Page 8 of Saved By My Buyers

“You work hard,” I say dully, forcing pride into my voice. “I’m not surprised they asked you to stay.”

I just don’t know why you wouldn’t come back for me. I really am the forgotten girl.

“I meant to call more, but everything was so hectic,” Mom gushes as I gaze at her. She’s so busy making the food that she doesn’t really notice how lackluster my responses are.

“I understand,” I confirm, even though I really don’t.

Mom goes on for the next half an hour about people I don’t know at the hospital, gushing about how wonderful it all is. I hear the name Dr. Davies spoken a lot, but it seems as if they tend to work the same shifts.

I think nothing of it until I’m eating my empanadas with Mom, and I realize this is a “buttering up” meal. Anytime she needs to drop something big on me, she makes one of my favorite meals.

“So, Dr. Davies and I have been spending a lot of time together, you know? He has a little girl named Bronwyn and she’s so pretty,” Mom gushes, making my stomach cramp with anxiety as I put my food down on the plate and take a small sip of water, so I won’t choke on the bite that threatens to get stuck in my throat.

“That’s nice,” I say once I can breathe. Dying by empanada isn’t in my plans. I’d really like to turn fifteen in a few short weeks.

“Isn’t it! Oh good, so you won’t be mad, right?” Mom asks, making my head spin. Why do I feel as if I missed a large part of the conversation just now? Did I space out?

“Why would I be mad?” I ask slowly. Mom gives me an odd look, and I feel as if I’m going insane. What the hell is happening?!

“I didn’t say? Oh, that’s so silly of me,” she says, thrusting her hand under my face. “Gareth asked me to marry him, and I said yes! Isn’t that amazing? We’re moving to Michigan as soon as school ends next week.”

My hands clench around the edge of the table, my chest beginning to heave a bit. There’s a huge diamond ring on her finger, her wedding rings that Dad gave her long gone.

They were on her finger when she left. I’ve missed so much, because I wasn’t even a thought in the plans.

I’m the forgotten person in my own life.

“It’s gorgeous,” I rasp, panting. Maybe I’m allergic to the empanadas, or maybe it’s all the bullshit Mom is spewing right now. “Does he know about me, Mom?”

Blinking, she nods. “Of course he knows about you, mija,” she says, her nerves beginning to crack through. “Bronwyn and Gareth are really excited for you to come live with them.”

“So they won’t be surprised when I show up with you. A fourteen-year-old is kind of hard to hide,” I say unkindly. I just don’t know what to think, and I realize I messed up as the crack of her hand sounds as she smacks my face.

“You’re my daughter. Be happy for me!” she yells, standing over me suddenly.

“I am,” I counter, my hand resting on the warm spot on my face. I can feel blood sliding down my skin from the huge rock on her finger, but I’m too numb and shocked to be able to process that.

“I just don’t want to be forgotten the way I have been for the last six months. Do you know how many times Jack threatened to move me out of here?”

“Jack? You called him? How?” Mom pouts, looking as if she’s been betrayed.

Oh my God. She wanted me to be completely isolated and alone. This is unbelievable.

“No, Jack was looking for you, and he used his resources from work, Mother,” I say, knowing I’m asking for trouble, but unable to rein myself back in. I’ve only called my mom this once when I was nine, and she hit me so hard with the hair dryer that I saw stars for the rest of the day.

She told everyone I walked into a door because I wasn’t paying attention. “My name was on the phone contract. Jack was looking for you, because he was worried.”

Mom looks as if she’s going to blow up before she deflates a bit. “I meant to call him,” she mutters. “I got a little carried away. Gareth knows who you are, I promise. He’s very excited to call you his daughter as well.”

I doubt that. I had a father, thank you very much.

“When is the wedding?” I ask. “And where are we living?”

“The wedding is three weeks from today,” she squeals excitedly. “We’re going to of course move in with Gareth and Bronwyn.”

Nodding slowly as I think about a date that I’ve been excited about, I stay seated because I don’t think my legs will hold me up right now.

“That’s awesome,” I rasp. “What’s the date?”

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