Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows novel Chapter 31

I had built up this picture-perfect fantasy in my head. And because of my naivety and foolishness, Jonah lost his cool with me for the first time.

We were in the hospital room. It felt like a whole half hour passed from the moment he walked in to when he finally stood there, looming over my bed. Not a single word left his mouth during that time.

I knew I was in the wrong, so I kept my eyes glued to the floor, too scared to look up. Then, out of nowhere, he broke the silence with a question: "From yesterday until now, do you realize what you did wrong?"

His voice was low, not giving away any hint of how he felt. I wanted to nod, but the bandages on my head were pulling, reminding me of the pain. So, I softly admitted, "Yeah."

He pressed on, "Tell me."

I stayed quiet. His voice grew louder, "Look at me. Why did you do that?"

His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his jaw was shadowed with stubble. A wave of guilt and bitterness washed over me, threatening to swallow me whole.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I acted impulsively and caused trouble for everyone, made you worry, and wasted a lot of money on these medical bills."

He let out a cold chuckle, his gaze cutting through me like a knife.

"Lana, you still didn’t realize your mistakes! If I'd been a minute later, would you still be here? Do you think you can predict human nature to a T? Do you not know how unpredictable your father can be when he's angry?

"Did you talk to me before deciding anything? Did you even think about what might happen?"

A rush of complicated emotions overwhelmed me—feelings of hurt, sadness, and helplessness—like waves crashing over me, wrapping me up so tightly I could barely breathe.

Even though life didn’t have walls, I felt trapped in an invisible cage. There were so few people who had been kind to me; I grew up in a world that lacked warmth and kindness. So, when unconditional kindness suddenly arrived, it scared me and drew me in at the same time. I didn’t know how to give back; I wasn't born with the ability to accept it easily. My heart always held seeds of insecurity and fear.

The day I realized I was a true pessimist was also the day I realized I'd messed everything up with my own hands.

Social interactions are like navigating a maze, and as I ventured further in, I discovered that everyone in this family carried unspoken burdens; each was a bundle of contradictions. There were many things they chose not to talk about, so even if I figured them out, I pretended not to know.

They called Aunt Marie crazy, but to me, she was the kindest, gentlest person I’d ever met. She was just caught in the throes of grief after losing the love of her life and hadn’t found her way out yet.