Protecting Her - Alexis Noelle Page 0,48

did.”

“Would you like to tell me why you’re here or do you want to keep playing games?” Irritation is prevalent on her face.

“I am here because I know that you are the stalker and that you hired Detective Marks to help you. It’s over, you’re caught.” I smile as I realize that she will be punished.

“Is that what has you all upset? Really dear, you should pick your battles. I did it for you, after all.” She smiles at me as if she gave me a present and is waiting for my appreciation.

“How was any of that for me? You had me scared out of my mind!” I think back to all of the times I felt like I was being watched. To the night I would wake up from a nightmare that they had caught me.

“You were not nearly as prominent in the media as you should have been, most of that was probably due to your lack of talent. I put you in the spotlight with this. You should be thanking me.” She smiles at me as if we are talking about something mundane like the weather.

Is she fucking crazy?! I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “I will never thank you for the hell you put me through. Not only that, but you were trying to have Marks frame Hunter!”

“Well, someone needed to take the fall, dear. Honestly, this is all your fault. If you would have been better at your craft and followed my direction, then you would be in a much better place than you are now.”

A tear slips down my cheek and I curse myself for letting it fall. For letting her see how much she is getting to me. “The police will be here soon. Have a nice life, Mother.” My voice is emotionless, all my anger is replaced by sadness. By the fact that she is so cold. That she really just doesn’t care about me. I walk past Hunter and out the door. I can hear their voices as I leave but I don’t care what is being said. I climb into the car, hating my life and what it has turned into.

When Hunter gets in the car, I can feel his eyes on me, almost as if he is assessing my state. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere but here.” It’s all I say.

I know that Ryan said he would have the police dispatched but I can’t stay here anymore and wait for them. I don’t want to be here for one more minute.

I have nothing left. I feel so gutted and so discarded. Holding out hope for someone to change is dangerous, because when they don’t, it hits you. I always thought I could eventually win my mother’s love.

I was wrong.

Chapter Twenty Four

Samantha

It’s been one week since I confronted my mother. The police showed up but she was gone. They haven’t found her yet, and I don’t know how that is possible. I mean, it’s not like she is some master criminal trained in evading the law.

This and my mental state of mind since everything happened has put an unbelievable strain on my relationship with Hunter. We fight…a lot. Most of the time they are over something stupid but it’s still a fight. I know that ninety percent of them are my fault, and the ones that aren’t stem from my bad mood, putting him in a bad mood too. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be like this, but it’s like I’m fighting a battle against myself and I’m losing. I haven’t really been answering messages from Jules or Lacey either. I’m pulling away from everyone who has any potential to hurt me.

I sit with my back facing Hunter as I stare out the car window. I want to apologize to him. To let him know that I have been taking all my shit out on him and it’s wrong, but I don’t. It’s a mix of pride and fear. The fear part is what is overwhelming. If I keep him at a distance, if I close myself off maybe my feelings will lessen, that way when he leaves me it won’t hurt as much.

I have an appearance to do and I am dreading it. News broke that I fired my mother, so that’s all anyone wants to ask me about. That and Hunter. Neither is a subject I really want to get into. At least it hasn’t been leaked that she