Page 63 of Say You're Mine

Elaine's hand closes around my arm, her grip deceptively gentle. "Come along, dear. We have so much to discuss."

I try to pull away, but my limbs feel leaden, uncoordinated. The room tilts alarmingly, and for a moment I think I might faint.

"Cara!" Mama's voice again, thick with tears now. "Tesoro mio, don't let them take you!"

I want to run to her, to bury myself in her arms like I did when I was small. But Elaine is steering me towards the exit, her nails digging into my skin.

"You'll see your mother soon enough," she murmurs, for my ears alone. "Once we've established some ground rules."

The cool air outside the courthouse hits me like a slap, shocking me back to awareness. Reporters swarm, shouting questions, thrusting microphones in my face. The cacophony is overwhelming, a sensory assault that leaves me reeling.

"Ms. Briers, how do you feel about the verdict?"

"Mrs. Deveaux, what are your plans for your grandchild?"

"Is it true that Mr. Deveaux has been institutionalized?"

I stumble, my heel catching on an uneven paver. Elaine's arm snakes around my waist, steadying me. To the cameras, it must look like a gesture of support. I know better.

"No comment," Elaine says smoothly, her smile never wavering. "We're simply focused on ensuring the health and safety of both mother and child."

As she guides me towards a waiting town car, I catch one last glimpse of my family. Dante, his face thunderous as he argues with our lawyer. Natalie, held back by Judith as she tries to push through the crowd. And Mama, her anguished cry cutting straight to my heart:

"Cara! Non dimenticare chi sei!" Don't forget who you are.

The car door closes with a soft thud, muffling the chaos outside. I sink into the plush leather seat, trembling with shock and exhaustion and a rage so deep it scares me.

Elaine settles beside me, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her skirt. "Well," she says brightly, as if we've just concluded a pleasant business lunch. "Shall we discuss the new living arrangements?"

I turn to look at her, this woman who's torn my world apart. Her eyes glitter with triumph, her smile sharp enough to draw blood. And in that moment, something crystallizes within me. A resolve, hard and unyielding as diamond.

I will survive this. I will protect my child. And when the time is right, I will make Elaine Deveaux regret the day she ever heard the name Cara Briers.

Chapter nineteen

June

The news shatters what little composure I've managed to scrape together. Cara. My Cara. Forced to live with that vicious harpy I'm unfortunate enough to call mother. The rage that surges through me is primal, all-consuming, a tsunami of fury that threatens to obliterate everything in its path.

I didn't even get to say goodbye…but it's not really goodbye, is it?

"June, you need to calm down," Judith's voice filters through the red haze clouding my vision. "Breaking things won't change the judge's decision."

I blink, suddenly aware of the destruction around me. Shards of glass litter the floor, remnants of the vase I must have hurled against the wall. My knuckles are bloody, though I have no memory of punching anything. The metallic tang of blood mingles with the acrid scent of my own sweat and fear.

"Calm down?" I snarl, rounding on her. "How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when that bitch has my wife and child?"

Judith doesn't flinch, her steel-gray eyes meeting mine without wavering. "She's not your wife yet, and right now, you're proving the judge's point about your stability."

The words are a knife to the gut, twisting and cruel in their truth. I slump against the wall, suddenly drained. "It's my fault, isn't it?" I whisper, the fight leaching out of me. "If I wasn't so fucked up, if I hadn't let Faulkner get in my head..."

"Hey." Dante's voice is gruff but not unkind as he grips my shoulder. "None of that shit. Elaine's the enemy here, not you."

I nod, but the guilt gnaws at me, insidious and relentless. If I had been stronger, if I had resisted Faulkner's manipulations... But no. I can't go down that rabbit hole. Not now, when Cara needs me more than ever.

"We need a plan," I say, forcing myself to focus. "I can't just sit here while Elaine has her claws in Cara."

Judith and Dante exchange a look, one that sets my teeth on edge. "What?" I demand. "What aren't you telling me?"

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