The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 19

In the afternoon, when I was getting ready to pick Jonas up from school, I got a call from his teacher.

The teacher sounded somewhat frantic. "Mr. Joplin, please come over right now. Jonas and Xavier got into a fight."

My heart sank, and I hurried to the school.

In the office, I saw Jonas and Xavier seated on either side of the room. Both were injured.

Yvonne was already there, speaking with the teacher with a frown.

"What happened?" I walked in and asked.

The teacher sighed. "Well, during gym class, Xavier led a group of students to bully Jonas. Jonas snapped and got into a fight with Xavier."

I turned to Xavier and asked, "Why did you bully your brother?"

Xavier pouted. "He's so useless. He doesn't even know how to play basketball. Our class lost the game because of him."

I was about to speak when Yvonne chimed in, "Xavier, you can't talk about your brother like that. Apologize right now."

Xavier turned his head away stubbornly, unwilling to speak.

I crouched to meet Jonas' eye. "Jonas, tell me what happened."

Jonas wiped his tears and said while choking back on sobs, "Xavier said you divorced Mommy because I'm too stupid and useless. He said I was a burden. I… I hit him because I just couldn't take it anymore."

When I heard that, it felt as though a blade was dragging across my heart.

I got up and stared at Yvonne coldly. "So, this is how you raise your child?"

Her face paled. "Cole, you've got it wrong. I never taught Xavier anything like that."

I sneered. "Really? Then why would he say that? Yvonne, I'm warning you. Since Xavier's staying with you, raise him well. Otherwise, I'll take legal action."

Mom came out from the kitchen. When she noticed the injuries on Jonas' face, she immediately cried out, "Oh god, what happened to him?"

I briefly explained the situation. Mom wrapped Jonas in a hug, looking visibly distressed. Her eyes reddened with tears.

Dad walked out of the study. When he saw them, his expression darkened. "What happened? Did Yvonne do that?"

I shook my head. "Dad, let's not talk about it. Let's eat."

The atmosphere at the dining table was somewhat heavy.

Dad kept asking about the post-divorce arrangements. I kept my answers as brief as possible. I didn't want to say too much in front of Jonas.

After dinner, Mom led Jonas away to watch TV, and Dad summoned me to the study.

He gave me a solemn look. "Cole, are you really not considering reconciliation?"