Page 100 of The Players We Hate
Not a word about me. Not about whether I was okay, or scared, or exhausted. All of it was strategy—damage control and nothing more.
Alisa moved closer, settling beside me on the bed. She leaned in, her messy bun slipping as she tried to read over my shoulder. “Wow. Subtle.”
My fingers were cold but steady as I gripped the phone. I hit call before I could talk myself out of it.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Wren, thank God. You’ve completely lost your mind.”
“Nice to hear your voice, too, Mother.”
“Don’t start. Do you even realize what you’ve done? Do you realize the damage you’ve caused?”
“I know what I’ve done,” I said, sharper than I meant to. I wasn’t surprised she’d figured it out—working for compliance made it easy for them to connect the dots. “I told the truth.”
The silence on the other end was brittle, like static waiting to snap. Then her voice sharpened. “Where are you? I’ll send someone to getyou—”
“I’m not in Rixton.”
Her breath caught. “You left town?”
“I did. I’m with friends. And I’ll come back when I’m ready. Not before.”
“Wren, don’t be ridiculous—”
“No.” My pulse was racing, but I held my ground. “You don’t get to call me irrational or emotional every time I don’t bend. I’m done bending.”
“You have no idea how hard we’ve worked—”
“I do.” My voice dropped, but didn’t waver. “I’ve watched you fight every single day to protect a perfect story. But this was never my story. I’m not your political puppet. I’m not the daughter you trot out when it’s convenient. I’m sure as hell not your shield.”
The line went quiet. For a second, I thought she’d hung up, but I could still hear her breathing.
“I’m not Wells. And I’m not my father either. I won’t be silenced to protect your perfectly fake image.”
Her inhale was sharp, but I didn’t wait for whatever speech she had lined up.
“I’ll talk to you when I’m back. When I’m ready.”
And I hung up.
The ringing in my ears lingered until the faint drone of the TV in the guys’ room bled through the wall and pulled me back.
Alisa blinked at me, her mouth parting. “Holy sh—”
A shaky laugh escaped before I could stop it. “Yeah.”
Alisa stayed beside me, sliding her arm around my shoulders and pulling me in until I almost lost it right there. Her voice was low but certain against myear. “Whatever happens next… I need you to know that was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. I am so damn proud of you.”
When she let go, her eyes were shining. “Seriously, Wren. You didn’t just stand up to her, you stood up for yourself. That takes guts most people don’t have.”
I nodded, swallowing hard against the knot in my throat. “Thanks.”
I didn’t feel like a daughter anymore. What I felt was something I hadn’t felt in years.
Free.
Her voice still clung to the room, clipped and sharp, burned into the air the way it always did. Intimidation dressed as concern. Ultimatums disguised as love. She thought it would scare me back into place.
