Page 136 of Mark & Don't Tell

I shake my head. “Marco first.”

Kai huffs a disgruntled sound but looks at my brother. “Come on, kid.”

My brother scrambles around my mom. The jerk who wanted Marco for himself stays back, too afraid of a confrontation with Kai, but Mom lunges for my brother. My heart lurches, but he bats her hand away and runs out of the house, leaving me, my alpha, the douchebag, and Mom alone in the house.

“Goddammit, Daria!” She storms toward me. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

I square my shoulders and glare at her. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I have debts,” Mom says with a snarl. “Don’t judge me for doing what needs to be done, not when you’ve obviously conned some schmuck into thinking you’re worthy of love.”

That blade stabs a little deeper. I would scream, but this is pain I’m used to. The agony of searching for love that’s long since disappeared leaves me with a familiar chill. A frigid cold that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to chase away.

“Watch it,” Kai snaps.

My body starts to shake, tears burning my eyes as the last of my love for her shatters into a million pieces. Mom looks at me like I’m repulsive, and to her, maybe I am. After all, I ruined her life.

“No, really, I want to know how you put up with her,” Mom demands.

“Your daughter is amazing,” Kai says.

“Ha!” She shakes her head. “She’s mouthy and needy.”

There’s a lump in my throat that I can’t swallow. A flush crawls over every inch of my skin as she points out every flaw I have. Too loud. Too high maintenance. Too dumb for my own good. Ugly. Clingy. Worthless.

Kai, my sweet alpha, tries to defend me at every turn, but that only makes her eyes flash with anger. Only deepens her desire to hurt me. To drag the knife across my skin, just so she can watch me bleed out. To tear me apart until there’s nothing but remnants of who I used to be.

“Daria, you don’t have to listen to this, baby. Come on.” Kai tugs on my arm to pull me away.

“Oh, she’s got you good, huh?” Mom laughs and sneers at me. “What? She sucks your cock hard enough to make you forget about her size?”

Surging forward, I raise my hand and swing. My palm cracks across her cheek hard enough to whip her head to the side. “Screw you!” The scream tears from my throat, ravaging my vocal chords with the vitriol. Kai catches me in his arms, hauling me back against his strong chest, trying to shield me, but the worst of the damage is done.

My relationship with my mother has been suffering since the day she left my fathers. This is the worst it’s ever been, but maybe now, I finally have enough reason to cut her out of my life. I’ve forgiven so much. All in an attempt to have some type of bond with her. It was silly, really, but to me, no matter how horribly she treated me, no matter how much hate she hurled my way, I still had a mom.

But what she wanted to do to Marco is despicable.

Disgusting.

Vile.

Unforgivable.

She’s inflicted so much damage over the years, done so many horrible things, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it does. This is a line I never imagine she’d cross. I never thought she was this heartless. I never thought I’d look at her and wish her dead.

But I do. I can’t stand the sight of her, and I?—

“I hate you,” I hiss. Admitting it out loud doesn’t bring any relief. If anything, it only hurts more.

A maniacal laugh pours between my mom’s lips. She clutches her cheek and side-eyes me. “There she is! That’s my daughter! A spiteful little bitch!”

“This family is messed up,” the creep mutters.

And if that asshole thinks this is bad, it’s bad.

“Babe.” Kai’s voice is soft. “Marco is in the car. Let’s go.”

“I need to get his things.”

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