Page 183 of Chalk Outline

I keep replaying the words in my head.

“Larson…”

“Bingo!” His voice booms through the room. “You killed your brother. Well, half-brother. Still blood. I got someone else pregnant while I was away, and Larson lived with his mother, who later married Third Eye. How about that? That boy was trouble.”

His chest deflates with a disappointed breath.

It was clear that Larson struggled. He was unwell, and being around them made it worse.

“Larson was angry all the time for not getting what he wanted, but he didn’t have a conscience. He didn’t mind hurting people if it served him right, just like your mother.”

“You have no right to talk about Mom,” I lash out.

He lets out a sinister laugh. “You think she’s innocent? She traded your life for a free stay at the circus. You were supposed to be Dick’s once you turned eighteen. But you killed him, good for you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I know that you loved your mother, but the truth hurts. She lost her way long before, and then she didn’t have a choice. Her hands were tied. Her addiction took the best of her, and you had to carry the worst version of her on your shoulders.”

“That’s why he let us stay in the circus?”

He nods.

“Don’t hate her. She was weak, too. She really tried to keep him busy because that man was insatiable. A disgusting bastard who had an obsession for kids, especially boys.”

“You knew that, and you left me there with him. You didn’t do anything to get me out.”

His mouth twitches. “That was a battle I already lost, and sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing to earn another. It’s a valuable lesson.”

Unbelievable.

My father is a piece of shit, but…

I blamed myself all these years for running away while Mom was part of that mess all along. She sure made a fool out of me.

“I lost you the moment I stepped onto this continent. This place is where dreams are torn apart and souls shatter.”

This is also where I found my soul dancing with hers.

Not everything is bad.

I break into a smile. “I’m not that weak if I’m standing in front of you.”

“Barely.”

“You know, there was a time I looked up to you. I wanted your company. But now, you’re just a pathetic old man who still fantasizes about money and power.”

“Watch your mouth?”

“Why don’t you watch it for me? Come on, hit me,” I goad. “If it makes you feel better.”

He clicks his tongue. “I didn’t tell Third Eye who you were to me. I just made sure he wouldn’t tear your limbs apart, and boy, he was tempted.”

In an instant, the silence sharpens around the rooms. The tight air feels suffocating. All those names make me see red.

I roll my jaw in annoyance, letting the anger simmer.

I always knew I meant nothing to them, and now I understand why. I never mattered. I was never their son. Not really. All they saw was a future full of lies and deceit, how they were wronged, and how far they could go with or without them.