Page 70 of Splitting Secrets
“That’s Lola,” Fake Dad informs me, a small smile playing on his lips. “She found us out here.”
She looks up at me with huge green eyes and meows, insisting I pet her. She’s a calico with markings on her face split directly in the middle. One side is decorated in orange tabby markings and the other is black, with the pattern continuing down her long, fluffy back.
“We tried to keep her out, but she kept finding ways to get back in until eventually, we gave in and kept her,” he goes on.
So, they can take care of a cat, but couldn't be bothered with their own daughter.
I scowl at the normalcy of it, bending over to rub Lola’s white chin. “Where is everyone?”
“They went for a ride on the rig,” Fake Dad supplies.
Fake Mom pushes a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast toward me. “Take a seat. We know there’s a lot to discuss, and we’re ready to talk as soon as you are.”
Narrowing my eyes at the food, I stay rooted in my spot and run my fingers through Lola’s fur as I consider her offer. Eventually, my hunger wins out, forcing me to abandon the cat and grab the plate off the counter, then shuffle over to the dining table to put distance between us. They twist in their seats, their eyes tracking my every move unblinkingly, like they can’t believe I’m here.
“I don’t think there’s anything to discuss, actually.”
Her shoulders slump. “Of course there is. We’ve got years to catch up on.”
“No, we don’t. I’m feeling pretty caught up,” I inform, scooping up a forkful of eggs and shoving them into my mouth. When they both stare at me, open-mouthed, I go on. “You’ve spent over a decade hiding from me and everyone else in your little mountain mansion. There. Caught up.”
“It’s much more complicated than that—” my father starts to say, but I cut him off. I don’t want to hear their side of it.
“Is it?”
“Yes, it is,” he insists. “And we’d also like to know more about you, too. Most notably, what led you to coming to Nocturne Valley to begin with?”
I snort. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I ruin your plans to never speak to me again?”
“We always planned to come back for you when this was all over,” Fake Mom assures.
“Isn’t that convenient? Leave me alone for Uncle Graysen and Aunt Divina to deal with until you decide you’re ready to be parents again.”
I can tell she’s getting irritated with my stubbornness. “This is what we need to talk through, obviously. Graysen and Divina had nothing but positive things to say about you.”
My blood hammers against my temples as anger heats my cheeks.
They spoke? Divina and Graysenknew? Was this whole thing orchestrated with me being the only one who wasn’t privy to their secrets?
I’ve been living my entire life alongside monsters and liars.
“Oh, did they?” I sneer, dropping my fork onto the plate with a loud bang. “I’m sure they forgot to mention how Aunt Divina treated me like an outsider the moment I stepped into their house. How she stomped her feet and insisted I be sent away to live with your deadbeat family.” I point to Fake Mom. “And of course, they forgot to tell you how she packed my bags and kicked me out when I was still a senior in high school. Or how elated they were to hear that I was leaving the country and getting out of their hair. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting here, trying to feed me shit and tell me it’s sugar.”
“We never claimed that this situation was perfect,” my father sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Give us a chance to explain, and maybe you’ll see how all of those things were still better than the alternative that we were facing if we had stayed,” Mom rushes out a little louder than before.
“The only alternative I care about is the one where my fucking parents didn’t fake their own deaths and hide from me for years,” I repeat, raising my voice to match her.
“There is no alternative like that,” my mother explodes now, a mirror image of my short temper. She ignores the hand my father places on her arm in a silent plea for her to settle down. “The Midnight Syndicate wanted us dead, plain and simple. They sent Raze to kill us that night, and he followed his orders. Luckily, we had already gotten word of what was going to happen, so we made the best of the situation. We allowed them to think that we were dead, and they believed the lie because any alternative was unacceptable to them. If they knew Raze was unsuccessful the first time, they would have only sent him after us again.”
I cross my arms. “None of that excuses the lies you all toldme.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she agrees aggressively. “You were supposed to be with us that night. Justyou. But you and Poppy insisted on going to that damn dance, and we chose to take a different route to get you there, knowing what their plan was. Raze wasn’t supposed to attack until we had Poppy home safe and you in the backseat, so you could come with us when we left.”
I don’t miss her insinuation that Raze is at fault for us being separated. Knowing what I know now—that he was just a terrified kid on the cusp of adulthood, still mourning the loss of his father and trying to fill shoes he didn’t fit in yet—I don’t blame him. “That’s a fucked-up plan.”
“That’s all we had time to organize,” my father pipes in defensively. “And you can watch your language around us.”
