Page 106 of Always You
Infuriated, I hold my hand out to stop her. I don’t want to hear her bullshit. She acts like I’m doing her a damn favor for coming.
“What the fuck have you done, Mom? Tell me WHY did you intend to kill theone woman I’ve loved?Not once but twice. She’s the love of my life. She was then and still is.” My voice booms echoing through the cement walls.
“You hated us dating from the get-go so much you'd take it to such great lengths, murdering her dad and trying to hurt her? It's cruel, barbaric, and callous. You’re heartless. I don’t fucking get it, so explain it to me.”
Her chin trembles with tears in her eyes.
I roll my eyes.
“I will tell you everything. You must listen to me from beginning to end.”
I nod in agreement.
“Let’s sit, Dominic.”
The chairs scrape the cold cement floor as I slump in the chair. She sighs with a heavy breath, wiping the tears leaking on her cheek.
“When Santiago was five years old, and you were a year and a half old, I decided to go to college. I met a woman in college; we became friends, studied together, and hung out. She had a child, a baby girl. She was also a year and a half old. We had play dates. You were so attached to this little girl. You would talk to her in baby talk. She would giggle as babies do. You would blow baby kisses on her cheek. We had many play dates. We would meet at her place to study together while you kids played. It all started when I met her husband. He was a tall and handsome man; I couldn’t help it. I fell for him.”
My mind is racing, trying to grasp what she’s saying.
“He treated her like a queen. The love he had for her was something I wanted. Your father never looked at me with love in his eyes. I wanted what she had. My jealousy grew for a man who only considered me as his wife’s friend. One day in our algebra class she confessed to me she was pregnant. She planned to go home to surprise him. I was raging with anger and jealousy. I was in love with her husband, who had no clue, his eyes were only for her. My envy consumed me in a moment of impulsiveness. I followed her home and deliberately caused an accident. Her vehicle crashed into a tree and came to a halt at the spot she died on the scene.”
My eyes grow wide with shock. What the fuck.
“The friend was Mikaela Amaro, her husband, Leo.”
Holyshit.
Standing up, I pace the small room. I run my fingers through my hair grinding my teeth. I slam my fist on the table, it vibrates.
Rachel jumps. “Dominic, baby.”
“No, Mom, just don’t… y-you killed Mila’s mother, a baby who needed her mother and her father. You left her with no parents, you selfish bitch. All because you were fucking jealous.”
She gasps.
I almost feel guilty for calling her a bitch, but I don’t. Her actions were selfish and heartless, filled with hatred. I can’t believe this woman is my mother.
“Continue,” I seethe and foam like a rabid dog.
She swallows.
“When Mikaela passed away, I distanced myself, afraid of anyone finding out, never saw Leo again. Until fifteen years later, I walked into his restaurant for lunch with a friend. My heart sped up at the sight of him. My feelings for him were still there. I asked him for a job. I wanted to get close to him. I figured maybe he could develop feelings for me. So, I worked as his accountant for the restaurant, doing his payroll. Over time, I felt a connection growing between us. Leo retreated so we could take things slow, although he never looked at me like he looked at his wife. Leo had indicated if things between us escalated, they would not go further. He would never remarry, and his heart belonged to her. He could never love me like his wife or love any woman. At that moment, I said I would take whatever he gave me.” She sniffles.
I roll my eyes. I have no sympathy for her, my heart races she wanted to kill Mila over her lust for a man.
“Then you and Mila met and started dating. Leo broke whatever we had between us off, which was nothing, really. He said you two were dating and in love. He had told me it wouldn’t be right for us to date and it’s not like things could go any further for us. His daughter’s happiness was more important to him. I was furious you two were so in love. It was no surprise. You were attached to her as a baby. You would cry every time we would leave from your playdate. Even as just a baby, you were like a magnet to her.” She wipes her tears. Surveying me through her eyelashes.
“It ruined my chance with Leo. I was in love with him. Mila looked so much like her mother. It made me angry that she came first. She ruined my chance with her father. I wanted her out of the picture, along with Leo. If I couldn’t have him, no one could. That night I started the fire.” Her shoulders shake as she sobs into her hands.
Clenching my hands on the edge of the table, controlling the boiling rage of muscles, veins straining against the skin.
“I’m sorry, Dominic.”
“Don’t, Rachel.”
She gasps. “I’m your mother. Don’t you dare call me by my first name. Who’s the one who took care of you all these years? Who gave you everything? Who took care of you when you were sick, Dominic? Me.” She breathes heavily as her eyes narrow on me.
