Page 115 of The Tangle of Awful

This is a clusterfuck of epic proportions, but if anyone can get our family out of this mess, it’d be Dad. He’s the backbone of this town—the mastermind puppeteer holding all the strings.

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Aubrey asks.

“I wanted to talk to your mom first. See if she’s already picked one out.”

Her face sours and she looks away. Then, she passes the baby back to me. “I’m not feeling so hot. Can I go home?”

My heart breaks for her. This whole thing is mindfucking all of us. I can only imagine what’s going through Spencer’s mind right now as he stews alone in a jail cell. I’ll fix this. I have to.

“Yeah, Love, go on home. I’ll see you soon.”

“Mr. Park,” a nurse named Dani chirps, peeking her head in through the door. “They’ve moved Mrs. Park to a room. We thought it would be good for her to see the baby now that the sedation has worn off.”

I hug Baby Park, as the handwritten name on the portable crib boasts, and try to squash down the rising panic. “I don’t want her alone with him.”

Dani presses her lips together and nods. “I know. You can walk him down there yourself.”

I rise to my feet and settle him in the crib. Then, I start pushing it, following after her. We get a few curious stares along the way, but they quickly avert their eyes. I’m sure they’ve all been threatened with termination and personal lawsuits if they speak a word of any of this. Dad is thorough if nothing else.

Dani knocks on a door and then announces herself before motioning me in. Neena is still a picture of perfection, sitting up in a hospital bed. The hatred burning in her eyes is powerful enough to have me falter on my feet.

“Mrs. Park, do you want to hold your baby?” Dani asks, voice light and friendly. “I know he’s eager to meet his momma.”

Neena glowers at her. “I’d like a moment with my husband. Alone.”

Dani shoots me a questioning look and I nod. As soon as she’s gone, I brace myself for whatever Neena has to say.

“You want to hold him?”

Her lip curls up when I scoop our baby into my arms. “No, I don’t want to hold him. Are you insane?”

Anger burns hot in my gut. This woman has been nothing but a thorn in my side since she took my last name. I should have divorced her after Aubrey left because she became unbearable to live with.

“What did you want to name him?” I ask, ignoring her nasty words. “Surely you had a name picked out.”

“You think I was sitting around thinking of a name for that abomination?” she snaps, making the baby jump at the harsh tone. “Fuck no, Hugo. I plotted how I would ruin you in divorce. God, there are so many ways.”

“Neena—”

“Don’t Neena me. I had the paperwork drawn up. Me and Drew were going to go to New York on your dime, Hugo. We were going to drain you for every penny you had.” She winces and gently touches her stomach. “But your goddamn son lured me to that room and trapped me there. He took my life away from me and now I’ve been butchered.”

My heart hammers in my chest. “What did you say to him to make him lure you away? Were you spouting that same shit about killing our baby? Or taking all our money? Spencer was only trying to protect me.”

“You live with blinders on, dearest husband. I was fucking our pool boy right under your nose and you didn’t care. I did a lot right under your nose. And your precious Spencer? Do you honestly believe he was some angel?”

Spencer is a lot of things but definitely not an angel.

“I need to get a hold of Drew. I refuse to go back to our house. Not with that monster living there.”

“And your daughter,” I snap out. “You haven’t even asked about her. She’s back. Did you know that?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I know. Who do you think had to console your son when she first came back?”

A trickle of unease drags its way through my veins.

“Console? I thought he was your captor. Neena, you’re not making any sense.” I kiss the baby’s fuzzy dark head. “I think all the drugs have gotten into your head.”

“Oh,” she sneers, eyes glittering evilly. “He was a lot more than my captor. Aubrey broke his little heart and he freaked when she came back. Aubrey has never liked me and the feeling is mutual.” She snaps her head toward the door. “I want to see Drew. Find me Drew, so help me, or I’ll call every reporter on this side of the Pacific and tell them just how fucked-up the Park family is.”

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