Page 23 of Mad Love

“Madelaine Cabot.”

My shoulders locked up as I twisted to see Dr. Browne standing with one of the orderlies in the front of the room, both of them looking at me.

“Fuck.” Joss paled a little.

“Come with us.” Dr. Browne beckoned, a serene smile on her lips as she gestured for me to get up.

“Maddie…” Joss trailed off, clearly not sure what to say.

I slowly pushed back from the table and stood, flashing her a tight smile that I didn’t feel. “It’s okay,” I lied. I abandoned my mostly untouched food and walked toward Dr. Browne, feeling the weight of almost every set of eyes tracking my every move.

“Hi, Dr. Browne,” I greeted with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

Her smile twitched at the edges. “Come with me, please.” She spun on her heel and led the way out of the cafeteria.

When I stood there frozen for a moment, the orderly nudged me to start moving, his heavy brows pulled together as he frowned at me.

I hurried to catch up to Dr. Browne.

“I feel I must advise you to be careful,” Dr. Browne said without preamble. “Josslyn James is one of our more difficult cases. I would hate to see her influence the progress you’ve been making.”

I heard the thinly veiled threat for what it was and swallowed my gut instinct to lash out.

“Oh, okay. She came into my room and offered to show me around,” I explained, keeping my tone neutral.

“If you have questions, Khloe can answer them.” Dr. Browne paused at a set of locked doors and swiped her keycard across the black pad mounted to the wall. The light turned green, and the locking mechanism disengaged before the door slowly swung open.

“Khloe is one of our success stories,” Dr. Browne boasted, but I wasn’t entirely sure that the timid little mouse of a girl who’d squeaked and shook when I talked to her was something I’d call a success. Khloe looked ready to pass out if you looked at her wrong.

“Thanks for letting me know,” I finally said. “It’ll take some time to find my footing, I guess.”

Dr. Browne stopped once more, this time in front of a dark brown door. I glanced around and realized this hall wasn’t like the others; it was warmer. Bland paintings of fruit and landscapes hung on the tan walls, and the floors were hardwood instead of tile.

There was a sign next to the door that said Remediation 2.

“Where are we?” A heavy, sinking feeling opened up in my stomach.

She smiled once more. “We’re on the beginning of your road to recovery, Maddie.” She pushed open the door for me, but I couldn’t walk through it.

Gary slowly stood up from the other side of a table, all smiles as he greeted me. “Sweetheart.”

But it wasn’t Gary who rendered my body immobile. Sure, seeing him was a kick to the tits, but he took a backseat as I stared at the woman at his side.

My jaw dropped open, and I tried to form words for what felt like an eternity before one actually made it out of my throat.

“Mom?”

CHAPTER 11

MADDIE

Mom smiled at me. “Maddie, honey. You look wonderful.”

“Doesn’t she?” Gary agreed, like they were doting Stepford parents. He even put a hand on Mom’s shoulder and grinned down at her.

What.

The.

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