Page 85 of Callum
Amanda’s words sliced like a knife across her skin. “Because I’m not really your sister?”
“Because you were their damnmiraclechild left on their fucking doorstep, and from that point on, I became irrelevant.”
“That’s not true. Mom and Dad have always loved us equally.”
“They shouldn’t have!I’mtheir child, not you!”
Her breath cut short.
“You came into my life, uprooted me from my home, made me leave everything I knew. I had to lie to people about who you were. And you became Mom and Dad’s whole world. The golden child. Good at everything. Kind to everyone. And I was almost insignificant to them, when I was their own flesh and blood!”
She’d been right. This woman, the older sister who grew up and was supposed to love her, didn’t because of simple jealousy.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Have you been texting me from a burner phone? Calling me a whore and telling me to stay away from what’s yours?”
“What? No. But if someone else has, I’m not surprised.”
Fiona’s jaw dropped at the ugliness of her sister’s words. The utter lack of empathy. She straightened her spine as the hurt twisted into anger. As the years of unfair treatment and blatant hate smacked her right in the face.
“You will stop all contact with me. I will be civil while in the company of our parents, but other than that, we won’t speak. I don’t want Freddie, and we both know he’s a cheating asshole and a scumbag, so anything he does issolelyon him and between the two of you, seeing as you were dumb enough to marry him. I will not allow you to hurt me anymore. Stay away from me.”
She hung up and pulled in a breath so deep her lungs ached. A part of her yearned for a sister who loved her. Who would show her kindness and affection. But that was never going to happen. And it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Amanda.
“Are you okay?”
She whipped around so fast she almost lost her balance. “Callum. I didn’t hear you come out. How long have you been standing there?”
He took a small step forward, his fingers circling her hips. “I didn’t want you to be outside on your own.”
Long enough to hear everything.
She swallowed. “So you know I have one sister I grew up with who hates me enough to think I deserve being called a whore, and a biological sister who has been impersonating me and tried to…I don’t know. Hurt me? Take me?”
Man, that sounded even worse out loud than in her head. Maybe she would have been better off with brothers.
Callum lowered his head. “They have some deep issues. Both of them. Their inability to love and be good people has nothing to do with you.”
She knew that. Still, it was hard to accept. He reached up and swiped a tear from her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.
“Freddie isn’t home.”
Callum’s eyes steeled. “I heard.”
Had he remained in Cradle Mountain this entire time? Or had he gone home, then left again? What the hell was he doing?
“My team will do a search for him.”
“And if you find him?”
His eyes narrowed. “We’ll make sure he leaves.”
God, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the finer details of that plan. She sighed and leaned her head on his chest. “Sometimes I just feel like running away with you.”
A kiss pressed to the top of her head, and she felt it swirl right down to her chest. “Anytime, anywhere, honey. You’re all I need.”
CHAPTER27
“Ineed you to go get plastic cups and drinks for the author reading.” Rick didn’t even look at Fiona as he spoke.
