I Wish You Never Met Me

25

CHAPTER 25

"Mrs. Hawkins, how long were you and Mr. Hawkins together before having Meghan?"

"Five years of dating and two years of marriage. The most amazing seven years of our lives before she ruined it all." The venom she spat at me, staring at the center of my pupils. Boy, the way I'll return the favor after all this is over. I swear when they're old, they're going to regret living.

"Wow, that's a little harsh to say about your own blood," Gisele commented.

Finally noticing her slip, her eyes had grown a little wider. "T-that's not what I meant. I mean, before she came, we were enjoying our time together. We always wanted a family. We were planning for her, but—"

"But that's what you implied. Was Meghan a mistake, Mrs. Hawkins?" that struck something I had never seen before.

Her eyes were glassy, she shook her head almost frantically. "What? No! She was never a mistake. She's the best thing that has ever happened to us."

"Well, then tell us why would you watch your own daughter get mauled by your husband? Why did you get her fired from the driving school job? Were you jealous of her getting paid more than you? Or maybe you were jealous that too many people saw her appeal?"

She bit back a scoff. "Why would I he jealous of her? Sure, the money was good but jealous? Of her? Please. Look at her. Why would anyone like that?"

"That's why you two took any money she made for herself away from her. If she wasn't a mistake, then you wouldn't be trying everything possible to get rid of her to the next rich family to treat her the same way you have." Gisele shrugged. "Not once but three times? Selling her sewing machine that her grandmother got for her as a Christmas gift along with fabric? Stealing all the money she made from her Esty shop to redo your office? You both were angry that she was doing better than you. Jealous at the fact she had something going for her. So, you were trying everything to stop her. And to do that, you were going to sell her as a slave to Mr. Grant here," she pointed at their lawyer. "You enjoyed every minute of her getting beaten. So much so, you thought finally someone else was feeling the same pain you did."

"THAT'S A LIE! We weren't planning to sell her. We were teaching her a lesson for hacking that girl's computer!" she protested.

"Mrs. Hawkins, this is your daughter's search history from her laptop," a picture of my laptop's web history popped up on the screen. "It's okay. It's normal to be jealous. I mean, thousands of people love your daughter's clothes. But you and I both know there's more to this."

"There's nothing you'll say that'll make me crack, Smith," she sneered. "You're just mad your husband has nothing going for him like mine does."

Gisele chuckled. "I don't think my husband wants to run a small branch in the biggest trafficking and smuggling ring in California. I mean, who puts a price tag on their daughter? I know I wouldn't. And robbing her of over ten thousand dollars? All because you can't sew. Or style outfits. Or keep your man's attention when he's sober. I mean, look at him, did you even know he has track record for going after younger women. Teenage girls even?"

"W-what?" as much as it hurt me when the memory surfaced. It broke her. The color in her face drained completely. It looked like she was going to throw up.

"I mean, he'd rather his brother do all the work, but that doesn't make it any better. You made her suffer. You made her do time she never needed to do. Both of you wanted money, so you were willing to sell your daughter to the very people you work for. Who were ultimately going to sell her to the Castro family for a better bid."