Page 38 of Cruel Charming Psychos (Necessary Evils 2)

He’s wrong though. This is the only way this was ever going to go, straight to hell and that it did. If she was on better terms with her family, then perhaps things would be different, but I don’t know what any of them expected considering the events in the recent past.

His mother directs the entirety of her ire in my direction. “Great,” she scoffs. “Look what you’ve done.”

I laugh, not because it’s funny but because it’s such a ridiculously tone-deaf accusation. “You’re not going to put this shit on me.”

“You corrupted her. That’s the only explanation. For whatever reason, she has joined in on your crusade to destroy this family. How much are you paying her?”

“I’m living in a motel,” I remind her, leaving out the part where her daughter burned my house to the ground. “So, if I paid her off, then I paid her in bottles of cheap liquor because that’s all I can afford.”

“Your father left you plenty of money to live on for the rest of your life. Don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”

“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“My husband drew up his will, so I think it’s safe to say that I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I’m not usually prone to believe a word that comes out of her mouth, but deep down, I know she’s telling the truth. Not that it matters. I don’t have a penny of this supposed money. I knew that my own mother had blown through cash like it would never run out, but this woman seems to think there’s a lot more than what I had believed. Another mystery for another day. I’m not going to let her twist this conversation to suit her own narrative. “Can you just choose to not be such a wretched woman for one day? Just this once, choose to believe your own daughter.”

“She hasn’t said a word, so I’m afraid there’s nothing to form an opinion on.”

“Did you see the way she stormed out of the room? Don’t you think that says enough?”

“The only thing it tells me is that she’s tired of your games. You should take this as your final warning to leave this town and never look back. You’ve burned every bridge you can. What is left to burn to the ground.”

“You’re out of line, Mother,” Nick says. “Why do you think Emily has chosen to not be a member of this family? She’s distanced herself from all of us to the point it’s like we’re not even related anymore. Seriously, ask yourself why.”

“The grief of losing a sibling messes with your head. Believe me, I know.” She looks Nick up and down. “Look at you. I barely recognize you, but I can’t say your change in behavior completely rests on Carter’s death. After you killed that woman-”

Nick points squarely at her. “I feel the guilt of that every day, so you don’t need to remind me. Besides, it’s not like you constantly bring it up in good faith. You only talk about it when it’s convenient to talk about it so you can escape the responsibility of your own actions.”

Just in time, the patriarch of the world’s worst family returns to the living room with a glass of scotch on the rocks in hand. “You’re lucky security has the day off. Otherwise, I’d have you both thrown out by now.” He looks to Nick. “And trust me, when you leave and you will leave, I will be having the doors locked immediately. Your lies have gone too far, and you are no longer a member of this family.”

“You’re only doing me a favor,” Nick retorts.

“I don’t know, maybe we should get her some help,” Mrs. Callaway says. “If she’s having these delusions then it’s imperative that we get her the best help possible. It could be post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“So, you’re saying she’s crazy?” I question. “Can you just accept the possibility that I’m telling the truth?”

Feigning confusion, she places one hand on her temple as she squints her eyes. “Can you do me a favor, Addison? Just real quick, answer this one question. Did you or did you not kill our son? I just thought I would ask why we’re pretending to be honest.”

I look to father dearest briefly and study the look on his face. He drops his head and takes a long, measured sip of scotch. He’s silent in the matter as he should be. I turn my attention back to her. “You know, maybe if you had been a better mother your son would still be alive.”

“You are a despicable woman.”

“Everybody, shut the fuck up,” Nick screams, gesturing with both hands. “I know that we all hate each other at this point, but we all care about Emily. We’re not questioning the truth anymore. We are not arguing with each other. I brought you all here today so we can be there for Emily because she needs us. If you can’t fall in line and do the right thing, I will take her from this place, and you will never see either of us again. Do you understand me?”

“Just how in the world do you think you’re going to take care of her when you can’t even take care of yourself?” Mr. Callaway questions with a smirk on his smug face. “Without access to your trust funds, the two of you might as well be peasants working at a fast-food joint. What kind of quality of life is that?”

“It has to be better than this.”

“You’ve had a silver spoon in your mouth since you were born. You don’t know the life that you are choosing.”

“I’m not choosing it. You are. If you can’t figure this out right now, you are damning us both, but I’ll be damned if I let you destroy my sister like you tried destroying me all those years ago.”

“Save the hysteria for someone that doesn’t know better,” his mother scoffs. “You’re really becoming quite the drama queen.”

I begin to zone out as this specific family quarrel has nothing to do with me, and it’s been a few minutes since Emily disappeared upstairs. My gut tells me that I should go check on her. There’s no reason she’d have to stick around upstairs. The only reason I can even think of that would lead her to go up there is to grab some things because she has no intention of coming back. She should be done with that by now. I retreat to the side, trying to slip away unnoticed, but I couldn’t get so lucky.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mrs. Callaway questions.

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