AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Winnie returned my glare. “What’s it to you? This isn’t any of your business.”
My brows rose. “No? I think we both know that you’ve been lying to your daughter, and when it comes to Lark…it is my business.”
She scoffed. “Is it now? I’m sorry, but my relationship with my daughter has nothing to do with you.”
I stepped toward her, giving her a serious scowl. “I’m not going to let you lie to her anymore.”
“Who says I lied?” She blinked, feigning innocence.
“You know I’ve been doing my research, Winnie. Your ankle is obviously fine, and I know you’ve been leaving this house when Lark thinks you’re bedridden with one of your migraines.” I put air quotes around the last word.
Winnie literally gnashed her teeth at me. “You’re nothing but a damn nuisance. I have no idea what my daughter sees in you, but you’re missing the point here entirely.”
I frowned. “The point?”
She pulled back her shoulders, pinning me with her sharp stare. “I’m the one who got her back. She would’ve stayed away forever because of you and your family! I’m the one who did what needed to be done to get her back home. To get her back to me, her mother.”
I shook my head. This woman had literally no remorse for lying and manipulating her own family. The longer I stared at the woman, the more my anger dissipated and I just felt sorry for her. Because under all that disdain she threw my way, there was a hell of a lot of pain.
My mouth opened, but before I could reply, a voice I would recognize anywhere called from behind me.
“Mom?” The simple word sounded broken on Lark’s lips.
I turned. Lark stood in the entryway behind me, those brown eyes wide and swimming with pent-up tears.
“Honey?” Winnie’s voice shook. “I’m sorry, did we wake you?”
Lark’s eyes were locked on her mother. Her smooth, pale cheeks blossomed with red. “Have you been lying to me?”
My stomach sank. She was listening to our conversation. This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out. I stepped toward her, reaching for her, but she sidestepped me, barely giving me a glance as she walked closer to her mother.
“What the hell is going on, Mom?”
I watched the two of them.
Winnie’s eyes widened, the panic clear as day in them. “Lark, it’s not what you think—”
Lark shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed before they popped back open. A rage lit inside them. “It’s not? Because what it looks like was that you lied to me—pretended to be sick and hurting so that I would drop my entire life to come take care of you—and none of it was true?”
Her tone was on the verge of hysteria. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. “Lark, baby,” I said soothingly. I couldn’t stop myself from touching her; I curled my fingers around her shoulder.
She jumped back, ripping away from me. When her eyes met mine, that rage was as bright as it had been for Winnie. “Don’t,” she hissed. “You knew about this.”
It wasn’t a question. My heart slammed against my ribs as the anger in her expression shifted into hurt.
“I—I had my suspicions,” I mumbled.
Her bottom lip wobbled, a tear finally slipping free from her lashes. It glided down her cheek and dripped off her chin. “You didn’t say a word to me. You knew she was lying, and you didn’t tell me.”
Each word she threw broke me. “Lark, I’m sorry.” Somehow, all the reasons I told myself to keep the truth from Lark seemed like nothing more than paper-thin excuses.
She took a step back. “You lied to me.”
Anxiety raged inside my chest. “I never meant to lie to you.” Panic surged through my veins like acid. “I only wanted to protect you.”
Her arms crossed over her chest, holding herself like she was trying to keep herself in one piece. She shook her head, and I wanted nothing more than to fall to my knees and grovel for her forgiveness. I wanted to erase the utter betrayal in her eyes. That wasn’t what I was trying to do, but now that I saw the hurt and pain this caused her, I knew I’d made the wrong decision.
“You can’t protect me with lies,” she breathed. “You promised you would never lie to me.”
