Page 55 of Masquerade Mistake

He leans over and kisses my cheek, then without even glancing at my mom, he turns and steps outside the room. I move closer to my mom, but not close enough for her to touch me.

“You are going to Mountain Vista, and that’s final,” I hiss.

“I will not,” my mom says.

“And then what will you do? Rot in jail? Because that’s where you’re going if you don’t get help. You think you’ll get drugs in jail? You think it will be easier than a treatment program? You’ve run out of options Mom, and it’s time you faced facts.”

“I won’t go,” my mom insists, but her voice wavers. I see the seed of panic in her eyes, the fear over what happens next. But I harden my heart. I won’t do this anymore; I’m done saving her.

“You don’t have a choice,” I tell her, even though it’s a lie. “They’re releasing you to the treatment center as soon as the doctor clears you to leave. After that, you’re on your own to figure things out. I’m done, Mom.”

“What are you talking about, Claire?”

But I really am done. I turn to leave.

“Don’t you dare leave, Claire,” my mom shouts after me. “Get back here.”

I don’t. But I don’t leave either. I pause on the other side of the curtain where she can’t see me, my hands shaking as I try to compose myself.

“You think you’re better than me? You goddamn whore, Claire!”

My insides twist at her voice. I’m seventeen again, coming home to her stumbling down the hall. You goddamn whore, Claire.

“You didn’t even know his name,” my mom laughs, but I hear the crackle in her voice. “A masked lover. I wonder if he even knows he has a kid.”

I want to march back in there and retaliate against her words. I want to tell her all the ways she failed me. This is what she’s going to hold over my head? What about all the ways she failed me? Or that she doesn’t know who my father is? Or how I’ve been the one making sure she survives?

But I’m done. I unclench my fists and swipe at the moisture forming in my eyes. Then, with a deep breath, I leave the room.

The officer is still there, but Ethan isn’t. I look at the officer and he nods his head down the hallway.

“Thanks,” I murmur, then head in the direction he indicated. When I round the corner, I see Ethan sitting in a chair in the waiting room, his head bowed and his hands folded in front of him. I step closer, placing my hand on his shoulder. He looks up, and my breath catches at how pale his face is. For the first time, I notice his hands shaking.

“Is it true?” he asks.

Chapter 23

It’s like the floor drops from under me, like the room is getting smaller around us.

He knows.

“Ethan…”

But he’s up, heading for the elevator. I follow, but he turns at last minute and barrels through the doors of the stairwell. I let the door slam shut without following him, even though I want to. Instead, I take the elevator, my own hands shaking as tears spill down my cheeks. I reach the lobby and he’s not there. But in the parking lot I see his car, and I see him hunched over, getting sick next to the driver’s side door.

I rush to him, but he brushes me off.

“Did you know it was me?” he grunts out, looking up at me as he clutches his stomach.

“Not at first,” I say.

“Was this your idea of fun? Was Nina in on it? Your friend, Maren?”

“No, Ethan, I swear!”

He groans, lurching forward, but nothing comes up. I reach over to touch his arm, but he jerks out of the way.

“Don’t touch me,” he growls. “How long did you know?”

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