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Theman sounded astonished. “Mrs.Trimalchio,Ihighly doubt a violent movie is appropriate right now.”
“Itcalms her down.”
Theman sounded pissed off about the family of freaks he was assigned to. “Imeant try saying things she might find comforting.”
“Ofcourse.Thankyou, doctor.”
Footstepsshuffled out of the room after a curt goodbye.
Afamiliar smell engulfed me as a pair of lips swooshed down to my forehead. “OhGod,Poppy.Ishould’ve been there for you.”
Ino longer cared about our fight.Ibarely even remembered it.Ithappened so long ago.Mymind was focused on a singular pursuit.
Iforced my lips to move, but no sound came out.
“Areyou trying to say something,Poppy?”
Itried again but failed.Tryingto peel my eyes open was no better.Dammit.
“Shh.”Acomforting hand soothed over my hair. “It’sokay.Don’tpush yourself.”
Damon.Icould’ve sworn this timeIsaid it, but again, no sound came out.
Luckily,Momcaught on. “I’mso sorry,Beta.Wehaven’t been able to find him.”
Isuddenly wanted to sink back into the abyssI’dawakened from and have my consciousness returned only after they locatedDamon.Despitemy closed eyes, something on my face must’ve warnedMomof my state.
“Butyou mustn’t give up hope,Poppy.Wehave a search party led by the best detectives looking for him.”
Everythingturned numb inside me.
Iwas apathetic toMom’snews becauseIknew what they’d uncover.Atbest, they’d discoverDamon’scorpse because life had dealt me nothing other than the card of death.Itwas the only thing in store for me.
Ididn’t dwell on howMomfound out about my marriage or why she was suddenly concerned forDamon.
WhileIlay there, hoping to be anywhere but here,Momtried to follow the doctor’s advice, attempting to keep me calm.Shepaved the path by repeatedly expressing her approval ofDamonand disclosing how she learned to accept him.
Momrecounted howDamonreached out to her the day we left forLasVegas, assuring herIwas safe and we were together.Eversince, he had been dropping by her house routinely, determined to win overMomandZane.
Heshowed up at their doorstep like a gentleman and informed them of our impromptu wedding, stating it was my idea, an act of rebellion againstMom.Damonhad suggested waiting forMom’sblessing.However,Iwas insistent, and he could never deny me because he loved me too damn much.
Hismanipulations made my heart smile.
Inthe following days,Damoncontinued to drop by, allowingMomandZaneto get to know him.Heshared photos from ourGothic-themed wedding inLasVegas.WhileMomadmitted it looked like my dream wedding, she was devastated over not being included.ZaneandDamonreassured her that a grand reception in our honor would take place upon my graduation.
Damon, the perfect son-in-law, never snuck in to steal the picture frame from their house.Ifthere was one thing all three versions of my mother (PiyaMittal/Ambani/Trimalchio) understood, it was true love.Shesaw it in his eyes.So, whenDamonasked if he could takePapa’sphoto to surprise me, she showed him to my room.Itsounded like he discreetly pocketed the frame before she could notice the missing picture inside.
Duringeach visit,Mombegged him to arrange a meeting between us.DamonclaimedIwas still angry and to give me space, which she believed, given our last conversation.Nonetheless, he appeased her by showing her photos of us eating breakfast, watching movies, or going for a swim in the outdoor pool on his terrace.
MomthoughtI’dnever looked happier.Itwas enough for her to grant her blessing.Thethree of them had been working together since, trying to bridge the gap between the two families.
Mom’sone-sided conversation abruptly stopped whenZane’svoice drifted into the room.
“Wefound blood in the parking lot.”
Ididn’t need to open my eyes to know what was coming next.Theall-too-familiar rip in my heart ached the same, the oneIhad become accustomed to over the years.Darknessspread its black tentacles around my heart, reminding me it was here to stay.
“And?”Momasked breathlessly, anxiety spiking in her voice.ShethoughtIhad fallen asleep due to my extended silence.
