Page 34 of His Secret Betrayal
“I never thought to question it. I mean, why would he lie about something like that?” he continues, his eyes downcast as he absentmindedly plucks at a loose string on his skinny jeans.
I suck in a sharp breath before discreetly peering around the closet. Am I being pranked? Why does this story sound like aLifetimemovie?
Luke continues. “Maybe there’s a reason why he didn’t want us to know the truth. I’m guessing he was either trying to protect us, or he loved her too much and wanted to paint her in a better light.”
I scratch my jaw. “So, you grew up thinking she was dead, but in reality, she left?”
He nods.
“Shit.” A whoosh of air escapes me as I take the new information in. “So, what does Jax have to say about it?”
He shakes his head in quick, jerky movements, looking almost panicked. “He doesn’t know, and he can’t. She made me promise.”
When I hold up two palms in a placating gesture, he seems to settle. “Okay, but why?” I ask.
“I was on a double date a few towns over with my girlfriend one night, and I forgot my wallet in the restaurant. I left them in the car to go grab it and when I came back out, there was a woman out there asking for money.
“I gave her twenty bucks, and she looked startled to see me. Like she couldn’t believe I was there. It was weird. Then the whole drive home, I kept thinking how familiar she looked. I swore I knew her somehow.” He shakes his head, a faraway look in his eyes.
“Maddie—my girlfriend at the time—asked me if something was wrong. And I just lied. I don’t even know why, because something about the woman kept bugging me, but I didn’t know how to explain it without sounding crazy.” He pauses to give me a sideways glance. “Are you still with me?”
I nod, and his lips stretch into a knowing grin at whatever wide-eyed expression I’m giving him.
“I realized she looked just like the woman I had seen in family photos taken before I was born. Jax and Dad both have—had, in Dad’s case—black hair. It always bothered me that I looked so different from them. Sometimes it made me feel like I didn’t fit in,” he says quietly, fingering a strand of blonde hair. “She has blonde hair and green eyes like me. And her features…they are really similar to mine.”
Like a broken record, I continue nodding.
“I snuck into the basement at Jax’s house one day and dug through the old family albums. I found a picture of her when she was pregnant. She was standing next to Dad and Jax, and even though she looked different the night I ran into her, I just knew.”
“What did you do?”
He sighs. “I pretty much stalked that restaurant for weeks hoping she would come back.”
“I’m guessing she came back.”
“I confronted her. At first, I was really mad because she left me and Jax all alone. She chose to leave and let us believe she was dead.”
Luke and I could join the Shitty Parents Club together.
“And then what happened?” I ask.
He shrugs. “She didn’t really seem too thrilled to reunite with her son. I guess I should have taken that for the sign it was.”
Oh God, I don’t like where this is going.
He continues. “She told me she left to protect us and said her sons deserved better than a drug-addicted mother who couldn’t hold down a job. When she said she was trying to get sober, I offered to help. I was desperate to help actually, even though she kept telling me to leave. I had never had a mother, and I thought, ‘This is my one chance.’ How many orphans lose both of their parents and get the chance to get one back?” His voice sounds small, so I squeeze his hand.
“When I offered her money for rehab, she finally gave in.” He chuckles dryly. “I know now it was the money, but I saw my opportunity, and I was so blind to what she was doing that I pretty much gave her whatever she wanted. I even moved her into an apartment here in town. The only time I hesitated was when she told me not to tell Jax. But every time she asked for money, I gave it to her. In the beginning, I believed her when she said she needed it for groceries or to put gas in her car.”
I clear my throat. “Why not tell Jax though?”
He shrugs. “She says she doesn’t want Jax to see her that way, but sometimes I think there’s another reason she isn’t telling me. When she made me promise, she had this look in her eyes like she was two seconds away from leaving again. And I had just found her, and I couldn’t…” He turns to me with beseeching eyes, an imploring look on his face, like he’s desperate for someone to understand.
“You couldn’t give up your one chance to have a relationship with your mother, not even for Jax,” I supply softly. He nods, his tense shoulders relaxing.
“Next thing I knew, I was spending every weekend with her. Helping her every time she took too many pills or any time she went through withdrawals. Then I started missing work and staying out late every time she got high because I wanted to make sure she was safe. Pretty soon, it started interfering with my job. Then my relationships. Every time I was taking care of her, I had to lie. I would tell Jax or Maddie I was at a party. Before I knew it, I had dug myself into a hole I couldn’t crawl out of. They started to see me as this irresponsible kid who just liked to party.”
Maddie. Right. The ex-girlfriend. Why do I hate the thought of him with someone else?
