Page 110 of Between Love and Loathing
I murmured that I had to go and hung up on him.
I laid down to try to take a nap, to just forget all that was happening.
Time passed but my eyes never drifted shut. Sleeping without him near was much too hard already.
When the knock at the door sounded, I welcomed the distraction and went to open the door for Anastasia… and my mother. She sneered at me, “So he left you?”
“I’m leaving him,” I started, but I was looking at my sister, trying my best not to let the unshed tears roll down my cheeks. “You said it was just you coming.”
“So? Mom wanted to come too.” She shrugged and walked in, waving my mother in after her and leaving the door wide open like they had servants to take care of it. “Is he putting you up in this apartment to be gracious?” I wouldn’t tell them that I owned it now. The sliver of hope I’d had at finding resolution with them was gone. “I really thought you might be of some use to us, Clara. I honestly did, but you’re fucking useless.” My mother shook her head in disgust.
“What?” I murmured.
“Oh, don’t look like you’re going to cry. It’s obvious we want our HEAT membership back, and we were hoping you could get to Evie’s ridiculous status with Dominic maybe. Evie married Declan, and now she gets to act like she’s above us. If you married Dom… Well, that’s not happening, is it? You’ve ruined that too.”
“I… I guess so.” I shook my head, mad for even subjecting myself to them again, for falling for their act at the reopening.
“And what’s with this rash?” She poked a finger into my red cheek and then pushed it hard. “Go cover it up. No wonder he’s leaving you. If you’re not going to take care of yourself—”
“That’s what I’m trying to do!” I screeched and both of their eyes widened. “Why do you think I moved away from you? You’re triggering—”
She smacked me clean across the face with a lot more power than I imagined she had at this point in her life. When she wound back up to do it again her hand was yanked from behind.
Evie had my mother’s hand behind her back and her chest on the ground in one fluid move. I knew Evie practiced self-defense and could restrain most if need be. My mother was no match for her even though she tried. “I’m not letting you up, Mrs. Milton. Dominic, call security.” My stepsister’s knee pushed into my mother’s back as she squirmed further.
“I’ll press charges if you don’t let me up. I’m having a conversation with my daughter.”
“No. Youhityour daughter, Melinda. And it’s illegal, even if she allowed you to do it,” Evie said, her eyes searching mine with sadness and then turning on Anastasia with malice. “What sort of sister are you?”
“Excuse me?” Anastasia scoffed. “I wasn’t doing anything—”
“Exactly. You just stood there. You’re her older sister. You’re supposed to protect her—”
“Evie, it’s fine.” I shut my eyes for a second and then opened them to catch Anastasia’s gaze. “Actually, it’s not. Why did you bring her here?”
“Well, I…” She looked shocked that I wouldn’t let it go. “It’s not a big deal, Clara. You know how Mom is.”
“Yes, she’s likethiswith me. Not you. And you brought her here knowing that she’d be angry.”
“You’re useless,” my mother screeched. “Of course I’m mad. I have a daughter that can’t do anything right. She’s lost us the HEAT empire. She’s useless. Useless. Useless.”
“Mrs. Milton.” Dominic’s voice cut through the room and ended my mother’s whining. His eyes were on me, vivid green and full of so many emotions I couldn’t pin one of them down. Then, he walked right over to me and kneeled so he could lower his face into her view since Evie wasn’t letting her get up. “Do you know your daughter left me and I practically stalked her this morning to figure out where she was? That I showed up to be here for her? That I’ll always be here even if she doesn’t want me to?”
My mother tried to say something.
He cut her off. “Do you know she’ll be able to ask me for the rest of her life to jump, and I’ll ask how high? She could ask me to give someone a membership to HEAT although it's an unbiased lottery and I’ll put the names through expedited just for her. Better yet, you know that your daughter already has that luxury, and do you know why?
My mother stopped squirming. “What?” Her big eyes widened as she glanced at me. “How?”
“Clara, would you like to tell your mother, or should I?”
I chewed my lip before shrugging and owning it. “I am officially a major shareholder.”
The paperwork I got still hadn’t completely sunk in from Mrs. Johnson.
“And that’s because she was able to design and run a world-renowned bakery within the resort. She’s not useless. She’s fuckingpriceless. And as a major shareholder, she also owns most of this apartment complex that you’re in. You’re on her fucking property.”
The security guards came to the door.
