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She looks the same. Of course a little older, but still a stunning woman.
She cries into my chest. “I’m so sorry, Dominic.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“I know I ruined your life.”
I rub her hair. “You didn’t ruin my life. I’m responsible for what happened to me. I lost my temper. I caused it. Regardless, I’ve had a good life. I have no regrets. My only regret was never getting to say goodbye to you.”
She’s still sniffling.
I pull back and look at her. “Why don’t you have a seat so we can talk. I think we both have questions. I know I do.”
She nods as she sits. I grab a few tissues from Jackson’s desk, hand them to her, and then sit across from her.
“Mandy, tell me why you left.”
She swallows. “Because of the guilt.”
“What did you do? Where did you go? I know you had no family.”
“Honestly, I was pretty fucked up for the next year or so. I floated around. The drug use became extreme. I was out of control. I became addicted.” She looks down. “A lot of sex and a lot of drugs. It was bad.”
“Why did you run and turn to all that?”
“I couldn’t handle what I did to you. I numbed the pain.”
I hate what she went through. I hate that I’m the cause of it.
She continues, “The next year, I met Jade’s father, Declan. I assume you know him?”
“I just met him today.”
“He’s ten years older than me. He was a user too. Even worse than me. Together, we were toxic. We were on and off for a few months when I found out I was pregnant with Jade. That’s the last day I ever used. He wasn’t so lucky. It took him another eight years to shake it. Jade and I were very much on our own the first seven years of her life, struggling to make ends meet.”
I had no idea Jade had it so rough, though I know Beth once referenced it. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”
“It was tough, but we made it work for us. When Declan got clean, he began to help financially.”
“That explains Jade’s toughness. She’s tough like you.”
“I’m weak.”
“You’re strong. I can’t imagine it was easy to go cold turkey when you found out you were pregnant, but you did. I can’t imagine it was easy being alone with a baby, but you did it. You raised a superstar. Look at all Jade’s accomplished at such a young age. She’s the toughest young woman I know. It’s clear where she got it from. You should be very proud of her.”
She smiles. “Thank you. I am.”
I return her smile. I look at the new painting sitting in the office. “It appears you’re still a very talented artist.”
“I never stopped painting, even at my worst. Though I had limited success until about five years ago. Things have sort of taken off since then.”
She has a weird look on her face, but I don’t push.
“I’ve seen your work in Jade’s office. I didn’t know it was yours, but I do now. The paintings are beautiful.”
She nods in gratitude. “Thank you. What about you? What have you been up to?”
“I suppose you now know that I work at Daulton Holdings. I have two children. Valentina is eight and Matteo is four. They’re in the pool if you want to meet them.”
