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"I think you should leave my daughter's house," Sadie's mother said, raising her thin blonde eyebrows. She pointed at the door, and I huffed out a laugh. I wasn't going anywhere without Sadie as long as she was in town. "Sadie, tell him to leave."
"Mom," Sadie said. "Jayden is just a little overprotective." Her gaze flashed up to me in a warning glare. "Knock it off," she mouthed. "Why don't we all have a seat, and we can catch up?"
"I'll come back," her mother muttered, storming towards the door. The corners of my lips curved up in a smile that said I won. She knew she wouldn't be able to manipulate Sadie with me here. Her mother didn't care anything about Sadie or her feelings.
"Mom," Sadie called out, but her mother didn't even give Sadie a second glance before disappearing out the door. She spun on her heels, pinning me with an icy glare. "Why did you do that?" Pressing both hands firmly against my chest, she shoved hard. I didn't budge. I didn't do anything; she knew it, but she needed someone to blame. If I needed to take the blame to protect her, then I would. Her nostrils flared as she shoved me again.
"She was only here to manipulate you," I muttered.
"I know why she was here," she shouted. "But it's the only time I get to see her, to talk to her." Balling her fist, she reared back before throwing it forward, but I caught her arm before it made contact.
"Don't. Ever," I growled through clenched teeth; squeezing her wrist tighter, I jerked her closer and leaned into her nose to nose, "Do that again." She ripped her wrist away.
"Get out." Typically I would tell her no, but I wanted to follow Mommy Dearest and maybe have a one-on-one chat, and while I did that, Sadie would have a chance to calm down.
Five minutes later, I was less than a car space behind Sadie's mother's white four-door car. Her right blinker flashed, signaling she was turning soon. I followed her into the empty parking lot of an old abandoned supermarket. She knew I was following her. Not that I'd tried to be discreet.
She stopped the car and stepped out storming towards my truck parked behind hers.
"Why are you following me?"
I hopped out of my truck. Sadie favored her mother in the looks department. They had the same facial structure, but her mom was a few inches shorter than Sadie, with blonde, wildly curly hair and green eyes.
"If you're here to discuss anything about Sadie's father," I said, strolling towards her and shoving my hands into the pockets of my black joggers. "You should leave and never come back."
Her lips twitched with amusement. "That's not your decision." I stopped in front of her. "I'm Sadie's mother."
"I don't care if you're Jesus Christ," I growled in a low venomous tone. "If you're here to discuss Sadie's father, leave and don't come back." My fists clenched in my pockets as I tried to control my temper. "In this town, I'm God, and I'll make you disappear without a single question asked."
The amusement playing across her face was now gone and replaced with anger.
"And how would Sadie feel if she knew you were threatening her mother?" she snarled.
"I don't care." My lips twisted in amusement. Sadie's mom didn't know me. She didn't know what I was capable of. Sadie and I's relationship wasn't conventional, and regardless of whether she liked it or not, I wasn't going to allow her mother to play these games anymore. "When you get your 'memory' back and want to be a real mom feel free to come back, but until then, I don't want to see you in this town again."
We both knew her memory was just fine, and she wouldn't be back, so the real question was why. Why was she here to defend the man who'd killed her children? Was she one of those women who chose a man over her children, or was she more involved than Sadie knew?
There was something so off about this whole tragedy. Sadie had given me minimal details, but even the basic information didn't make sense.
Her mother recognized defeat because she spun on her heel before storming back to her car. She would leave town for now, but she'd be back. Hopefully, not before I figure out what was really going on.
eighteen
SADIE
I hated him.
I hated my father...
He took everything from me, and I was reminded of it every year when she came to beg me to tell his truth. I couldn't do that because it wasn't my truth. Not even for her. I owed it to my brothers and sisters. He deserved to rot in a cell for what he did.
Sliding down the cold tile wall of the bathroom to the floor, a hot tear streaked down my face. My chest heaved with an overwhelming amount of emotions fighting for dominance. Anger. Sadness. More anger. Guilt. I pulled my legs into my chest as my gaze flicked to the tiny thin razor in my hand. The emotional pain was unbearable. I didn't want to feel it anymore.
I thought I was past this. Past the need to release the emotional pain through physical pain, but I wasn’t.
I needed it... Like an addiction.
Pressing the blade to my forearm, I sucked in a deep breath as another tear streaked down my face. My heart pounded, and a lump filled my throat as the cold metal pressed harder into my skin. Emotions collided as the few memories I had of that night surfaced. Another tear fell, and I knew that one slice into the tender skin of my arm would release all the emotional pain with the bright red blood.
