Page 209 of Mad As Hell

I waited, curious what kind of threat she thought she could level at Gary to make him do a damn thing.

She waved a dramatic hand and spun away from me. “Oh, shit. I would’ve cleaned up if I’d known you were coming.” She stumbled to the bed and attempted to straighten the mess of pillows.

The room was hot and stuffy. It reeked of body odor, and I had a feeling Mom hadn’t showered in days. Maybe longer.

I swallowed my disgust alongside my worry and the feelings of self-hatred.

She was here because of me.

I should never have agreed to Madelaine’s stupid plan.

Heart aching and heavy, I started straightening the bed sheets as Mom flopped into the chair, the strap of her bra slipping down to her elbow.

“Such a good girl,” Mom muttered, looking close to tears. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m a mess.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” I assured her softly.

A sob ripped from her chest. “How can you not hate me? Is that why you’ve been gone for so long?”

I closed my eyes, steeling myself for the shitstorm of her high. We’d gone from elation to sorrow in the span of a minute.

Which meant—

Something hurtled past my head and collided with the wall behind me. I jumped back, eyes wide.

“Where the fuck have you been?” She glared at me, her chest heaving so hard I wondered how her tits hadn’t fallen out of the flimsy lace bra cups. “Ungrateful bitch. Daddy shows up and you just can’t resist everything he has, huh?”

Yup. There was rage. The trifecta of emotions was complete.

“Don’t forget where you came from and who was there for you. I kept you alive. I made sure you had a home and food and…”

I drowned her out the way I always had.

When I was little, I’d listened to her tirades and done everything in my power to fix whatever I could.

If she called me stupid, I made sure I brought home straight As.

If she called me lazy, I would clean up every mess she made without complaint.

Now… Now I was just over it all.

Frustrated tears burned behind my eyes. I finished making her bed and turned to leave.

“No!” she shrieked. “You don’t get to leave!”

I kept my spine straight as I headed for the door.

Desperate hands grabbed me, scratching my arms as she fought to keep me here.

“Maddie, please.” Another choked sob as she pulled on my arm hard enough to make my elbow pop. “Don’t leave, baby. Please don’t leave me again.”

I bit my lip to keep from crying. “I’ll be back, Mom, okay? But I need to go.”

Her face crumpled into tears, and she fell to her knees before I could catch her, heaving sobs echoing in the room.

“Mom, please,” I whispered. “You’ll make yourself—”

With a choked cough, she threw up on me.

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