It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.
~Fredrich Nietzsche
A/n
Shoutout to @favylove44 who is from Nigeria, so happy you are reading this book :)
What country are you guys all from?
Chapter 21.1
Beatrice's POV
I zipped up the black dress that I'd worn for dinner with Ryder's mother, the only classy dress that I owned.
Ryder had gone home about two hours ago to get ready, leaving me and my brothers to fend for ourselves. Sonny had forgiven me, for the most part. He decided that dinner with our mother and her new boyfriend was bad enough as is and that we wouldn't make it if the two of us weren't on good terms. Klaus was the one who brought up the point and acted as mediator for the two of us. He is probably the only reason Sonny is speaking to me right now.
I made my way over to Klaus's room, where both of my brothers were already standing. The two of them gave me a look as if to say 'I can't believe we're doing this'. Agreed. I grabbed Sonny's tie first, quickly tying it for him and then repeating the same with Klaus's, mumbling the little rabbit rhyme I'd learned as a child the first time Klaus needed someone to tie one for him.
Klaus grabbed the makeup case from under his bed while I straightened out Sonny's plain black suit. I know he hated it, it wasn't his style in the slightest, but my mother insisted on it. She ransacked all of our closets and picked out our outfits herself, leaving us no choice. Unfortunately, out of every Sonny designer sitting in his closet, she picked the one that he hadn't made himself and absolutely despised. He'd worn it for our dad's ridiculous memorial at the police station.
I let Klaus do my makeup, making sure he covered the scars that weren't concealed by the dress. Klaus already knew the drill though and needed no input from me. "Done," he stated as he finished the last of my lipstick.
I stared at the mirror, the person back nearly unrecognizable. Klaus really was a master with a makeup brush, that's for sure, not that he'd admit that to anyone else but us.
Klaus tucked in his shirt. He was originally supposed to wear his suit, matching Sonny's in origin, but it did not fit him remotely. He couldn't even get the thing on and the jacket ripped the second he moved. Mother opted out for a 'better' option: one of my fathers old button ups and a pair of his dress pants. Sonny and I shared a look, thinking exactly the same thing; he looked just like our father. Klaus knew it was well, and the tiny fact was eating at him from the inside, practically a noose around his neck.
Klaus took one look in the mirror, his eyes glazing over, his features set in stone.
"Here." I grabbed the bottle of Sonny's hair gel from the nightstand, squeezing a bit into my hand and running it through Klaus's hair, which had never been touched by hair gel in its life. "See, you look nothing like him. Right, Sonny?"
Sonny nodded, a sad smile resting on his lips.
Klaus had always looked the most like dad, even when he was little and especially after Sonny bleached his hair. Sonny never admitted it but we all knew he did it to get rid of the one part of himself that reminded him of our father. Klaus didn't have that option, unless he planned on going through years of plastic surgery, which I'm sure he's debated a few times.
But it would take years of drug and alcohol abuse for Klaus to be just like him. And Klaus would never do that. There are very few things in life that scare Klaus but ending up like our father is one of them. I can see it in his eyes everytime he gets angry, or lashes out, or gets into a fight. He's terrified of it.
The doorbell rang through the house, letting me know that Ryder was here. "I'll go get it," I informed my brothers before making my way down the stairs, my outfit far too fancy for such a run down house.
I swung the door open. Ryder stood in the doorway, dressed in a freshly pressed suit, his hair slicked back. I'd never seen Ryder try to do anything with his hair, let alone use hair products. He always looks great, but man did that boy look good in a suit.
He handed me his tie with a sheepish look. I laughed, thankful that this time I didn't have to force him to let me tie it for him like last time. I looped the tie around his neck, pulling it into a knot. "Perfect. You look really good," I whispered, pulling him in by the waist and kissing the underside of his chin.
His face slowly tinged pink, only succeeding in making him look cuter, a fact that greatly helped me as I'd rather think about how attractive my boyfriend was than the fact that I was about to have dinner with my mother, and to top things off, meet her new boyfriend.
"Come on, we're getting ready in Klaus's room." I led Ryder upstairs, letting him join the party. My mother was off in the kitchen, trying to put together a meal. She was the only one in the family who knew how to cook. The gene did not pass on.
My brothers greeted Ryder with a nod, continuing their business as usual, ignoring the fact that I'd brought an outsider in. "What time do we have to be downstairs?" Sonny questioned.
"In like ten minutes," Klaus answered.
"Okay, meditation time." I cheered, lining up with my brothers against the wall and dragging Ryder along.
"Meditation?" Ryder's eyebrow slowly raised.
I nodded. Meditation. We always did it before stressful events. It wasn't really meditation, more like group comfort sessions but that was too long of a name. I grabbed both of my brothers hands, taking a seat against the wall. Ryder stood awkwardly off to the side, with no clue in the world of what to do. "Take Klaus's hand." I gestures towards Klaus's empty hand.
Ryder's eyes widened. "What?"
"Take his hand."
Klaus chuckled. "She won't shut up until you do. Believe me, I'm not too happy about it either."
Ryder gulped. Hesitantly taking a step closer to Klaus. He stared at his hand before looking back up at me. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. Ryder sighed, taking Klaus's hand which was completely stiff.
Of course, I could have been the one to hold Ryder's hand but I really wanted to see if he'd actually do it if I asked. It appears he would. "So what exactly are we doing?" He questioned.
"Relaxing. Just lean your head against the wall and think about life." Sonny answered.
Ryder nodded. "And how long do we do this for?"
Klaus smirked. "What? You're not enjoying my company, Ryder?"
"Best time of my life," Ryder mumbled.
I shushed them poorly, giggling the entire time. "We're meditating."
Sonny opened one eye. "I am meditating. Who knows what you three are doing."
"Well I believe at the moment Ryder is putting the moves on our brother."
Ryder laughed. "I hate you."
I grinned. "You know you love me."
Ryder grumbled in response.
We fell into a comfortable silence, finally 'meditating'—if you could even call it that—for about thirty seconds before my mother was calling us downstairs. The four of us stood from our spots, making me quickly realize that I'd forgotten shoes. "I'll be right back," I informed them, dragging Ryder with me so that he wouldn't have to face my mother alone.
I grabbed a chair from my vanity, snagging the only pair of shoes from the top of my bookcase.
"Would you like me better if I looked like Klaus?" Ryder asked out of the blue.
My lips curved. "No, I can't say I've ever found my brother attractive," I joked.
This earned me a small smile from Ryder, who looked ready to pass out any moment. To be fair, I felt the same way when I met his mother. "I mean like, buff," he clarified.
I didn't have to think about it. "Hm, no. I like you how you are. I'm not into all that huge muscle stuff." I liked Ryder how he was, toned but not bulky, not overkill. I love Klaus but no one needs that much muscle.
Ryder soaked in my answer, nodding slowly. "I thought all girls were into that stuff, then again maybe it's just Alexia. I believe her motto is 'the more muscle the better'."
Oh, great. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll just never meet Klaus.
I slipped on my shoes. "Ready?" I asked Ryder.
He shook his head. "Not at all." And with that, we made our way onto the battlefield.
My mother ran around the kitchen frantically, trying to pull everything together in the last few minutes. She pulled her hair back, clearly out of breath. "Okaysonnyyousitthereklausyousitthervioletayousitthereandrydelyousitthere," she rushed out, the only part of the sentence that was actually understandable was her mispronunciation of Ryder's name, again.
"Ryder," I corrected.
My mother glared at me. "Violeta, we are in a time crunch, do you really think this is the time for that?"
I nodded. "His name is Ryder."
Ryder squeezed my hand, as if to let me know it was okay and that I didn't need to harass my mother about it.
"Ryder." She sighed. "Happy now?"
I nodded. The least she could do is learn his name.
The doorbell rang, causing my mother to nearly jump out of her skin. "They're here!"
They, as in plural?
"Violeta, go open the door."
"Can Klaus do it?" I asked at the same time Klaus offered, "I'll go get it." He already knew I wouldn't want to, way more pressure than I could handle.
My mother shook her head. "No, Violeta will do it. Klaus, you will stay seated. No offense, hunny, but people tend to wet themselves when they meet you and I would prefer not to scare this man away." The statement was an arrow through Klaus's chest, but he tried his best to hide it.
I made Ryder come with me, not ready to face this alone and unable to take Klaus with me for protection. I figured I'd have my brothers to help me but I was on my own, in a completely separate room from them as I made my first impression. "I'm sure it'll be fine," Ryder tried to calm me.
I nodded. I'm sure he's right. What could go wrong?
I opened the door.
Everything. Everything could go wrong.
My eyes met Kavinski's, while his met Ryder's. You have got to be kidding me.
Behind Kavinski stood the man who I assumed was the man my mother was dating, or at least I really hoped.
"You have got to be kidding me." Both boys growled in unison, their mutual hatred for each other filling the room. I should have made Klaus open the door.
The man patted Kavinski's back. "You know this man, Jaylen?" He grinned, his smile large enough to make up for the scowl imprinted on both boys' faces.
"You could say that." Kavinski glared at Ryder. "Uncle, this is Ryder, my brother."
The word brother nearly made Ryder kill Kavinski right then and there. I squeezed his hand, hoping it would be enough to keep him semi-calm.
The man cheered, throwing out his hand for Ryder to shake. "You're the one I've heard so much about! It's lovely to finally meet you." His face had begun to wrinkle from the breadth of his grin.
Ryder took the man's hand, his jaw clenched, his eyes locked on Kavinski. The man turned to me. "And you must be Violeta. Your mother has told me much about you."
Highly doubtful.
I couldn't stop him before he pulled me into a hug, alarms going off in my entire body as I clung onto Ryder for dear life, the man nearly suffocating me in his light grip. Ryder held onto my waist, gently pulling me back from the man who was unnecessarily hugging me. I grabbed onto Ryder's shirt as tightly as possible, clearly traumatized. My disheveled state was enough to pull Ryder's attention away from Kavinski, temporarily. The second Kavinski spoke, Ryder was back to focusing on him. "Well," I tried to save the dire situation, "everybody is waiting in the dining room. You're welcome to join them. We will be right back." I dragged Ryder away for the hundredth time tonight. "Take a deep breath," I demanded.
Ryder listened, his eyes still glazed over with rage.
"Another one." I repeated the phrase until Ryder was calm enough to listen to reason. "You can go home, if you want. I understand if it's too difficult."
Ryder took a few more uninstructed breaths. "Your mother will hate me if I leave."
"She'll understand." No she won't but I didn't particularly care.
"It'll be alright, gorgeous. I'll keep my temper in check."
I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." This time, it was his turn to lead me into the battlefield that was my dining room.
I took my spot beside Klaus, Ryder on the other side of me.
"How did it go?" Klaus whispered, staring at my mother as she talked to her new boyfriend.
I grimaced. "He hugged me."
Klaus chuckled, knowing how much I hated it. "He what?"
We didn't get a chance to finish the conversation as our mother wrapped up her own conversation, dragging us into observation. "Mi amor, these are my children: Sonny, Klaus, y Violeta."
"It's lovely to meet you all. I'm Elijah. And this is my nephew, Jaylen." He gestured to Kavinski.
I'd always wondered if Kavinski was his last name, I guess that answered the question. I kept hold of Ryder's hand, hoping it would be enough to soothe the searing anger rushing through him. "And that is my daughter's friend, Rafael." My mother directed our attention to Ryder.
I locked eyes with my mother, a coy smile playing on my lips. "Well, I don't know who Rafael is but this is my boyfriend, Ryder." I didn't take my eyes away from my mother for a second, earning me a very disapproving look from her. My brother's tried their best not to laugh.
Ryder rested his hand on my thigh, stroking his thumb across it in a soothing motion. I took a deep breath. Fine, if he wants me to calm down, I will.
"I met him at the door." The man's smile was beginning to become sickening.
My mother allowed Elijah—if he wasn't so nice I'd probably pretend to forget his name just to spite her—to take a seat, serving the appetizer. I don't think I've ever even eaten an appetizer before.
She set the bowl of soup in front of us. "Tortilla soup—"
Ryder and I struggled not to laugh, remember her prior comment about the tortillas.
"I hope you like it." She smiled at Elijah. "And don't worry, I remembered, no tomatoes in one bowl," she informed the three of us, mostly directed towards me but she was too caught up in her pride to actually say it directly to me. "Rueben-"
I already knew who she was referring to. "Ryder."
"Ryder. I hope you like tortilla soup. I had the menu planned before I knew you were coming." Before she knew of his existence is what she wanted to say, clearly another shot at me. "Jaylen, if you don't like it, I can always make you something else."
Oh, but if Ryder doesn't like it, he just has to suck it up and deal with it?
Deep breath. My brothers started digging in to their meals way before I even got a chance to think about it. I was far too angry to eat. I scrunched my nose, at least thankful that I got my favorite meal, the only good part of the night. I blindly scooped a random ladle of soup, not bothering to see if I actually got any of the good part or just the broth. I brought the spoon to my lips. Ryder and Klaus both shot their hands out, catching my wrist before I could get the spoon into my mouth. I glared at both of them, wondering what in the world got into them. The two of them had a death grip on my wrist, surely going to leave a mark. "What?" I snarked, immediately feeling bad for taking my anger out of them, especially after I saw the reason they were holding onto to me: sitting dead center of my spoon sat a small sliver of a tomato, enough to block my airways and leave me for dead considering my epipen was lost somewhere in my room. That could have been bad.
I stared at my potential death, trying to figure out how in the world my mother could have switched the plates up, especially after she specifically said she cooked one bowl separately and without tomatoes. I dropped the spoon, letting it clatter against the bowl, splashes of broth going everywhere. My mind ran blank with one thought cycling on a loop. "I'll be right back," I excused myself from the table, nearly tripling on my own chair as I tried to stand up.
My mother yelled complaints after me but I was no longer listening, bending my book back and forth in a rocking motion, trying to calm my pulse. I rushed into my room, grabbing a random box from beneath the bed and tearing through it. I have to find it.
There was a soft knock on the door. I yelled an automated reply. "I'll be down in a minute." I have to find it.
"What are you looking for?" Ryder questioned.
"My epipen."
He cursed, dropping down to the floor beside me and helping me look. "Did you ingest some of it?" He frantically dug through a box.
I shook my head. "No, but just in case." In case I'm not paying attention and my mother forgets again. Death by tomato seems like a very sad way to go out.
Ryder's motions slowed from their frantic state. "We'll find it," he reassured me.
Another two knocks on my door and suddenly my brothers were on the case as well, the two of them rummaging through Klaus's room, the only other place it could be if not in mine. I found the last box that I'd avoided putting away—I set up my bookshelves and blankets and called it a day, sentencing the rest of my boxes to a lifetime in the closet—immediately ransacking it. "I found it!" I cheered, holding up the unfilled epipen. I knew it didn't have anything in it, but at least now I could leave it by the door and get it refilled in the morning. Let's just hope I didn't die before then.
The four of us made our way back downstairs, knowing my mother was about to condemn us to a slow and painful death for skipping a good ten minutes of dinner. She plastered on a smile. "There you three are. Reginald, I thought we were going to have another situation like this morning."
I cut her feud off short, not letting her take shots at him, "Ryder."
"Right, Ryder."
Kavinski decided now was a good time to pitch in. "You could always call him Finnick, if it's easier for you to remember." Kavinski shot Ryder a disgusting smirk.
I might have been the one people needed to worry about killing Kavinski, the thought was sounding real appealing right about now. "His name is Ryder," I practically growled, knowing Ryder hated to be called Finnick. I was the only one who got to call him that. Only me, and sometimes Alexia but I'd share with her, Kavinski and my mother, I would not.
"I cleaned up your soups since you all clearly weren't interested in it," she made herself out to be the victim. "I'll serve you guys your plates in a second."
She served her boyfriend and his nephew first, then the three of us, and served Ryder last. He didn't seem to mind, meanwhile I was contemplating ways to make this dinner a living nightmare for her, the only thing keeping me from doing it being Ryder's hand resting on my leg. His silent way of telling me not to kill anyone
The entire dinner consisted of my mother taking shots at me and Kavinski taking shots at Ryder. You would have thought the two of us had a red 'A' printed across our chest from the way we were being treated. I figured the end of dinner would signal the end of this whole night but apparently my mother had other plans. "Everybody, to the living room," she took Elijah's hand. "It's time for a movie."
I had to admit, Elijah seemed to be a pretty great guy. He was kind and he was definitely trying to get to know me, Sonny and Klaus, even Ryder. It was like he actually wanted to be here, unlike the rest of the table.
"Violeta, would you mind making us some popcorn?" My mother requested.
I nodded, turning towards the kitchen.
"You are welcome to go with her too, Rodney."
I rolled my eyes, shouting back, "Ryder!"
Ryder caught up with, massaging my shoulders as I walked, a desperate attempt to keep me calm. "Gorgeous, it's okay."
I shook my head, biting my lip. "No, it's not. It's not okay. She should at least know your name. If she knows nothing else about me, she should know your name." She has to know his name, she has to know something about my life right now, she's my mother, she's supposed to know.
I relaxed my shoulder, whatever Ryder was doing was working like a charm. I let out a soft sigh, taking a second for myself before making the popcorn. I made enough bowls for everyone, adding extra salt to Sonny's and mini chocolate dots to Klaus's, their favorites. "Do you like anything in your popcorn?" I questioned Ryder.
"No clue," he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I haven't had popcorn since I was like ten."
My jaw dropped. "What is wrong with you? First you sleep without a blanket and now you don't eat popcorn." I teased, "Pretty boy, I don't know if this relationship is going to work."
"Please, you're stuck with me."
I frowned playfully. "What a shame. I'm just gonna have to make you a bowl of the good popcorn."
I made us one bowl to share, mixing it with everything from the pantry I could find. Everything but the kitchen sink popcorn, a Henderson classic.
I made Ryder help me carry the bowls back, handing everyone their popcorn, starting with my brothers and ending with my mother. I took my spot beside Ryder, laying on his chest as I sat the bowl between the two of us to share. We'd missed the intro of the movie already but I didn't terribly mind, I planned on reading my book anyway. I cracked open my current read, engulfing myself in its warmth, the colors of another world flooding the room and for a second, everything felt okay, peaceful. All my petty fights with my mother, my father, all the horrible memories were gone. I was exactly where I was meant to be, in a world where I could be whatever I wanted to be, in a world where I was granted a happy ending. It was perfect. It was enough to make me forget about everything happening around me, to ignore Elijah's incessant talking during the movie, to ignore the dirty looks Kavinski continued to throw our way, to forget about the fact that I'd hurt my little brother, to forget about the fact that this was all just a game. A moment to pretend that everything was all that I hoped it to be. But nothing last forever, my mother has made it very clear that she will never understand me. "Violeta, put that away."
My head shot up, meeting my mother's hateful gaze. "What?"
"Put that away. We are spending family time together."
Family time. So this is the family now? She could find no one else to fill the void and this is who she picked. This wasn't a family. Sonny, Klaus, and I were a family. I don't know what she is anymore, not since dad died. She hasn't treated us like family since the night of the fire. We might as well be orphans, we lost both of our parents that night. It was me, Klaus and Sonny. the three of us against a series of terribly unfortunate events.
I sighed, setting my bookmark in its place, gently closing the book with shaky hands. Was it too much to ask for a bit of comfort?
Ryder tapped his fingers against my thigh in a rhythmic motion to keep my attention on something other than my thoughts, and though it would normally work like a charm—and it did for a few moments—I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander, roaming free, their topic of choice instantly Ryder. He knew me so well. He knew what I liked and what I disliked, what helped me calm down, what cheered me up. He knew all of it, and what if Sonny was right, what if he only learned that stuff because he wanted to win. What if this was all just a game to him?
I rested my head back, taking a look at Ryder. He met my eyes, smiling before kissing my forehead and returning his attention to the movie. Could this all really be just a game? Could this, us, everything, could none of it be real? Was Sonny right? Because if Sonny's was right then I should prepare, set my wall as back up, just in case, shouldn't I?
I took a deep breath, loving the way he always smelled like sea salt and rum. This can't be just a game.
"Ryder, you mind moving a bit, your heads kinda in the way," Kavinski snarked, when Ryder wasn't even remotely in his way.
Ryder squeezed my hand, trying to breathe calmly but this was the hundredth interruption Kavinski had made at Ryder's expense. "Sure," Ryder answered calmly. He laid down beside me, so that there was no possible way Kavinski could claim Ryder was blocking his view again unless, he planned on moving the whole couch.
The two of us barely fit now that we were both lying down but we made it work, Ryder's legs draped over mine to keep me from sliding off. Despite the fact that Ryder was out of Kavinski's view, that didn't stop Kavinski from glaring at Ryder. I have no clue what happened between those two but Kavinski was starting to get on my nerves.
"Rowan, why don't you move to the floor next to the boys," my mother suggested.
My blood boiled at her comment, as if Ryder was being some great disruption to us all. Ryder sighed, slowly raising himself from his spot to do as she wished. I grabbed onto his arm. "Don't even think about moving." I told him.
Ryder's eyes widened. He slowly lowered himself back down to his previous spot.
My teeth together gritted, my eyes narrowing in on my mother. "We're fine here. And his name is Ryder." I kept my eyes on my mother, the two of us arguing in silence, seeing who would crack first and look away. Her lip curled as she refused to break my stare, not planning on backing down. Elijah desperately tried to help, running his fingers through her hair. I'm sure she appreciated the attempt but it wouldn't work, this was war, and I wasn't going to back down. "Violeta," my mother warned.
My brothers tried to pretend they were watching the tv but all attention was on me and my mother.
"Mother."
First she can't remember his name, then she nearly sends me into anaphylactic shock, then she makes me put my book away and now she won't even let me sit with him. I haven't seen her in weeks and that was her first order of business.
"Violeta, why don't we go make some more popcorn?" She rose, directing me towards the kitchen.
I followed after her in my own stride, taking however long I wanted. She stood at the island table, a scowl imprinted on her face. I crossed my arms as my mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't want you seeing that Ryden boy anymore."
"Well then I guess it's a good thing I'm not dating a Ryden."
"Rydal, Rendal, whatever his name is, I don't want you seeing that boy anymore."
I scoffed. She really thinks she gets an opinion in the matter? "Then it's a good thing it's not up to you."
"Beatrice Violeta, you will do as I say. You are not allowed to see that boy anymore."
"He has been nothing but nice to you." Ryder has spent the entire evening trying to impress her and she can't even pretend that she appreciates it.
"He was naked in my kitchen."
This again? "Oh my goodness, he wasn't wearing a shirt! I was the one who was pretty much naked. You just need a reason to hate him."
"River is not a good influence for you. I mean just look at the way you are lashing out."
I ran my hands through my hair. "His name is Ryder."
"It does not matter what his name is. You are not to see Ryan anymore."
I sucked in a harsh breath, my voice cracking. "Ryder. It's Ryder." How hard is that to learn, it's one name, one tiny name.
"Fine, Ryder. You are not to see Ryder anymore, end of discussion."
I held the back of my neck. If she wanted to end the discussion now then so be it. "No." I let my hands fall to their sides.
I turned around, not paying attention to the red seeping into her skin as she registered my response. I rubbed my face, exhaustion taking over my body.
My mother stepped foot in the living room with me, all eyes instantly turning towards us. "I can't believe you are getting so worked up over a boy. Remington—"
She's not even trying anymore. "His name is Ryder!" I shouted, quickly lowering my voice to try to have a reasonable conversation. "You're not even listening to me. This isn't about a boy, this is about you. You haven't been home in weeks because you said you were working and now suddenly we find out that you've been spending all of your downtime with some guy instead of your own children. I was in the hospital for a week and you couldn't even bother to show up."
"I did have to work."
"Oh really? All those wonderful dates Elijah told us about were at work then? You were working twenty four hours a day for four days straight so you couldn't come visit me at the hospital that you work at. You couldn't stop by during one of your lunch breaks, you were just so busy."
"We need money to survive, Violeta."
I closed my eyes. "You're still not getting the point." I made my way further into the living room to grab my book. "I'm heading out, I'll be back later." I felt bad leaving Ryder to fend for himself but I needed to get out of here. I just couldn't take it anymore.
"You are not leaving," my mother demanded.
"Yes, I am, because you're not listening to me, so we'll talk about it later." She should have left it at that, left it at 'we'll talk later' so we could come back to it when our heads were cleared, when decisions had been thought through, so no one would say something they regretted.
But she didn't leave it at 'we'll talk later'. "Beatrice Violeta, I am your mother and you will do as I say."
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth as her words registered, the fuse finally blowing. I whipped back around, screaming because I couldn't figure out any other way for her to hear me. "When? When were you my mother? Was it when I was in the hospital all those times and you never showed up? Or when the neighbors had to teach Klaus how to drive? Or maybe it was when Sonny came home from school crying and Klaus and I were the ones who had cheer him up? Or was it when I had to teach Klaus how to shave? When have you ever been our mother?"
She stuttered at my sudden outburst, quickly composing herself. "I taught you how to be independent."
My eyes began to water. "I was a child! I didn't need to be independent; I needed to be loved." I drew in a breath, softening my tone. "You were never there. I learned how to read, how to drive, how to pay the bills. I got through my first job interview, my first date. I did all of it without you. I didn't need you then, and I don't need you now." I turned to grab a coat, never getting the chance to reach it.
"I work hard to put food on your plates. I have always been your mother!" She finally snapped, yelling back at me.
How dare she say such things? Like she truly felt she had ever acted like a mother to us. "Were you my mother when he was throwing Sonny against the wall, or when he was beating Klaus's face into the ground to the point that you could even recognize him? Were you our mother when I was the one who had to try and stop him while you sat back and watched?"
She stared at me like I'd just slapped her in the face, her mouth dangling open.
I let out a breath. "Yeah, I didn't think so." I walked out the door before she could say anything else.
A/N
Hi lovies!
What did you think of the chapter?
Are we still liking the longer chapters? Or would we prefer shorter ones?
And are sure you guys are still enjoying the book? There aren't as many comments as there usually are
Random question of the day: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Lots of love,
Rachelle <3