Guilty | ✓

XXV | Guilty

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE | SUICIDAL

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"THIS IS MY GIRLFRIEND, Jessie."

"Jennifer," Jennifer corrected, throwing a smile at Elias as she hugged his waist tightly. Very, very, very tightly.

"Jennifer, yes, Jennifer. As I said to my . . . girlfriend, Jennifer," Elias repeated, his lips forming into an intoxicatingly sweet grin that made Aldo flinch.

The rest of the family burst out laughing, tears swelling in their eyes as they looked at Elias in pure amusement. Completely dismissing the thought that he was, in fact, completely serious.

"That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard," laughed Millie, wiping the tears from the corner of her eye, the pit in her stomach still bubbling in laughter. "Now, where's Genevieve?"

Elias bit his cheek, visibly flinching at the name. "Mama, we broke things off."

Millie bursted in another round of laughter as she clutched her stomach desperately, in no chance possibly getting a god's grip of herself.

"No, but seriously son. Bring Genevieve in and take that girl away," Millie said, flipping her hand.

"Ma," Elias insisted, his temper clogging in his persistent tone. "Me and," he struggled to say her name, "Genevieve . . . broke things off — as in we broke up a few months ago. Remember? When we finished the case."

"You weren't lying?!" Millie's jaw dropped in horror. She looked around momentarily and grasped on to the first thing that came on her sight.

Which was . . . of course, a newspaper.

She pounded the paper roll against his shoulder continuously.

"How!" Millie hit him.

"Dare!" Millie hit him, again.

"You!" Millie hit him another time.

"Fucking!" She hit him harsher with her curse.

"Break up!" Millie hit him. Again.

"With her!" And she hit him, again and again and again. Not even stopping when her thin arm cramped.

Elias backed away, his breaths huffing and puffing as he threw himself completely away from his mother, his body stinging from the newspaper hits.

"Elijah Maverick!" Millie yelled, throwing the paper against the small coffee table as she lifted her finger in defiance. "You never consented with me in such a large decision! Remember, just because you live alone, you found your original family and you're older now does not mean I'm not your mother. I raised you with elegance and etiquette, teaching you how to thrive in life alongside your sisters. So tell me, what led to this disrespect?"

"Ma," Elias whined, "we went over this a few months ago when I consented the topic to you!"

"Did you ask permission?" Millie asked with a raised brow.

"I'm twenty—"

"Did you ask permission to break up with her?" Millie repeated, her face dropping to a scowl when he didn't answer. "Fucking dumbass. Of course you didn't. Because I don't matter to you anymore — you found your real family, the love of your life, it's just—"