Page 46 of Catalyst

Her sparkling blue eyes meet mine, and a giggle bursts from her mouth. I grin back at her, not sure why we’re laughing, but seeing her smile will always make me happy.

“Did you see my mom’s face as you walked away from her? She looked like we kicked her puppy.”

“Good. She’s finally not getting the shiny toy she wants.” I grimace. “I hate being the shiny toy.” I didn’t mean for the vulnerability to sneak through when I said that, but feeling like I’m only worth something because I have money gets draining after a while.

Ellie holds my stare, understanding passing through her eyes. I’ve never felt this seen by anyone except my family. And even they don’t see me the way Ellie does.

She caresses the side of my face. “What’s in here”—she moves her hand up to my temple and taps—“and in here”—she drops her hand down to my chest over my heart—“matters a whole lot more to me than what’s in here.” She reaches into my suit jacket to point at my wallet. “I would still want you if you were wearing a black uniform and carrying a tray at this party. You know that, right?”

“I do.” I lean down and kiss her gently, unable to contend with the emotions building inside me. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER22

Ellie

I smile at Adam.“Let me run to the bathroom, then we can leave.”

“I’ll wait here for you. Send me a text if you need a rescue.”

I kiss him once more because I can’t help myself and then run down the hallway to the bathroom that no one at the party would be allowed to use. I turn the handle, sort of expecting it to be locked. I wouldn’t put it past my mom. When it turns, I step inside and let out a deep breath. My shoulders drop, and I sag against the doorway.

I’ve been carefully holding myself together for the past hour and a half, and I don’t have it in me to keep it locked down any longer. I learned at a very early age that showing any weakness in this crowd was the worst thing you could do. Bullying is a sport in my mom’s friend group, and every one of them passed it down to their children.

That’s why I got so good at staying off their radar. The worst part is my mother is just as bad as her friends. Stephanie is the only one who never bullied me, although I wouldn’t be surprised if she laughed at their jokes behind my back. It’s either eat or get eaten in this world.

I shouldn’t have come today. I knew the minute I agreed to be here that it was a bad idea. But sometimes, I’m still that little girl who wants to be a part of her family. I’m grateful Adam came with me. Otherwise, the showdown with my mom in the kitchen would’ve been ten times worse. I probably would have left with hurt feelings and mascara running down my face instead of a smile stretching my cheeks.

The way he shut her down without making a scene was a thing of beauty. And him asking me if I wanted to see my dad, ignoring my mom’s attempt at blocking me out… He is so getting rewarded for that later.

I grin at my reflection in the mirror. It’s weird to be in this house and feel happy for once. I have no intention of ever returning, but at least the last time I’m here is ending better than I could’ve ever imagined.

Finishing up my business, I dry my hands on the fancy towels that hang on the wall, getting a sick satisfaction about dirtying them up. I open the door, beyond ready to get out of here and enjoy the rest of my evening, when I run right into a suit-clad chest.

The smell of his cologne makes my stomach drop and my hands start to shake in fear. That scent will forever be linked to what he did to me.

“Well, look who it is. The prodigal daughter returns.” Junior’s smarmy voice sends fear streaking through me like lightning. No. I will not let him hurt me again.

I step back, swallowing down the bile clogging my throat. I can’t even bring myself to look at him. I don’t need to see his face to remember how his brown eyes can turn black in a heartbeat or how he didn’t have a single blond hair out of place afterward.

I don’t care if it makes me look weak. I refuse to relive those moments by looking into his eyes. My recovery is not worth his opinion of me.

I turn, intending to walk away from him, when he reaches out and grips my arm, spinning me around to face him again. “Where do you think you’re going, bitch? I was talking to you.”

I don’t hesitate. I snap my fist out and punch him right in the throat. “You don’t get to fucking touch me ever again.”

I turn back around and walk down the hallway with my head held high while he chokes. The sound almost puts a smile on my face.

My heart is racing as I get to the foyer. Adam is standing there, looking down at his phone. The sound of my heels clicking on the floor makes him look up.

The second he takes me in, he races to me. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Can we go? I need to get out of here.” I go to tuck a stray hair behind my ear and find my hand shaking harder than I realized. I clench it into a fist and drop it back down to my side. I can’t quite meet Adam’s eyes right now, and thankfully, he doesn’t push.

He wraps an arm around my waist and leads us out of the house. We get into his car, the silence weighing heavy on me. Adam’s fists are clenched around the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white. I’m sure it’s taking everything in him not to ask what happened.

I’m going to tell him. I just need some distance and time to clear my head. It’s not a surprise that Junior was there. My parents disowned me in favor of his family. It would make sense that they would invite them to Stephanie’s party.

The thing that kills me is Steph never said a word. She knows what happened, and she still decided to keep me in the dark. Likely because she knew I’d never come if I knew they would be there. It’s the final straw I needed to cut all ties with them. I’ve always held on to my relationship with my sister out of this need to keep a small tie to my family. This betrayal just proves I was naïve to believe I still needed them.

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