Page 51 of Sweet Addiction

As if snapping out of her trance, Madison pushes me away. Her chest heaves, eyes glistening as she stands between Scarlett and me. “Stop. Just both of you stop. Knox, you should go—”

“What? No. I am not leaving you here,” I cut her off.

Her eyes soften a little. “I will be okay. I need to talk to Mom. Then I will call you.”

I open my mouth to speak but Scarlett stops me. “Listen to my daughter you piece of shit and get out of my house before I really do call the police.”

I don’t particularly feel comfortable leaving Madison here. Not after everything that’s been said. Things are still unresolved, which I am not happy about, but what choice do I have? There is enough going on right now without getting the police involved. “I will wait at our spot Dove. Meet me there in an hour,” I say softly.

“She is not meeting you anywhere,” Scarlett shouts at the same time Madison says, “Okay.”

I blow out a relieved breath. If she is willing to meet me then she must be open to hearing me out. There is also the possibility that she does not actually believe the lies her mom has spewed in the last fifteen minutes.

“You are not meeting him, Madison. I forbid it. If you want me to still be your mother then you will stay far away from him. You owe me that much after betraying me like this. He is going to be the father of your sibling for Christ’s sake. Are you sick in the head?” Scarlett grinds out and I roll my eyes. I was waiting for the emotional manipulation to start.

Ignoring Scarlett, I say, “An hour. If you’re any longer, then I am coming for you.” I step toward the door before stopping. “And baby don’t let her manipulate you. You don’t owe her anything.” Madison’s lip wobbles. I sigh. Stepping toward her, I press my lips to her forehead. “I love you. Remember that Dove.”

With one last scathing look at Scarlett, I leave the room. Grabbing my car keys off the entryway table, I make my way outside to my car. Hopping inside, my head falls against the headrest as I exhale a deep breath.

Fuck.

How did things turn so bad so fast?

And why the fuck is Scarlett trying to destroy the best thing that ever happened to me?

I understand that she is pissed. She has every right to be. But that doesn’t give her the goddamn right to make up disgusting lies.

I knew none of this was going to be easy, especially when Scarlett found out. But something tells me it is going to be harder than I ever imagined and that I may have just entered the fight of my life.

But no matter what. When it comes to my dove, I will fight to death.

ChapterThirty-Four

MADISON

I watch as Knox walks away, my heart breaking with every step he takes. As soon as the front door slams shut my mother turns on me, her face full of so much disgust, I flinch.

“How could you? I gave you everything Madison. I gave up my career for years to raise you and this is how you repay me. By fucking my fiancé. How long has it been going on huh? How long have you been screwing him behind my back?” Her bony finger jabs into my shoulder. I wince, my jaw trembling as a lump clogs my throat. “Look at me, you little slut,” she snarls, making me jump.

My gaze meets hers and I wish I had kept my eyes on the floor when I see the hate in hers. She hates me. I made my own mother hate me. “Mom—” I start but she cuts me off.

“Don’t call me that,” she hisses. “How can you look me in the eyes and say that word knowing what you did?”

My stomach dips. I know what I did is fucked up. But no matter what, I am still her daughter. “You are my mother. You didn’t sleep with Knox, did you? You just said it to hurt me,” I say with a confidence I don’t feel right now. Swallowing hard, I search her face, hoping more than anything she tells me that it’s all a lie.

Malice flashes in her orbs, a grin curving her lips. My muscles lock. I know I’m not going to like what she says next even before she says it. “Oh, I did. How else would I know his big cock is pierced? We fucked like rabbits deardaughter.He stretched me wide open, fucked me so good he put his baby inside me,” she taunts. I clamp a hand over my mouth as bile rises. Mom laughs as pain lances through me. I know I deserve her wrath but this is too much. She is enjoying my pain. I know I messed up, but I never set out to hurt her. “How does it feel to know that you have been fucking the same man, yourmommyhas? We have both had the same cock, Madison. He kept it in the family and screwed us both. Literally and figuratively,” she snickers.

“Stop,” I whisper, not wanting to hear anymore.

“No. I won’t stop. You did this to us by being a whore. Spreading your legs for someone who isn’t yours. And now you are going to have to live with the consequences of your actions. I will have his baby Madison and soon the whole world will know it too.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” I stammer.

She smirks. “Well as soon as I figured out the whole everything, I had Clarissa set up an interview with a magazine and it will be released tomorrow. If I can’t have him then you can’t either. By me releasing the baby news, it will ensure that you will never be able to be together. Knox will not ruin his whole life or career for you. And you don’t want to be known as the girl who stole her mother’s fiancé. Her baby daddy. Do you honey? So, this is how it is going to go. You will do exactly as I say and if you step out of line, I will go to the press. I will tell them everything. How do you think people will respond to you, knowing what you did?” Her voice is saccharine sweet, full of triumph, but the look in her eyes is pure evil. I know Mom can be emotionally manipulative toward me, but I never thought she could be cruel.

I shake my head. “You may not believe me, but I love you and I never wanted to hurt you. If I thought for one minute that you were sleeping with Knox, I would never have gone there. But I did and I fell in love with him. I didn’t want to, it just happened, and I’m sorry for that. I know you are angry right now, but what you are saying and doing is manipulation of the worst kind. I’m sure Knox will step up and be a father, if he is indeed the baby’s dad. You didn’t need to go to some gossip rag to keep me away from him because I can guarantee you, no matter how much I love him I will never go near him again knowing he lied to me. But just remember Mom, if someone is not yours, wholly and completely, then they will never stay. No matter what you say or do, or how much you threaten and blackmail them. You can’t hold onto someone who doesn’t want to be held onto. You can’t keep what doesn’t belong to you,” I finish, my voice thick with emotion.

Her eyes narrow. “I can and I will.”

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