AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She looks like Taylor.
“You have every right to hate me, Celine.”
Her eyes soften instantly. “I don’t hate you,” she whispers. “That’s the problem. It would be so much easier if I did.”
I sigh and drop my hands. She has no idea how right she is. Or how much like her sister she is, either. “Right now, your father and Taylor are here. Let’s just focus on that for the moment, shall we?”
Her eyes fall to the ground and she sighs wearily like a woman twice her age. Then she walks over to her bed. “What will they make of me, I wonder?”
“You’re the same woman you were when they left.”
She scoffs at that, looking at me with irony spilling out of her eyes. “Come on, Ilarion. Let’s be honest with each other at least. I’m not the same woman I was when they left.”
“Maybe not on the surface, but you’re still there. You’re still strong and kind and caring.”
She lofts a brow. “You know, it hurts when we fight,” she says. “I hate when we’re at odds with one another. But sometimes, it hurts worse when you’re nice to me.”
I can see the tears in her eyes, but all I can do is nod.
“I know.”
24
TAYLOR
I wake up to the strangest feeling. Like someone snuck in during the night and painted the walls a different color. Everything is as it should be, but it’s all justwrong.
Adam’s still sleeping soundly, so I pop a kiss on his cheek and walk over to the windows. I don’t open the blinds; I just peek out from between them. The garden looks less threatening in the morning, but I don’t know if I will ever scrub the horrible memories from my brain. I swear I can see the patch of blood my mother left behind, like it’s permanently stained into the grass.
But I can’t trust my memories anymore. The more I revisit it, the more it shapeshifts. Did Mom make eye contact with me before she was shot? Did she scream? Was there as much blood as I think I remember, or is my mind exaggerating the details?
Shuddering, I step away and twist the blinds fully shut.
I want to rinse this creeping feeling of wrongness away, so I go take a long, languid shower. But even when my skin is raw and rosy from the heat, I’m still feeling scatter-brained. I keep thinking about the moment when I’ll turn and see Cee for the first time. Will she be happy? Angry? Annoyed?
Will she be suspicious?
Will she know what I’ve done?
Grimacing, I slip on a pair of denim shorts and a tank top and step back into the bedroom.
Adam is slowly stirring. “Mama?”
“Hey, buddy,” I coo, slipping into bed beside him. “Did you sleep well?”
“Where are we?” He uses his entire fist to rub the sleep from his eyes. I know he’s going to outgrow that habit one day; I just hope it takes a while.
“We’re at Uncle Illy’s house,” I explain. “You were sleeping when we got here.”
“Oh.” He yawns and sidles a little closer to me. “Where’s Grandpa?”
“In his own room. We’ll see him soon.”
I hope.
I cajole him up to come brush his teeth and get ready for the day, then we go downstairs to the garden.
“Does Auntie Cee live here?” Adam asks as we meander down the halls in search of the kitchen.
