Page 7 of Say You're Mine

"Believe what you want," Elaine says, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "But the truth is, you were never going to be a part of this family. June's place is with Amethyst, with the child they've created together. And you? You're nothing more than a footnote, a sad little case of charity that he'll look back on with pity and regret."

I stumble back, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. This can't be happening. It can't be real.

But it is. The proof is right there in front of me, in the cruel curl of Elaine's lips and the cold, calculating stare of the man beside her.

I've lost him. I've lost June, and everything we could have had together.

The realization hits me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. I double over, my arms wrapping around my middle as if to hold myself together, to keep the shattered pieces of my heart from spilling out onto the cold, marble floor.

"Cara? Cara, are you alright?"

The voice is familiar, cutting through the haze of grief and despair; the sound that brings the safest place my battered soul could land. I look up to see my mother standing in the doorway, her face etched with concern.

"Mom?" I croak, my voice raw and broken. "What are you doing here?"

She rushes to my side, gathering me into her arms like I'm a child again, small and scared and in need of comfort. "I came as soon as I heard. Louis called me, said you were heading into the lion's den alone. I couldn't let you face this by yourself."

I sag against her, burying my face in the crook of her neck as sobs wrack my body. "It's over, Mom. It's all over. June, the baby...everything."

She strokes my hair, murmuring soothing nonsense as I come apart in her arms. "Shh, honey. It's going to be alright. We'll figure this out, I promise."

Elaine clears her throat, her voice cutting through the tender moment like a knife. "Well, isn't this touching? The artist and her immigrant mother, come to beg for scraps from the Deveaux table."

My mother stiffens, her arms tightening around me. Slowly, lifting her head, and I watch nervously as her eyes lock onto Elaine's in a steely glare.

"How dare you?" she says, her voice low and dangerous. "How dare you talk to my daughter like that, after everything your family has put her through?"

Elaine scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. "Please. Your daughter got exactly what she deserved. She should have known better than to reach above her station."

My mother takes a step forward, her face flushing with anger. "My daughter is worth a thousand of you, Elaine Deveaux. Cara's smart, and talented, and brave. And she has more compassion and integrity in her little finger than you have in your entire body."

Elaine's eyes narrow, her lips thinning into a cruel line. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, Mrs. Briers. I could destroy you and your entire family with a snap of my fingers."

My mother laughs, a harsh, brittle sound. "Go ahead and try. But know this - I will fight for my daughter with every last breath in my body. I won't let you hurt her any more than you already have."

She turns to me, her eyes softening with love and fierce determination. "Come on, honey. Let's go home. There's nothing for us here."

I nod, letting her lead me towards the door on shaking legs. But before we can leave, Elaine's voice rings out one last time, as sharp and cold as a knife's blade.

"You're making a mistake, Cara. Waging war with this family, say goodbye to life as you know it. And remember, June will never forgive you for this…for going against his mother."

I pause, my hand on the doorknob. For a moment, I'm tempted to turn back, to beg and plead for another chance. But then I feel my mother's hand on my shoulder, steady and strong, and I know I can't go back. Not now, not ever.

"Goodbye, Elaine," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "I hope you're happy with the choices you've made."

And then I'm walking away, my mother's arm around my waist, holding me up as we make our way out of the Deveaux building and into the bright, unforgiving light of day.

The doors slide closed behind us, and I collapse against my mother, my chest heaving with sobs. The baby flutters inside me, a tiny, fragile reminder of everything I stand to lose.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, my hand pressed against my stomach. "I'm so sorry, little one. I failed. I failed you, and I failed your daddy."

The tears come hot and fast, blurring my vision until the world is nothing more than a smear of color and light.

But even through the haze of grief, I feel it. A flicker of something deep inside me, a stubborn ember that refuses to be extinguished.

Hope. Love. The unshakable certainty that what June and I have is real, is true, no matter what anyone else says.

"You okay baby?" My mother's voice breaks my train of thought, and I look into the eyes of my immigrant mother before I straighten, wiping the tears from my cheeks with a shaking hand.

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