Page 174 of Receiving His Mercy
“Are you sure I won’t make things worse?”
Brenna shrugged. “Not sure you can do that.”
She wasn’t sure she was meant to hear that. But Caren followed her into her mother’s room with Travis standing protectively behind her.
Maybe she was being foolish and a bit selfish coming here. As her mother looked up, the anger on her face when she saw Caren made her stumble. Travis reached out to wrap an arm around her waist.
She can’t hurt you anymore.
The problem was until she learned to stop caring, she could hurt her.
Caren had to find a way not to care. But that was difficult for her.
“It’s about time you came for a visit, Caren!” her mother snapped. “After putting me in a home. Shame on you. Is this so you can control the money?”
Caren sighed. “I don’t have control of the money, mother. Your lawyer does. And he’s the one who had you admitted.”
“Blood-sucking leeches. All of them should be annihilated. Don’t know why I’m here, but you can take me with you. I’ll need you to drive me. And cook me dinner. You can move in with me. Least you can do. I’ll need someone to bring the piano as well.”
For a moment she thought that her mother wasn’t thinking properly when she said that. That maybe she thought Caren was still young. But there was a cruel glint in her eyes and Caren braced herself.
Travis seemed to sense her distress as he moved forward and wrapped his arm gently around her waist. She leaned against him.
“But you never did learn the piano, did you? Always so useless, weren’t you, Caren?”
“That’s enough!” Travis barked.
Her mother glared at him. “Tell the help to be quiet.”
The help? Dear Lord.
“Please, Travis, shh,” she said. “I need to do this. On my own.”
He tensed but didn’t say anything so she took that as acquiescence.
“I’m not useless, Mother. No, I wasn’t a genius or a musical prodigy, but I’m smart and kind and successful. I’m an award-winning photographer.”
“Photographer?” her mother said scornfully. “That’s a hobby not a career. Hardly something to boast about with my colleagues, is it? Their children were prodigies. Smart. Something to be proud of. One went on to become a judge, another was a renowned scientist. A photographer. You were always a huge disappointment to your father and I. It was actually a relief when his mother took you away. We weren’t sure how to explain it to the people who knew about you, but then we realized no one cared.”
“Get what you need, baby,” Travis warned. “Because I’m about to explode.”
Right. He was practically shaking.
Only she didn’t know what she needed. Maybe for her mother to be so vile that she broke that last connection between them. Or maybe she just needed her say.
“I was glad Grammy took me too. Because she took care of me, she loved me, she healed the injuries that you inflicted on a child. I was a shadow in that house. Forgotten and abused.Starved of food and affection and love. Grammy saved me before you could completely destroy me. I’ve come to say goodbye, Mother. I didn’t get a chance to with Father and I’ve realized that’s why I’m here. So goodbye, Martha.”
She deliberately used her mother’s name. Because that connection was gone.
“Good, we’re going,” Travis said, leading her away.
“I never wanted you!” she yelled. “You shouldn’t have been born. I never intended to have a child.”
“Then why did you?” Caren turned back to her. “Why have me?”
“An accident. And then . . . well, your father didn’t think we should get rid of you. So I raised you the only way I knew how.”
“You didn’t raise me.”
