all victims survive. Volunteering at women’s shelters and being an activist for those that struggle to find their voice has helped me heal, but sometimes the scar runs too deep.”
I swallowed the pain in my throat, thankful for the warm cup of tea in my hands to soothe away the decades of pain I wanted to cry for the suffering my mom had endured. One night, and her life changed in the blink of an eye. I’d always been so proud of the strong woman she was, but knowing she’d been forged in fire made me love her more fiercely than I knew was possible.
“Mom,” I stood, barely controlling the tears, “I’m so sorry that happened to you. So very sorry. I love you so much.” I threw my arms around her, burying my head in her shoulders just like I used to do when I was small and scared, needing for her to feel my strength and love the way I had always felt hers.
“I love you too, honey.” She held me, rubbing my back, soothing me when it should have been me soothing her at this moment. “You brought me to life again. Having you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. You brought both your father and me so much joy and happiness. You’re everything, my sweet girl. Everything.”
I nodded, wiping at my own tears. “I probably look like death.” I sniffed, wiping at my eyes. “I’m going to take a shower.” I threaded her fingers in mine, locking our gazes. “Thank you for telling me.”
She smiled weakly, nodding once before turning back to her teacup and away from me. I sucked in a breath of air, walking down the hallway as I processed the millions of emotions chugging through my body. I went through the movements as I flipped on the water in the shower, making it first searing hot to wake myself up, before easing the water to a comfortable temperature as I leaned back against the wall and let my mind wander.
I thought about my mom and Monica, young and innocent, life crashing in on them in different ways. Their reactions couldn’t be more different. The conversation Kyler and I had had this morning about Cathy versus Jane came to mind. I smiled when I thought of him, half-wishing he was here now just for the pleasant distraction.
Mom had seemed to imply earlier that Monica and Edward had more of a shotgun marriage than a true love story. I wondered if Kyler had sensed that pain, even as a young child, and that caused him to act out. Just then, a flashback came to my mind of a moment a few years ago when mom was digging through old photo albums and thrust a picture at me, announcing the first dinner they’d ever made in the new house before I was born. I remembered it because Dad had cleverly remembered to throw a newspaper on the table with the date forever cemented in our personal family history.
They’d moved into the house months and months before I was born. Nearly nine, the more I thought about it. Bile rose in my throat. Kyler was only eleven months older than me. The timeline made me sick to the bottom of my stomach. I pushed through the motions, refusing to allow my swirling thoughts get the best of me as I washed my hair and body, eager to get dressed and ready for my date with Kyler. By the time I’d turned off the spray and was wrapping up in a towel, Mom announced that Kyler was here.
My half-groan when I looked at the wet reflection in the mirror turned to a hopeless smile. Kyler, here, now, meant that he couldn't wait to see me until later. I ran a brush through my hair and pulled on the nearest skirt and top I could find before hustling straight back into the arms of Kyler Sinclair.
Chapter 26
“When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Kyler
“So...are you ashamed to be seen in public with me?” she offered, gesturing to the bags of Italian takeout stacked between us on the picnic blanket as if in explanation.
“I don’t really like to be around people.”
“You don’t say?” She hummed, licking her fingers adorably after stealing another garlic breadstick from the dwindling pile. We