I’m the criminal?” I question.
She sighs. “Adeline, if he has coerced you to do something…”
I roll my eyes. “He hasn’t made me do anything, Mother, chill. And I’m fine. Really. I went through something traumatic-obviously-and sleeping doesn’t always come easy to me.”
She shifts on the leather couch, gearing up to say something else, but I cut her off. “And I’m good here. In Parsons Manor.”
Her mouth shuts, a frown tugging down her pink-painted lips. I sigh, a stab of guilt hitting me in the chest.
“Mom, I appreciate your concern, I do. But it’s going to take me a while to get readjusted and back to normal.”
Normal. Saying the word feels like swallowing a handful of rusty nails. I’ll never be normal. I don’t think I ever was.
And if anyone could attest to that, it would be my mother-the woman who’s called me a freak most of my life.
She’s quiet for a moment, staring down at the checkered tile and lost in whatever hurricane is sifting through her skull and ready to come out of her mouth. I’ve always felt like storms rage through her head since her words were always so fucking destructive.
“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” she asks quietly. She lifts her head to look up at me, her crystal blue eyes swirling with hurt. I can’t decide if the sight of it twists the guilt deeper or if it makes me angry.
“Because you’ve never made me feel safe enough to tell you anything,” I answer bluntly.
Her throat works, swallowing that bitter pill.
“Why… why did you need to feel safe to tell me about him, Addie?” she asks, her sculpted brows pinching. “I mean, if he were… normal, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. If he were someone you met in a bookstore, or at one of your events, or even in a grocery store.” She pauses. “Why did you need to feel safe?”
I roll my lips and turn back towards the window.
“Addie, does he hurt you?”
My neck nearly snaps from how quickly I turn back to her. “No,” I say sternly, though that’s not entirely true.
Did he hurt me? Yes, but not how she’s thinking. He would never lay a finger on me out of anger. The type of pain Zade delivers is unorthodox, and while there’s always been a part of me that enjoys it-it still hurts.
Yet, I crave it anyway.
“Then why?”
I sigh, debating on how much I should say. He kills people for a living? Too much. He stalked me? Would never live that one down, no matter how guilty she feels.
So, I just settle with the truth. The part that doesn’t announce him as a psychopath with a bit of an attachment issue.
“He saves women and children from human trafficking, Mom. He’s very deeply involved in that dark corner of the world.”
She sucks in a sharp breath, her spine snapping straight and her eyes widening with outrage. “Is he the reason you were kidnapped?”
“No,” I snap. “He is not why, and you need to remember that he saved me. I would not be here-be alive-if it wasn’t for him.”
She shakes her head in confusion, and asks, “Then why were you? If he’s involved with the same people?”
I shrug, feigning a nonchalance I don’t feel. “There were many factors, but none of them were his doing. That’s all that’s important.”
She sighs, a sound of both frustration and acceptance. “Is he dangerous?”
“Yes,” I admit. “But not to me. He loves me, and not only that, he loves me for who I am.
He’s never wanted to change me.”
She flinches at the dig but refrains from defending herself this time.
“Just because he loves you, that doesn’t mean he’s good for you,” she says with finality.
I purse my lips, considering that for a moment. “What is good for me then, Mom? You know best, right? A real stand-up guy that’s a lawyer or doctor?”
“Don’t be obtuse,” she snips. “How about someone like a police officer, who only carries a gun because they’re-“
“Protecting people,” I cut in. “Because you think they’re protecting people. You really want to get in that debate right now? And wouldn’t you say Zade is doing the same? By rescuing innocent people from being kidnapped and enslaved?”
She tightens her lips, clearly still in disagreement but not willing to keep arguing. That’s a first, but I don’t expect it to last.
This time, I’m the one sighing. I throw myself back in the chair.
“I don’t want to fight about him with you because it’s not going to change anything. I know him better than you ever will, and if you want to hate him, fine. But do it where I don’t have to hear about it,” I say tiredly and resolutely.
I’m too exhausted to keep fighting with her. That’s all we ever do, and it got old over a decade ago.
“Fine,” she huffs, irritated and contrite. “Let me take you to a nice dinner for your birthday, at least. Can we do that? No talk about your boyfriend.”
I stare at her, and the tightness in my chest eases a little. Smiling, I nod my head.
“That sounds good. Let me get ready.”
I stand and head towards the stairs when she calls out, “Don’t forget the concealer, honey. You need it.”
Chapter 27
The Diamond
The sound of Francesca’s heels rebound against the ceiling, sending my heart flying into my throat. Daya glances upward, unsettled by the sound but used to Parsons Manor’s shenanigans.
I, on the other hand, am having a silent heart attack. I’ve been hearing those sharp footsteps since I’ve been home, and though they’re not actually Francesca’s, I think the wicked ghosts in this house know they haunt my nightmares and enjoy bringing them to life.
I curl my hands into tight fists to abate the shaking, racking my brain for something to distract me.
“Maybe I should just become a nun,” I announce, causing Daya to pause mid-pour. She’s filling up a glass of red wine, and it feels… weird. Like I shouldn’t be standing here enjoying wine when I’ve murdered people and escaped sex trafficking.
We’re sitting at my kitchen island, and I can’t help but bask in the nostalgia. I was gone for two and a half months, but it feels like years. It’s weird, but it feels good, too. To be here with her again, drinking like no time has passed at all.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.