CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: PHANTOM PAIN

As we left the school, Gareth kept up the facade of being a happy family. He held our hands as we walked to the car waiting for us on the curb. He opened the door to the back seat first for Michelle, who gave me a wide-eyed look, then climbed in.

Gareth put his hand on the small of my back as he helped me into the car, making my stomach swoop.

The three of us settled into the backseat, and Beta Kevin started the car. He seemed calm and collected as he drove out of the school’s parking lot.

For a few moments, the car was silent. But Michelle and I shared another look full of worry. We knew that this was only the calm before the storm.

Sure enough, when we were stopped at a light, Gareth turned to us.

“What the hell were you two thinking, pulling a stunt like that?” he scolded, then looked at Michelle. “Why was Jasmine at your school pretending to be your mother?”

Then, his gaze swung to me, his eyes darkening with anger.

“Why were you pretending to be my wife?” Gareth murmured, leaning in slightly. Our eyes were locked together, and I couldn’t move away if I tried.

But then he seemed to remember himself. He cleared his throat and moved away from me.

“Is this just some way for you to worm your way inside the Laken family?” he snarled at me, his nostrils flaring.

My mouth dropped open, and I stared wordlessly at him.

Was he serious? Did he actually think I would do something like that?

It felt like Gareth had just stabbed me in the back with that comment, and phantom pain made my body throb like a bruise.

Michelle grabbed her father’s arm, making him look at her.

“Dad, stop it! Stop blaming Jasmine. This was all my fault. It was my idea for her to pretend to be my mom. I didn’t want you to come because I was afraid of being in trouble, and I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me for fighting.”

“Well, even if this was your idea, Jasmine agreed to this awful plan,” Gareth retorted. “She is an adult. She should know better than to go along with a scheme cooked up by a desperate child.”

I reared back at his words. I knew I messed up, but did he have to talk about me like I wasn’t sitting right next to him?

“After that incident, rumors will be spread that I’m married to Jasmine, and that will take time and resources to clear up,” Gareth continued.

Guilt ate away at my stomach, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I had no right to be offended. I created problems for Gareth that he would be dealing with for a long time.

I hadn’t even thought about that. Gareth was right. I never should have gone along with Michelle’s plan. I was an adult and her tutor. I should’ve known better.

“Your dad’s right,” I told Michelle, then turned back to Gareth. “I’m very sorry for all the trouble I caused today. I will accept any punishment that you see fit, whether that means losing my job or going to prison. I messed up big time, and I want to own up to my mistake.”

“What? No!” Michelle yelled. “I’m not letting you take her to prison!”

We were stopped at another light, and Michelle flung open her door without warning, causing me to gasp in surprise. In one quick motion, she hopped out of the car, and I quickly followed her in case she was thinking of running away.

But once we were on the sidewalk, she started to sob and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“You can’t take her to jail!” Michelle told her dad, who was still sitting in the car with a flabbergasted look on his face. If circumstances weren’t so dire, I would have laughed at his incredulous expression. As it was, my face echoed his confusion. “You can’t fire her either! If you do, I want to live with Jasmine!”

All Gareth could do was blink at his daughter as she continued to wail loudly, uncaring of the public disturbance she was causing. The light turned green, and Beta Kevin looked back at Gareth pleadingly. Cars began to honk and irritated drivers started to swerve around us, when they realized our car wasn’t moving.

We were being a traffic nuisance, but Michelle didn’t care, her tiny arms an iron grip around my waist. I wiped Michelle’s tears and patted her back, trying my best to console her while the back of my neck burned in embarrassment.

Gareth’s guards pulled up behind us and got out of the car, standing around awkwardly in a bid to do their jobs. Ironically, that attracted even more attention from other drivers.

After an excruciatingly long time, Gareth finally sighed in defeat. “Michelle, get back in the car this instant.”

“Only if you swear you won’t throw Jasmine in jail or fire her,” Michelle said through the tears, still gushing down her face.

“Alright, Michelle,” he said, exasperated. “I promise.”

Michelle got back into the car, still sniffling. I was in the middle of them with Gareth’s warm body pressed against me.

When Beta Kevin started to drive again, he glanced at Michelle in the rearview mirror, then rolled up the divider.

Soon, Michelle’s sobs turned quiet, and she leaned her head on my shoulder and fell asleep.

I put my arm around the younger girl and held my breath, waiting for Gareth’s anger. Would he punish me while his daughter was asleep?

After three minutes of stony silence, I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned to him.

“I’m truly sorry,” I muttered quietly. “I should never have agreed to this.”

“You’re right,” Gareth whispered sharply. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking,” I admitted.

We were quiet for a moment.

“I do want to thank you, though.” He looked out the window.

“Thank...me?” I tilted my head.

He turned to stare at his sleeping daughter, and the softness in his gray eyes caught me off guard.

“For being there for Michelle when I couldn’t be,” he explained. “I’m glad she went to you when she needed help and not someone who would take advantage of her.”

His gratitude shocked me. I decided to use his good mood to my advantage.

“Can I ask you something a little...personal?”

He shot me a guarded expression but nodded once.

“Back at the office, Michelle said something about her grandma not liking her... Is that true?” I asked hesitantly.

Gareth let out a big sigh. “Michelle isn’t biologically my daughter,” he revealed.

My body froze with shock.

“She’s my niece. Michelle’s mother, my sister, passed away years ago,” Gareth continued.

No wonder he kept Michelle’s existence a secret.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said, then glanced down at the young girl sleeping on my shoulder. “And Michelle’s.”

He nodded. “I adopted her when she was only five. My sister...she was always the black sheep of the family, and when she met Michelle’s father, their love turned into something toxic. They were drunk every single night, and Michelle’s father loved to gamble on fights. They died of alcohol poisoning within a week of each other. If I didn’t take Michelle in, she would have been chucked into the foster system, and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to see her again.”

I absorbed everything he told me, but he wasn’t finished yet.

“Soon after I adopted her, Michelle started to call me dad.” A small smile crossed his face, but it was gone in an instant. “But I think there’s a small part of her that feels like she doesn’t fit into the Laken family, just like her mother never did when she was alive. And my mother doesn’t help with that when she pretends that Michelle doesn’t exist and insults her dead parents straight to her face.”