Bitter Kisses (It's Just High School #3) - Thandiwe Mpofu Page 0,33
life.”
Nicky’s face pales. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I know, Nicky! I know everything. We all know you threw her in the trashcan when she was a day old.”
“I didn’t want Nathan to take her!”
“And we know that Mia lost her memory when that bastard wacked her over the head years ago and you, instead of fighting for your daughter, you signed away your rights to her and let that monster turn her into a spy!”
“What do you mean?” Dad demands.
“Oh, John, you think you know everything but how the hell do you think the news of Aiden broke? No one in the world knew he existed! No one knew he was sick! Nathan knew Julian was there alone with Aiden and he sent Mia to find out more!”
I remember the day I saw Mia for the first time, in that hospital hallway, the way she came to me. She was there for Nancy, she approached me randomly. Right?
“Nathan organized the reporters and tabloids to be at the hospital so as to ambush Mia so she’d have no choice but give up Aiden’s story after she got it from Julian,” Courtney says. “And you think I want that scum anywhere near my sons?”
It’s like a grenade has gone off in me. The chaos of it all, the mess…
I hated her then. Hated her for revealing secrets that were never meant to be exposed but she had no control over that either. Just like this whole shitshow with all the charges against me, she was never in fault. She never wanted to tell anyone. She never betrayed me. She was being used.
FUCK!
“So, you mean to say Nathan has been using Mia for years now?” Cole mutters, shock in his voice.
“He’s been using her all her life,” Courtney says. “But from what I know your daughter fought back. She fought his control over her. I read in a recent report that her memory was coming back.”
“What?” Nicky whispers.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Why else would Mia stay away from Nathan? She was avoiding him for years. But how could you know what with you spreading your fucking legs every chance you got. You stayed away but your own daughter knew she was in danger. Or maybe we should thank Nancy for that but alas, now Nathan has his claws in her. Again.”
The silence that falls over us is explosive.
There’s a faraway look in Nicky’s eyes that clenches at the thing in my chest.
“What do you know?” I demand, turning to look at her as alarms blare in my head. “What the fuck do you know?”
“He wants to marry her off,” Nicky mumbles, horror in her eyes. “But with you and her so public, that would fail so the next best thing he would do is…” she trails off.
My knees weaken. I feel sick, everything in me feels like it’s going to shut down.
“What’s this next best thing? What?” Liam demands, turning around like he’s in a maze.
“Sell her,” Dad says softly, looking at me. “The next thing he’d do is sell her.”
Chapter Eight
Julian
“Like hell!” I roar. I grip my hair, wanting to pull it out as I start pacing, hoping the murderous urge I have will dispel some.
“Julian…”
“Like fucking hell that’s going to happen!” I repeat.
“Julian,” Dad barks. “Think. Who has her right now?”
No, no! Matthews! Those fucking bastards have what’s mine and Nathan…
“The Matthews are part of an underground seedy network,” Dad says. “They have money. They own casinos. And Nathan…”
“Is a chronic gambler,” Nicky whispers. “Oh my God.”
Stunned, I stare at her, hardly breathing or blinking after the shit that just came out of her mouth.
“You can’t be serious,” Liam says, breaking the tense silence that has fallen over us in the driveway of Mia’s house. The sun is setting low, the thing in my chest is twisting painfully by the second and I can’t move. “You’re lying.”
“Is she?” Courtney says, cocking her eyebrow as she looks at Nicky over my shoulder. “Tell them it’s a lie, Nicky. Go ahead. I know you know your ex better than anyone here, including his own brother.”
“Shut the fuck up, Courtney!” Dad seethes. “Julian, there’s a way we can fix this.”
“What way? If she’s missing, then I’m pretty sure her new owners have taken what they were promised!”
“Jesus, are you hearing what you’re saying?” Liam snaps, gripping his hair tightly. “How can you stand there and condone this?”