Page 134 of Mine to Worship

I wince, but jerk my chin up, a wave of anger crashing on me.

“You’re talking about my husband, and I won’t allow you to disrespect him in our home,” I snarl, losing my composure.

She twirls around the room, taking everything in.

“This should have all been Brandon’s, but Walter had to screw some bitch and I ended up having to raise that ungrateful bastard.”

“Kian was just a boy that needed love. He was never a threat.”

These people are bad to the bone. I stride to the door and say, “Please leave. I will tell Brandon you came by when he wakes up.”

“Where is that bastard you call a husband? Is he happy now that he’s ruined us?”

I grit my teeth, calling on all the patience I can muster. I won’t lose my mind over a person who clearly has mental health issues.

“Jillian, you need to go or let me call Brandon but I don’t want you here. Please respect that.”

Her laugh turns sardonic, and my heart aches for Brandon.

Horror transforms her face when she notices my belly. “You’re pregnant?”

I put my hands over my belly, adding another layer of protection from the evil this woman is spewing.

“What about my son, huh? How could you?”

Her obsession with him is not healthy.

“Brandon and I are friends. We have always been just friends.”

She puts her head between her palms and says, “Shut up. You’re lying. Kian ruined everything, if it wasn’t for him, you and Brandon would be together.”

I shake my head, realizing that she needs professional help. I wonder how no one in her family didn’t see this. Sympathy replaces the anger, and I approach Jillian, my voice turning softer. “Can I help you?”

“All I want is my life back and that bastard to never have been a part of it.”

It stings, and my chest constricts with pain. How can anyone say something that nasty?

“Please go,” I say and show her the door.

She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Who are you to kick me out of my home?”

My mouth opens and closes, and I stare at her, confused. Her eyes are unfocused, clouded with a haunted expression. I have no idea what to do here and I am afraid I’ll say something that makes it worse.

“Shall we move to the couch and talk it over?” I offer, trying a different approach.

“I want you gone, and I want Kian to pay back what he took from me. My own son is against me because of him. All I have ever asked of him was to take care of Brandon. Is he happy my son has been left with nothing?”

“Jillian, Kian loves Brandon. This was never about Brandon.”

“You’re a liar, all Kian wanted was to be him, but he can’t because my Brandon is perfect. No one will ever be him.”

“Of course, he’s your son.”

I approach her with my hands raised in a non-threatening way and her eyes switch from left to right, up and down, a crazy cacophony of motion.

“No, he is the best. No one can compare to him, and he deserves everything. Is that his baby?”

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