Page 86 of The Blackmail of Denise Randall

QueenBee

@TheFashionPrincess Get well soon! I need my spring guide ;)

SEVEN

@TheFashionPrincess I’ll be thinking about you

TheFashionPrincess

@SEVEN WHO ARE YOU?

SEVEN

@TheFashionPrincess when the time is right, I’ll show myself, again.

Again?

I find Mom sitting in the living room going through old photo albums. I sit down next to her and she hands me a photo of me as a little girl. “You were always so happy. Always so bubbly and laughing. Always. All the way up until your freshman year.” She looks up to the ceiling and then to me. “How’d I not see it? We were all grieving, but Denise, how did I not see the signs that you were hurting?”

“Because you were hurting, as well. We were still grieving our loss. It feels like we lost everything when we lost him.”

“I feel as though I’ve lost my way as your mother.”

My bottom lip quivers. “Don’t do that, Mom. I’ve let you down.”

Mom shakes her head. “You could never let me down. I love you so much. I’ll always be proud of you. I love all four of my children, and nothing will ever change that.” She takes both of my hands in hers. “We’re going to get through this like we have everything else.”

I can’t help but scoff. “Like we have everything else? That’s not very reassuring.”

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