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“Neither do you!” Bella shoved her forefinger against Mother’s shoulder. “You have to listen to Father. He’s head of the household. But I’m an adult who’s moved out of the house, so I don’t have to do anything any of you say.”
“You’re our child. You have to obey us no matter how old you get. Learn your place!”
“I have. It’s away from all of you!” Bella struggled to find the doorknob behind her mother.
“Child, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“About what?” Bella’s fingers reached the cold knob. She tried to make Mother move over so she could turn it.
The older woman didn’t budge. “About everything. You think your pathetic father has any actual authority? I hold the real power in our family.”
Bella stopped. “What do you mean?”
Smoke tickled her nose.
Ariana held the candle up to the wall. Flames licked toward the ceiling.
Mother would be forced to move from the door as soon as the fire neared her. Yet for the moment, she didn’t seem to notice the danger. “I’m the driving force behind your father. He does my bidding, and only because the church won’t allow women any leadership. That’s fine. I’m happy to be the puppet master. Your father moves when I pull his strings.”
Bella tried to make sense of her mother’s ramblings. “What are you talking about?”
“Diego may be the face of decisions made in our household, but I’m the one who actually makes them.”
“How?” Bella watched Ariana move the candle’s flame to more parts of the wall from the corner of her eye. They wouldn’t be able to ignore the fire much longer. The smoke made her eyes and throat burn.
Mother cackled. “Your father doesn’t even want to be part of the church! He hates it — everything about it. But there isn’t a thing he can do!”
“What… what do you mean?”
“I’m the one who grew up in the group. We met outside the church, and he joined to be close to me. But then he decided he didn’t like it. He wanted out, wanted away from me. I couldn’t allow that.”
“Why not?”
“Because we were meant to be together. I had to trick him to get him to stay. Now he has to spend the rest of his life doing my bidding.”
“That doesn't make sense.”
“Of course it does.” Mother shoved her away. “I convinced him that I was being abused by my parents. He got so worked up, he’d have done anything to protect me. And he did. Your father killed my parents in cold blood.”
Bella gasped. “You said they died in a hunting accident.”
“That’s what Isaid. What most people believe. But your father and I know the truth. It was premeditated murder, for which I have irrefutable proof. All I have to do is turn it over to the worldly authorities, and your father goes to prison for the rest of his natural life. Or he stays with us, free as a bird. As long as he does what I tell him.”
The floor felt like it dropped out from underneath her. “You’re behind everything?”
A wicked gleam shone in her eyes. “That’s right. Now turn around and marry Neil. He’s paying us a lot of money for you, and you’ve already given him a world of trouble. You’ll pay for it eventually, but for now I don’t want it to get in the way of my payment.”
Bella stared at her in disbelief. All along she’d thought Mother was almost as much of victim as all the kids.
But she’d been behind everything.
The harsh punishments, the forced marriages, everything. And she’d forced Father to kill Bella’s grandparents. They hadn’t died in an accident. Bella might’ve been able to meet them if Mother hadn’t manipulated him into it. Now he was her servant forever, because he was trying to protect her. Because he’d cared.
“Am I speaking in a foreign language?” Mother snapped. “Turn around and go to the altar.”
Lightheaded, Bella turned to Ariana.
Ari nudged her into a slow walk. “Let’s get your dress on you.”
