He deserves so much more than you or your father ever gave to him. Mark my words, one of these days, I will pull the curtain back and expose you for the sick, sad, useless young man you really are. I will get my son away from you if it’s the very last thing I do on this Earth.” She smiled, but it sent chills down my spine because it was so cruel and ugly. “That is, if your addiction and lack of restraint don’t take you out of his life before I can. Wouldn’t that be tragic?”
She swept out of the house in a purely villainous way, leaving an icy gust of air behind her. I shivered as I dug my phone out of my pocket to call the security company that not only monitored my house and surrounding property, but also the entrance to the private community. It only took a minute to take Jeno’s mom off the approved visitor list. I knew he would have a fit about the change when he found out, but future me could deal with that headache. I had to do something for my sanity now so I didn’t dive headfirst into a bottle to soothe my rattled nerves.
Toren was a bad bitch because she knew exactly where to strike for the most impact… just like any other snake.
I grew up mistaking the way my parents doted on me as long as I was making money for love. The minute I became a burden, rather than the breadwinner, I realized just how alone and emotionally neglected I was. Jeno really was the only one who stuck with me, but he was young when I started to freefall. He couldn’t save me back then. It was still a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that my only purpose was to be a performing puppet for others, and that I really didn’t have any value other than my ability to make money.
It was easy for dark clouds of doubt to gather and obliterate all the progress I’d made, so I needed to be proactive and not just wait for my demons to wake up and eat me alive.
Since my hand was still on my phone, I went to tap Jeno’s number, but paused, thinking about all the hate and vitriol his mother launched my way. She wasn’t wrong that I only had him to rely on, and that if I failed, I was absolutely going to drag him down with me.
Instead of tapping on his name, I moved to the next one on my recently called list and was honestly shocked when she answered.
“Why are you calling me so late, Salinger?” Maren sounded sleepy and sexy, but she picked up the call, which convinced me no matter how much she denied it, she really did kind of care about me.
“Did I wake you up?” After all, not everyone struggled to sleep the way I did.
“No. I was reading through a few film proposals, but I am getting ready for bed. Why?” She sounded equally curious and impatient.
“Can I come over?” I hadn’t been to her place in Malibu and I was curious about the beach house. She didn’t strike me as the sun-and-sand type. Plus, it would take a bit to drive down the coast, and I could use the time as a much-needed distraction from my wild thoughts.
I thought she was going to tell me to take a hike. It was a random request, and she made it clear we didn’t have the ‘visit in the middle of the night’ kind of friendship. She surprised me again when she asked quietly, “Are you okay?”
“No. I’m never okay. I’ve just learned how to fake functioning really well.” It was perhaps the most honest I’d been with anyone in my entire life.
She was quiet for a long moment until I heard her swear softly under her breath. “I’ll text you directions to my house. Don’t do anything stupid before you get here. You can tell me what happened in person, and I’ll do my best to make you feel better.”
I laughed and nodded jerkily, even though she couldn’t see me. “I won’t ruin my life, or yours, in the time it takes me to drive to Malibu. Promise.” I hung up and went in search of a shirt.
I wondered absently if I should text her back and tell her if she really wanted to make me feel better, words weren’t going to cut