“Are you okay?” Dax asks. “Let’s go home.” I reach for my purse to leave, but Ruby’s cries escalate, so my husband goes and picks her up. That must give my father his opening, because he leans against the front door, blocking me.
“We can explain,” Mom says through her tears, but I’m unmoved.
“It was only five hundred dollars, Cori. It was to teach you responsibility.” Dad looks around the room as if he’s expecting help from someone.
“You were teachingmeresponsibility?” He doesn’t respond. “BygivingDevin money? Why didn’t he ever have to be responsible?”
“He needed help, baby. He’s not like you.” Mom pats the couch. “Come sit with me. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I wanted to tell you—”
I hold my hand up.
“But you didn’t. You did what was right for you. You helped Devin by taking money from me. Why couldn’t you let me have the apartment after everything I’ve done for this family?” Noone answers. “I don’t care anymore. It’s always Devin. I need some space. Please don’t reach out to me. If I want to talk, I’ll come to you.”
My dad hangs his head down in shame.
“If?” Mom asks. “What do you mean? Everything has worked out. You have a wonderful husband. He loves you, and you told me you love him. You—”
“What if he wasn’t wonderful, though? What if he were abusive or mean? What if he slept with everyone or slapped me around? It’s easy to say it worked out, but you had no idea that it would.”
“He gave me his word.”
“And that was good enough for you, Dad? His word was enough for you to hand me over?”
“It wasn’t like that, Cori,” Dad implores. “Please understand. We were drowning, and—”
I rub my temples. “And you used me as your life raft.”
I walk away from them and find Dax in the kitchen bouncing Ruby in his arms. I reach for Ruby, and she comes to me. She’s happy, smiling and babbling now. She even plays with my earring, but I hand her to Dad, who is still leaning against the front door. Not wanting to have a conversation, I take Dax’s hand and lead him out through the back door.
Chapter 64
Dax
My phone buzzes for the hundredth time since last night. It’s been a constant between Leander and Annette. They’ve left messages begging me to contact them. In one message, all Annette does is cry. I don’t have any empathy for them. My focus is on my wife first, and this mess with the Brennans second.
“I’m sorry, Cor.” Eden King puts a hand on Cori’s shoulder. My wife leans into her friend. Selene rests her hand on top of Eden’s, and the three of them stand there in silence, but I know they are speaking to each other. Just not in words. Their bond is deeper than words, and as much as I don’t like Selene, I’m happy Cori has her and Eden.
My burner phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.
Unknown number: there’s been a problem.
Me: Was it done?
Unknown number: No. Meet in one hour.
“Fuck me.” I rub the bridge of my nose and lower my head in defeat. “I don’t need this shit.”
The words are barely out of my mouth before my personal phone buzzes.
Leander: Devin is missing again.
I slide the phone back in my pocket. Not my problem. They can deal with the mess they created. As long as they don’t harass Cori, but I don’t have to worry about that. She’s blocked all three of them.
“You two better get to work.” Cori breaks away from her friends. “I love you for coming over to comfort me.” She extends her hand to me, and I take it. “But Dax has been great.”
Selene gives me the side-eye, but Eden smiles in gratitude.
“I’d stay here, but I have back-to-back appointments, and—”
