Page 16 of I Blame the Rival

I glance over and take in the kind eyes sparkling back at me. My brother inherited her pale blue eyes, I got her cheekbones, but neither of us got her dark hair.

Sometimes I wonder whether it hurts, knowing that both her children took after the abusive man she married.

She gives me a gentle nudge on the shoulder, “I think everything depends on circumstances, but yes, I do believe it’s possible to miss someone you’ve never met. Sometimes the most powerful connections come from strangers we meet once and never see again.”

The thought puts a frown on my face.

“But that would mean I’ll never stop missing her.”

“Aha! I knew there was someone special.” My mother grins, “Anyone I know? A girl from school, maybe?”

“No.” I plunge my hands back into the soapy water, “And no more questions or I’m abandoning dish duty.”

“You wouldn’t hurt your mother like that.”

She’s teasing but the words are like a punch in the gut. Dropping my gaze to the dishes floating in the sink, I don’t have to look at her smiling face to know what I’ll see.

The bump on her nose from when my father broke it.

The scar on her upper lip from when he backhanded her.

The lines of scar tissue on her forearm from when she fell on broken glass.

And those are only the ones I’ve seen. Who knows how many scars my father left on her body over their ten-year marriage.

“Can I at least get a name?” Amber taps her scarred lip in thought, “How long have you been talking?”

“Mom. I said no more questions.”

She laughs and throws her arms around me, “Okay, I’ll stop for now. But if things get serious, promise you’ll bring her home to meet me?”

I sigh, letting her pull me in for a hug, “Her name is Lacey. And I’ll think about it.”

“Ooh, what a pretty name.”

It is a pretty name. One that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since she told me. I don’t know anything about this girl besides the tidbit she shared on the tissues, but there’s something special about her. Something different.

I just hope that when the time comes, she won’t be disappointed with who I turn out to be.

Not a hero or a villain, but me.

Chapter 4

Lacey

“Should we invite your roommate?”

“Why the hell would we do that?”

“It seems rudenotto invite her.”

“I’m sure she’s busy. Plus, she hates going out. I hear her complain to her annoying friend every time he drags her out to any sort of event.”

The voices drift from the living room and my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Do they not know I can hear every word they’re saying?

Cecelia’s gruff voice drifts through my walls, “Whatever. Let’s invite her and be done with it.”

“Wait. Is this the virgin?”

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