Page 41 of The Wallflower

Not fucking likely, asshole.

I lean in and press a kiss on my mom's cheek. "I'll see you later, Mom. Get some rest."

She lifts her head and shakes it. "No, don't go yet. You only just got here. We have so much to catch up on."

Instead of trying to speak around the lump in my throat, I give her another smile and head to the door. My father says nothing as I exit. Asshole.I stand on the other side of the cracked door and watch them for a moment. I wouldn’t ever put it past my father to hurt my mother, not when he hurts me as he does.

My father leans down and gently kisses her forehead. She cups his cheek and whispers, "Leon, you haven't been coming to see me either.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Things at the office have been hectic, and we’ve taken on a few more clients.” His soft tone is gentle, but it's empty and vacant. He doesn't care any more about her than his fancy watch or his designer suits. Especially when he threatens me with withholding her pain meds or her nurses.

I stare at my father's joke of a mask, of the way he plays the doting husband, and it's enough to make my stomach turn. He doesn't give a shit about her or me. I can only hope for the day when the truth about the man he is and all the things he’s done come to light.

I take a step away from the door when I hear my mom's soft voice. "I think Andrew's found himself a girl..."

My father responds softly, "Oh, how interesting. I’ll have to ask him about that the next time I see him. He never mentioned anything to me."

All I can do is shake my head angrily. My hate for him grows every single day. Not wanting to risk running into him, I quickly head out of the house, exiting the same way I entered. One day soon, I’ll have the dirt I need on him and make him pay for everything he’s ever done. He thinks he’s the most powerful person in Oakmount County, but he doesn’t have a fucking clue about the lengths I’ll go to destroy him.

CHAPTER 14

BEL

I can only stareat this check for so long before ripping it up or cashing it. The corners are already creased from how many times I’ve taken it out of my bag to stare at it. It taunts me, and I don’t like it. The suite door opens, and Jack walks in, her hair a mess. I'd call it a walk of shame if she didn't look so damn satisfied.

She stops short when she sees me sitting at the table. "What are you doing, Bel? It's like eleven in the morning? I thought you’d be at a tutoring session or something?"

All I do is shrug.What the hell am I doing?

Her eyes dart to the scrap of paper in my hand, her forehead crinkling with confusion. "What’re you looking at?”

I let out a defeated sigh. “Nothing.”

She gives me a disbelieving look, deposits her stuff on the counter, and marches over to the table to get a better look. I don’t even bother trying to hide the check. “Nothing?! That’s not nothing. That’s a ten thousand dollar check, Maybel!!"

I mean, I guess when she puts it that way. I clear my throat and drop the check to the worn scarred wood of our shared dining table. "It's nothing, really. I don't even think I'm going to cash it."

She picks up the check off the table to inspect it, and her eyes meet mine over the top of it a second later. "Hmm...Mr. Marshall, huh? I suppose the one and only Drew? Unless you’re seeing his dad, which I mean, to each their own.”

I wrinkle my nose at her and shake my head. “Yeah, no.”

“Okay, so this came from Drew. What’s it for?"

I consider my response because I’m not really sure what to say. How do I explain the check without it seeming like he paid me for sex?

"I don’t know. Maybe it's his way of apologizing."

"That’s quite an apology. I wish someone would pay me ten grand as an apology… What did he do?”

My skin crawls, and I try to hide my cringe. I don’t want to go into the details about what happened that night in the woods, even with Jack. I’m still embarrassed about it myself and my body's reaction to the things I allowed to happen.

"He didn’t say, just told me to take the money. I think it’s his way of saying sorry for how things went during The Hunt."

Her eyes take on a gleam, and her hand clenches as she places the check gently on the table. "Just tell me, do I need to castrate that bastard?"

With a laugh, I shake my head and stand to get some coffee. "No, it's not like that. I don’t need you getting yourself put in jail because you tried to defend me against some rich prick. I’ve got it taken care of.”

She places her hands on her hips and looks at me like she doesn’t believe me. “Are you sure?”

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