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She got last night—more time than she deserved—and there’s no way I can make it through the day without confronting her.
He nods. “Do you want me to stay with Trey?”
“Please.”
“Of course. Anything you need, I’m here, Chloe.”
“Thank you.”
“Always.”
* * *
I waitfor Trey to wake up before leaving for the hospital. He walks into the kitchen with droopy shoulders, red eyes, and a puffy face, wearing the same clothes from last night. Even now, he looks to be on the verge of tears.
An hour after Kyle arrived and told us about the accident, Trey left for his bedroom with a bowed spine, and this is the first time I’ve seen him since.
I checked on him before going to bed, asking if he was all right through his closed door, and received a simple, “I’m fine.”
He opens the fridge, snags a bottle of water, and leans back against the door after shutting it. “Are you going to see her today?”
I nod while sitting at the kitchen table. “I am.”
I eventually pulled myself together, showered while having practice conversations in my head of what I wanted to say when confronting Claudia, and then dressed before walking into the kitchen. Kyle was waiting with a coffee cup in his hand, and worry lined his features.
“Tell her I hate her fucking guts,” Trey says in a flat, monotone voice, not seeming apologetic or concerned for his language.
I don’t scold him because I don’t blame him. Those words have been on the tip of my tongue since last night.
“I want you to say it,” he goes on. “Word for word. Tell her I’m no longer her son and to forget about me.” Tears lace his eyes again. “Tell her I’ll never forgive her for taking my baby sister away from me. If there’s anything you can do for me right now, Aunt Chloe, it’s to relay that message to her. If you don’t, I’ll call an Uber and do it myself.”
I gulp and stumble for the right words before speaking. “Do you want to go to the hospital with me?”Say no.
Even though I don’t want him to, he deserves the choice. It’s his mother. It was his sister she killed. He deserves it just as much as I do.
He shakes his head while tightly gripping the water bottle in his hand. “I never want to see her again. She should’ve died instead of Gloria. She’s the one who deserved it.”
Kyle finally steps into the conversation, clearly uncomfortable with Trey’s choice of words. “I know you’re angry.”
Trey interrupts him. “No, dude, don’t even. There’s no talking me down from my hate toward her. I’ve thought about it all night. I couldn’t sleep because all I could think about was, it’s her fault I’ll never see my sister again. She’s not my mother. She’s nothing to me.” His sadness turns into anger. “I need to shower.”
I stand up when Trey starts to leave the kitchen. “Trey.”
He holds his palm out. “Just leave me alone for a while, okay?”
Kyle pulls out the chair next to mine when Trey leaves. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this?”
“I was ready for it last night.” I tilt my chin up to stare at him. “You need to swear to me, she won’t get off the hook for this.”
He takes my hand in his. “I promise I’ll do everything I can for her to get what she deserves.”
* * *
I’m filledwith fury when I slam the door shut behind me, and I don’t care who can hear when I scream my words out, “I fucking hate you!”
Claudia is in front of me, relaxing in a hospital bed, with IVs in her arm. One of her hands is cuffed to the bed rail. I don’t know her condition or diagnosis, and I don’t know if she’ll even tell me. Right now, I don’t even care.
A large bandage is stretched along her forehead, a dark bruise is around her eye, and there are scratches and cuts along her neck. Her blonde hair is matted along her hairline, and her eyes are slanted. I hate that she’s here, hate that she was saved and given treatment even though she killed Gloria.
