Page 1 of Exile

Prologue

DARWYNN

My mother was a provocative witch.

No, let me try that again.

My mother was a narcissistic bitch.

“Arrogant asshole. And how rude was he toward that poor woman? She was just doing her job.”

I stared at my mother as she sat on the couch, her arms crossed over her chest and her head tipped back in the most stuck-up way.

“Her job was to ask questions, not to insult him on live TV!” I argued, pointing at the television in front of us. “She crossed the line. I would’ve reacted the same way.”

“Of course, you would’ve. You don’t see the bigger picture, and you don’t have your emotions under control.”

Raising a brow, I wondered if my mother had gone mad or if I had just skillfully ignored her cruel behavior all these years.

I ignored the comment about my emotions. “Are you serious? What bigger picture? Your father has just been insulted on live television! God, what is wrong with you?”

Mom looked at me with emotionless eyes.

Seemed like she had no emotions at all.

“Since when do you care about him?”

“I don’t.”

Admittedly, I didn’t care about anyone the past couple of months. But that didn’t mean I was a heartless bitch who wouldn’t stand up for the people who were being wronged.

“But he’s your father, and all he has done is explain himself because he wanted to be honest about everything that happened. The whole world has been lying about him, and you’re now sitting here, stabbing him in the back because, what, you’re still mad at him for not coming to that one Christmas dinner twenty years ago?”

She snorted and shook her head, muttering something under her breath.

“What was that?” I asked, tilting my head to the side to say I didn’t hear her.

“I said, your grandfather is a selfish prick.”

“Uh-huh, you’ve been the perfect daughter, right?”

I crossed my arms with a heavy sigh.

“What is going on here?”

Rolling my eyes, I turned my head to look at Dale.

I didn’t like Dale, nor did I dislike him. He was just…Dale.

Mom’s boyfriend.

Vegan.

Animal lover.

Cactus fanatic.

Just. Dale.

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