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I shrugged. “Kind of. He was manipulative and was not afraid to scream when he didn’t get his way. I’d call it more emotional tantrums than full-on ‘abusive.’ I got myself out of that shit before it could escalate to that,” I explained.
“Good girl,” Ezra said but I could see the fire brewing in his eyes.
Tori snorted at that before I heard her slamming things around some more while mom continued spewing bullshit to Candace.
“She moved to the city and decided to live a boring life. Going into accounting of all things.” It was clear in her voice that she didn’t approve of my life choices, but I didn’t give a single fuck what she thought. She’d lose her mind if she knew my job consisted of physical labor and tea blends.
My jobs and successes meant nothing to her unless she could brag about them to her rich and equally as stuck-up friends.
“Your mom’s a bitch,” Atlas said as he blew out a breath. “I can’t believe she’d go on and talk about you like this. Honestly, I’m stunned she created you three.”
“We question that, too,” Tori supplied.
Candace drew attention back to herself when mom rambled on too long. “Now that you’ve seen the show, the betrayal, drama, dates, and your daughter walking off stage in heartbreak. Tell me, how did you feel watching those clips?”
I’d give Candace one thing, she was good at her job.
“It was honestly heartbreaking,” my mother droned on. “Seeing your children hurt is painful. There are so many things I would have done differently. Ellie likes to get to know people before she goes all in and you’ll notice that Morgan is the opposite. She gave the show her all and ended up with the prize at the end.”
My jaw dropped at that. She was seriously saying Morgan was something to model a life around. They were both fucking psychos.
Even Candace was stunned. She raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying you support the girl that betrayed your daughter?”
Of course, my mother walked right into the trap. She had no clue that magazines, blogs, and most of social media had been on my side.
Mom gave a flippant shrug of her shoulders. “I’m not saying it was a kind thing to do,” she clarified. “But she set her sights on those men and ensured that in the end, they were hers and hers alone. Those men would not have rejected my daughter if she had treated them as an alpha and a pack should be treated.”
“Okay, I really can’t listen to this anymore,” I said, turning it off. I’d moved past hurt and annoyed to straight fury.
“I’m going to hang up and call Micah. He needs to know I’m coming. I can’t stay in this town anymore. Plus, I hear Lockwood has all the mates.”
I swear the poor town needed a warning before my sister arrived.
“Are you okay?” Dean asked after my sister hung up and I’d stared at a blank screen for far too long.
“Oddly, I am. I’m hurt by her words but also unsurprised. It’s very typical of them. They’re assholes,” I said.
I shook it off and gave them the best smile I could. “It looks like I need to run into town and go to Micah’s house. You all have work to do,” I reminded them. Dean cursed and jumped up, the others following suit a bit less dramatically.
They were reluctant to go but I finally convinced them. If I was lying, they would have felt it through our bond.
Instead of heading to Micah’s, I went straight to Grant’s. The guys had gotten some amazing news on their last visit. He’d improved enough to calm the inflammation and they’d finally pinpointed the source of the infection. With treatment and a quick surgery, he was on the road to recovery.
He was also talking me up to anyone who would listen.
I’d promised to drop off a new batch and it felt like the perfect distraction.
When I got to the house, he wasn’t in the living room like he usually was. I made my way out back and saw him swinging on the porch swing.
His smile was bright and full of energy. “There’s my girl,” he said, giving me that fatherly smile that I really needed that moment. I tried to smile back and his eyes narrowed. “Spill.”
He always called me his girl now. According to his boys, he’d always wanted a daughter and was thrilled that I was back. Me bringing Atlas and Dean together again had him convinced I was a miracle.
“My parents just did an interview with Candace.”
He sighed. “From that voice I’m going to guess that you’re not close to your parents?” He scooted over and patted the porch swing and I took a seat next to him.
“That’s an understatement. My parents always thought of me as not enough. My career, choice to break off a toxic relationship, everything was my fault. They’d compare me to Micah and Tori and found me lacking every single time. Now she’s telling the world that Morgan did the right thing. Pretty much coming to the conclusion I deserve to be alone.”
