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I make an excuse and leave the room. I need to speak to my mother. Because she's always hopped up on something, I've been delaying this conversation for too long. But it's time we finally spoke about it all—my father, Lily Anna, and the wicked town I've wanted to escape for months.
But there's something about Eden Falls, something that's calling out to me like a siren's call, demanding I come back. I know the moment I step foot in town again, I'll be dragged down by the drama and hierarchy of the place. It's been refreshing not to be treated as anyone's bitch in Stormcliff. To be able to live my life the way I want. But I also know my conscience won't leave me alone until I change things for the next newcomer in town.
I find my mother sprawled on a pink velvet chaise in the lounge area. She's eating chocolate pralines while a short-haired woman works on her talons, and her eyes light up when I walk into the room.
"Lily... Err, Pandora!" She beams, and my heart beats with rejection as she motions for me to come closer. "I've been wondering where you were."
"Why?" I sit down on the quilted leather sofa next to her.
"You wanted to speak to me, didn't you?" Her smile is beatific, making me wonder yet again how she can be so observant for someone so utterly careless. "Well, here I am, darling. Shoo."
She motions at the nail technician who makes a face at me before leaving the room with her equipment. Mother blows on her blood red nails and gives me a big grin.
"Did you want to talk about the baby?" she asks candidly. "I know it's a little late, but there are still ways to get rid of it, you know."
"No." I don't even attempt to hide the horrified tone in my voice. "I'm not getting rid of it, mother."
"Oh." She appears dumbfounded by my statement, as if she doesn't quite understand. But her expression changes the next instant. "Well, what is it then, dear? Spit it out. I don't have all day."
Her change in mood is instant and terrifying, but I try not to let it get to me. I knead the fabric of my flowy dress between my fingers, avoiding her gaze.
"I... I wanted to talk to you about Eden Falls," I finally manage.
"Oh, that hellhole." She laughs out loud melodically. "Best decision I ever made was leaving that place, my dear."
"But don't you ever miss it?" Guiltily, I chuckle. "Emilian, your ex-husband... Don't you wonder what your life would have been like if you'd never left?"
Her face becomes more serious and she reaches forward, grasping my palm between freshly manicured hands.
"I couldn't have stayed there. I had to leave."
"I understand."
"He would have ruined me," she goes on, shaking her head. "You don't know Emilian Oakes like I do."
"You loved him once," I remind her.
"That was a long time ago..."
"But still." I know I'm pushing, but I can't help myself. It's as if I'm looking for a reason—for someone to tell me I should go back and face the music, with my growing belly and everything I now know about the town. "You loved him. Enough to have a child with him. Enough to build a life in Eden Falls. Don't you regret not going back?"
She pulls away then, fiddling with a ring on her finger. It has an enormous diamond, and I speak up softly to break the tension. "That's a beautiful ring."
She laughs bitterly. "My engagement ring."
"You still wear it?"
She nods. "I can't help it. I did love him, you know."
Now it's my turn to nod. "I get it."
"He was a bad person," she mutters. "But I couldn't stay away, not even when people warned me to keep away from him. Have you ever felt that way?"
I swallow the lump in my throat, nodding. I don't trust myself to speak.
"Then you know." Mother seems more lucid than she has since I met her, and we share a rare moment of understanding as our eyes meet. "These men are bad for us... but we can't resist them. Maybe we were meant to be with them... Maybe I shouldn't have resisted as hard as I did. Sometimes I wonder if this is my punishment."
"What do you mean?"
