more, causing Sylvie to flinch and visibly weaken after being called out once again. You squeeze Cassie’s hand to try and calm her once more.

“You have one, Cass.” Stella reminds her. Sylvie looks towards Stella in surprise, thinking Stella’s statement is one of support for her. However, Sylvie’s hopeful look vanishes when Cassie looks towards you before responding to Stella.

“Yeah. I do.” Cassie says while looking at you with teary eyes and a content smile. You squeeze Cassie’s hand again as you stare into her eyes, and return the content smile she’s giving you.

“What’s going on? I heard shouting.” Tanya says in panic as she enters your apartment abruptly. Tanya immediately sees Cassie with tears in her eyes, and rushes past Sylvie like she wasn’t even there to palm both of Cassie’s cheeks in her hands. Sylvie is **** to take a step back even further, as Tanya stands between her and Cassie.

“Ay chica, what happened? Why are you crying?” Tanya asks Cassie, full of concern. Cassie glances past Tanya, and without Cassie even answering her, Tanya turns around to finally address Sylvie.

“Who’s this?” Tanya asks aggressively, before taking a good look at Sylvie. Tanya immediately recognizes the resemblance between Cassie and Sylvie, and answers her own question before any of you could.

“You must be Sylvie.” Tanya deduces.

Sylvie doesn’t answer Tanya. Instead, her eyes shift from Tanya, to you, to Stella, to your hands holding Cassie’s, back to Tanya who’s standing in front of Cassie in a protective stance. Her eyes aren’t shifting like they did earlier, they’re no longer darting back and forth in panic. The look in her eyes is more calculating, more observant, and more accepting. Sylvie closes her eyes again.

“I’m glad you’re happy, babe. I really am. I know you were miserable when it was just the two of us, and… that’s my fault.” Sylvie surprisingly admits, as the emotions crack her voice, and her eyes start to well up.

“I know I wasnt… isn’t… I mean, I know I’m not the best mother. To tell you the truth, I never wanted to be one in the first place. I still don’t.” Sylvie admits, and although it looks like it pains Cassie to hear it, she also looks appreciative that her mother is being honest with her now.

“I treated you like a meal ticket, so I completely understand why you resent me… why you hate me… but seeing this. You with Jay, and Stella… and whoever this is… I can’t take this away from you.” Sylvie emotionally rambles, admitting her personal feelings towards her relationship with Cassie.

“You don’t deserve me.” Sylvie emotionally admits, while nodding her head as she tries to hold back tears.

“You deserve this.” Sylvie adds, spreading her arms to gesture towards you and your group of girlfriends. Tanya’s protective stance softens and she sidesteps to be in front of you instead of Cassie, allowing Cassie and her mother to look at each other more clearly.

“Don’t say I don’t love you after this.” Sylvie takes out her phone from her bag and calls someone, who immediately answers it seems.

“The deal’s off.” Sylvie says over the phone, and you immediately glance at Cassie to see her eyes are wide in shock.

“I’m choosing our daughter’s happiness over your own self-interest.” Sylvie adds, getting a shocked but appreciative and loving look from her daughter.

“I know. I’m surprised I grew a spine too.” Sylvie calmly tells the person over the phone while she sniffles. “What can I say? It’s an infectious habit.” Sylvie answers the person over the phone, winking at Cassie as she does so. It seems the call ended abruptly as Sylvie drops the phone from her ear back to her bag.

“Wait… was that him? Was that Dad?” Cassie asks, to which Sylvie nods in response.

“That means… he knows about me and… he doesn’t want me to… wait, what’s this deal you mentioned?” Cassie finally asks her mother in confusion.

“He told me to get on a plane, get you out of here, and do whatever I can so you never see Jay again.” Sylvie admits. “Otherwise, he freezes the account where he sends money to support us.” Sylvie adds.

“Wait, he doesn’t want me to date Jay?” Cassie asks in shock, completely ignoring the implications of the other part of that admission. To be fair to Cassie, you completely ignore it too, as Cassie’s question immediately sends warning sirens in your brain.

‘You’re not listening to me! He wants me to stay here for two years. Away from you.’

You see Sylvie nod as an answer to Cassie’s question.

‘Please let it be a coincidence.’

“Why!?” Stella and Cassie ask in shock and confusion, while you’re just bracing yourself to hear an explanation to one of the biggest questions you had all day.

“Avi’s not comfortable with two of his daughters dating the same guy.”

Author's Announcement: Hey everyone! The next chapter will be released Saturday next week (May 21, 2022) instead of Friday, as the Patreon chapter is a double-length one.