the side of my face, but I didn’t let up. She was doing this, whether she liked it or not. She had no intention of fulfilling her role as a mother—she never had. “They’re my kids! I’m not signing them over to you!”
“They’re not yours!” I shouted back, my cool well and truly gone. I’d always treated her with kid gloves, doing anything for an easy life, knowing that one day I wouldn’t be stuck here with her. There had been a time when I’d been terrified of her, but that had been when I was a kid. Now I was an adult, trying to protect her other kids from her.
“Yes they are!” She slammed her fist on my chest, but it didn’t move me a single inch. She was losing control.
“What’s Chiara’s favorite food?” I asked her, my voice low. She froze, her eyes narrowing on me. “What’s Cardo’s favorite class in school?” I pushed closer to her, feeling a trickle of blood sliding down my cheek from her scratch. “What’s my wife’s name?”
She opened her mouth, her eyes clearing the longer I spoke. The real person inside her was coming to the forefront, taking over the monster who occupied her most of the time. She didn’t appear often, but when she did, I savored it.
“You’re not taking them away from me,” she said, her voice calmer now.
I lifted my arm, waving at the apartment. “I already have. We’ve been gone a month and you still don’t get it.” I let her arm go, but neither of us moved. “We’re not coming back.” Pulling in a breath again, I held the papers up. “Sign them. I’m taking your responsibilities off you. You’ll be free.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her attention moving to the papers between us. “Ten,” she murmured, the monster storming its way back to the front. “Ten grand and they’re yours.”
I jerked back, sure I wasn’t hearing her right. “What?”
“You heard me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Ten grand and you can keep the little shits.” She laughed manically. “You think I want them?” Her lips pursed. “I never wanted them. I never wanted you.” She pointed her finger at my chest, the small move causing more harm than any of her other hits ever had. She’d locked me in a cupboard for hours at a time when I was Cardo’s age. She’d left me without food for days. She’d let strangers into the house. She’d acted like I didn’t exist. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me. “You’re just like him.” She spat the final word out, disgust clear across her face. “Always wanting to do the right thing.” She sneered. “I hate you. I hate all of you.”
“Then sign the damn papers!” I shouted.
“Not until you get me my money.” She twirled around, strolled around the sofa, and didn’t look back at me as she left the room.
She wanted ten grand. I scraped my hand down my face. Of course she wanted money. That was all she’d ever wanted from me. But if it meant we’d finally be free of her, then I’d do it without a second thought.
So I stormed out of the apartment, drove right to the bank, and to the manager who handled all of the organizations money. His eyes widened when he saw me. We always made appointments after hours, but today was an emergency.
“Ten thousand out of my personal account,” I told him, tapping his desk. “Make it quick.”
“Of course, Mr. Caputo.” He stood, knocking several items over with his jerky movements. “I’ll put that through for you now.” He clicked some buttons on his keyboard, and it was only then I realized I was still holding the papers in my hand. I opened them up as the manager practically ran behind the cashier’s counter, and read them over, like I hadn’t already done it a thousand times.
Once she’d signed these papers, she’d no longer have any parental rights. She was handing the kids over to me, making them officially mine. It was the final step. A step I wouldn’t fall down. A step that would end all of the turmoil we’d been through.
“Mr. Caputo?” I glanced up at the manager. He held a zipped up dark-gray bag. “I have your money.” He handed it to me, his hand shaking. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No.” I nodded in thanks. “See you.”
I didn’t say another word as I walked out of there,