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Lucky for her, she is.
“You can be mad at me all you want,” she calmly says, not showing the slightest remorse. “But I did it for Ember. The girl didn’t belong here and never would. You were bringing home a broken person. I told you this, but you were being too selfish and wrapped up in your own world to see it for yourself.”
Her words are like a blow to the face. Maybe because they’re true. I was selfish. I did want my life back, and that meant forcing Ember to live it. Was she miserable? Was she lonely? Clearly, she had to be if she left on her own. She saw Richard and Scarecrow as a way out… a way out of the prison I put her in.
“So let her go,” my mother adds. “I know you want to go find her. I know you want to save her. But you can’t, Christopher. You need to allow that awful part of your past to remain just where it is now. Behind you. You deserve better, but so does that woman.”
“You’re right,” I say, clenching my fists and then focusing on releasing the tension as I let out a deep breath. “Ember does deserve better. She deserves to be happy, but she also shouldn’t be with those crazy men. I might have failed her, but I sure as fuck am not going to allow her to be with those two. She doesn’t deserve them either. I need to give her the option of an out. I have to at least try.”
“She wanted to go with them! Why can’t you listen to me? It was her choice!” I’m not used to seeing my mother get so frazzled, but then again, she’s not used to people not listening and not complying to her every whim either.
“She left because she felt there was nothing else to do. You mentally tortured her, Mother! You made her think she was losing her mind. And all but ignored her.” Sickness rolls around in my belly as I run my hand through my hair, trying to control the fury and the deep guilt inside me. “I thought I was protecting her, and all I did was…. Fuck. She deserved so much better.”
“You can be angry at me,” Mother says, calmer this time. “But I did what I did to try to fix a mistake that should have never happened. You brought your nightmare home with you.”
“No, Mother!” I shout. “I brought home my wife. I brought home a woman who doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She’s genuine, true, loving, and, frankly… the kindest woman I’ve ever met in my life. And she loved me. She truly loved me for who I am, rather than what I am. Money didn’t mean anything to her. The Davenport name held zero value to her. She loved me for me, and I’m standing here watching her slip between my fingers. Because of you, and because of me… I could lose it all.”
“She’s gone, Christopher. There’s no finding her. So be mad, grieve, or do whatever you need to, but she’s gone. Accept it and move on.” She takes a step toward the door to leave, then pauses and adds, “I’m not going to apologize for what I did. You’re my son. There’s nothing a mother won’t do for her son. My job is to protect you, and that is exactly what I did.”
“No. What you did was awful. It was cruel. Frankly… it was downright evil.”
She makes eye contact with me but shows zero emotion. It’s as if my words aren’t even being heard.
“And you’re going to help me make it right.”
“I won’t,” she says, stiffening her spine. “Good riddance.”
“You are going to help me,” I say with conviction. “Either you help me find her, or I call Agent Martinez right now and tell him that you assisted Richard in kidnapping Ember. You broke the law, Mother. You’ll go to jail for this.”
Her lips purse, and for the first time in this entire conversation, I see a mixture of fear and defeat flicker in her eyes. It’s brief, but I can see my words have finally sunk in a little.
“I don’t know where they are,” she snaps. “All I know is where the pilot flew them to. I can give you that information, but that’s it.”
Renewed hope surges inside me. “Good. At least we can start there.”
“You’re making a mistake, Christopher.”
“I’m fixing a mistake. I’m going to offer her options. I’m going to save her from her hell but will never bring her into another version of one again. Don’t worry, Mother,” I say with a sneer. “You won’t see her again. I’ll make damn sure of it.”
“Christopher—”
“Get me the location, now!” I interrupt with enough anger in my voice that she flinches. “I don’t want to discuss this any further. I have my wife to find. I have to make it right.”
