Chapter 8 Unraveling Truth

"Why now?" I asked, the tone of my voice sharp enough to cut, as I turned to the letter in Jaxon's hands."Why would your family suddenly come forward after all this time?Jaxon tossed in his seat, the knuckles pale on either edge of the paper. The dimness of the living room lights did nothing to disguise the tenseness etched across his features. He had been silent for too long, and that easiness was not anywhere in sight."I do not know," he said gruffly, looking up at me for a brief second before lowering his eyes back to the letter again. "But I suppose it has something to do with my father. He has been trying to bury everything for years, Isabel. And this," he shook the letter slightly, "this is the first sign that something's been dug up."I felt my pulse quicken. "Your father?" The name felt heavy on my tongue."You’ve indeed now mentioned him ahead, Jaxon."He sighed, the weight of years of silence acting to eventually catch up and hunker his shoulders. "Yeah, I know, it's complicated. further than you can presumably imagine." He broke, rubbing his forehead."But I am not the man I was when we first met. I need to fix this, Iz. I need to fix us."I breathed in, trying to stem the storm in my chest. It was not just the letter. It was not indeed just the huge mess that was his family. It was everything—padded lies and bits of his once jamming the space between us."Do you really suppose you can, Jaxon?" I eventually asked, quieter also, but still with a shade of doubt."Do you suppose you can just fix things?"He met my gaze, his eyes filled with a mix of determination and vulnerability that made my heart ache."I am going to try, Isabel. I am going to prove that I am not the same guy who let you down ahead."His words hung in the air, and for an alternate, I nearly believed him. Wanted to believe him. The verity was, however, I had been spooked. spooked of trusting him again. spooked of everything this whole thing might lead to. Because at the bottom of my stomach, I knew one thing for sure: there was further to this mystery than either of us was ready to face."I suppose we need to look deeper into this," I said, trying to shove that doubt down. "We need to find out what this letter really means. However, we cannot just sit then, hoping things will be all right if your father's involved."Jaxon jounced sluggishly, his jaw gripped."I know. I am with you, Iz. Whatever it takes. "We spent the whole autumn rereading the letter over and over again, the words putatively swaddling us in a maze of some sort that had far too many missing pieces in it. Every detail was important, yet nothing was put into the other as it ought to. I felt we both fumbled in the web of secrets without any sure direction.Later on, Hazel woke up, her soft cry drifting through the house. Wordlessly, Jaxon got up; the pressure between us still so palpable. He made his way to her room, and I followed, my eyes still upon him in so many mixed feelings: relief, confusion, and still that troubling doubt.It was also that Jaxon picked Hazel up, cradling her in his arms and speaking vocally to her, that I had a flicker of hope. Perhaps he was changing. Perhaps he could be the man I demanded him to be. But just as quick as it had appeared, that hope was drowned by the brewing questions about his once—and the letter."Isabel," Jaxon said, turning to me formally. Hazel was settled in his arms."I have got to tell you something. About my family. About why I kept my distance for so long."My heart flipped. This was not going to be easy."What's it?" I asked, my voice slightly above a whisper.Jaxon was suddenly scrupulous, his gaze zipping between me and Hazel. Eventually, he spoke in a low, guarded voice, "My father." He stopped, easily scuffling over how to continue."He was not just a bad man. He was. part of something bigger. Something dangerous. And when I walked down from him, I allowed I could leave all this before. But the verity is, I could not. It has always been there, following me.I waited for him to continue, but he didn't; rather, he looked at me, the weight of his words upon him. "It's why I now way let anyone get too near, Iz. Because I could not drag you into the mess that was my life."I could hear the raw emotion in his voice, and for the first time in a long time, I believed him. He was not making excuses; he was opening up—slightly, but enough to make me see that this was more complicated than I could have ever imagined.But just as I was about to respond, the phone chimed, slicing through the air like a sharp blade.Jaxon went still, his eyes locking on mine as the ring echoed in the room. Sluggishly, he reached for the phone, his hand shaking slightly as he picked it up. "Hello?" His voice was steady, but I could tell something shifted in him. His eyes darkened while he heeded the person on the other end.I felt the knot in my stomach twist tighter. Whatever it was, it was not good. And the look on Jaxon's face verified that.He hung up the phone, his face pale."We need to go. Now.""Go? Go where?" I asked, the fear starting to rise in my chest."What is going on, Jaxon?"He did not respond incontinently, his eyes detracted as he dragged on his jacket."There is something different. Something I did not want to tell you, Isabel. But now we have no choice. It's about my father."I stood there, my heart forging."What do you mean? What is going on?"Jaxon's eyes locked with mine, the weight of this knowledge settling in."We've to go see him. It's the only way we'll get the verity."The truth. That word again. But this time, I was not so sure I was ready for what it meant.The chill of the evening air hit me as we stepped out the door, the weight of the unknown pressing down on us both. I turned to Jaxon, not really knowing what to anticipate, yet ever certain that whatever happened would change everything."Are you ready for this?" he asked in a low tone.I jounced, swallowing the lump in my throat."I do not know. But I have to be."