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“Maddy, don't write a check your ass can’t cash,” Ada warned. “Don't come between me and my son.”

She scoffed. “Lo don't wanna be with you guys. Ain't that right?”

Everyone looked to him, including Devyn and Meco.

So much had been placed on his shoulders in such little time.

He needed time to think but he wouldn’t be able to do that with his parents in his face.

They wanted answers, details, and descriptions, and he wouldn’t be able to conjure that up for them.

He was still in a state a shock, considering they had sent him to that camp against his will.

Without saying a word, he shook his head.

“And there you have it.” Maddy laughed. “Lo is coming with me.”

She pulled him away, and they descended the stairs. Lo looked back at the saddened features of Dax as Ada wept quietly. Devyn stood with his head down as Meco ran after him. Lo pulled away from Maddy and faced his twin brother.

“Bro, don't go. Stay,” Meco begged.

He held so much love for Meco. They shared the same womb. Came from the same vessel. Meco was his other half. His lifetime companion. However, Lo had been ruined. Nothing would ever be the same. Not even their relationship.

“I can’t.”

Lo quickly turned around before tears fell from his eyes.

Walking away from his family was the hardest thing he ever had to do but he couldn’t trust them.

They’d unfortunately hurt him. Lo couldn’t fathom going back to the home he once shared with them and act as if everything was okay.

The tie had officially been severed between Lo and his family.

“That was the worst night of my life.” Ada sniffled. “I lost my son and my sister, but I don’t give a fuck about her. She can rot in hell, and I wouldn’t blink an eye. But my child, I’d die for him.”

Bria peered at Ada’s wet face with so much empathy for her.

Lo painted her as the enemy in his story.

She and Dax had been reduced to villains who pushed him into depthless waters without a lifejacket.

But what Bria saw was a woman who held regrets the size of the Pacific Ocean.

Ada wasn’t the evil being she had been painted to be.

She was a mother who had made a terrible mistake.

“I’m sorry all this happened, Ms. Ada.”

“Yeah, me too,” she mumbled, grabbing tissue and dabbing her eyes.

Bria couldn’t believe the story. She couldn’t grasp how there had been no sort of healing between Lo and his parents.

“So, that’s it? He never tried to come home, or you never tried to get him? Is that where your story ended?”

Ada exhaled and reclined in her seat. “I’m a fighter, Bria.

I would never lay down when a bitch tells me to.

I went after my child. Me and Dax. We did some things we’re not proud of, but I don’t regret it.

We wanted our child by any means necessary.

You’ll understand my fight when you have children.

I never gave up until one day, I saw Lo at school.

” Her words trailed off as she visited the memory.

“I pulled up on him and the look on his face was one I would never forget. He looked scared, as if I would hurt him. I asked him, damn near begged him to come home and he told me no. That was the day I decided not to be selfish and think about Lo. He didn’t want to come home, and he didn’t want to be around us.

Maddy had gotten to him, so I respected his wishes and left him alone.

“Selfishly, when Dax was shot, I thought he would come back around but he never showed up. I’ve been operating as just a shell of my former self.

All the hair, jewelry, and plastic surgery is just a Band-Aid for all the pain I hold.

I hate myself because I wasn’t there to protect my son.

There were times, I would wake up disappointed because I’d wish to die in my sleep.

It’s been a hole in my heart for the last twenty years.

I haven’t been a mother to my other sons.

I know God is disappointed in me. I avoid Him too.

I don’t even pray because I know He’s not pleased with my behavior. ”

“Don’t say that. God loves us all, even when we don’t do right, He still loves us.”

Ada adamantly shook her head. “Not me.”

Bria didn’t know what to say. She too had been speechless when Lo revealed his trauma. They both needed each other. Ada operated out of pain, and Lo did the same. She was certain Dax did as well.

“I’m so glad you came to see me.” Ada forced a smile on her lips. “It’s nice to connect with someone, other than my sons, who is a part of Lo’s life. How is he?”

Bria shrugged, attempting to choose her words carefully. “He’s okay. Just… different. I’ve never met anyone like him. In fact, I was planning on breaking up with him.”

Ada’s gaping mouth made her chuckle. “Oh, no. Why? You two are so beautiful together.”

“Because he’s a lot to deal with, and he’s damaged. I don’t know how to be his wife and still be mentally sane at the same time. His anger is off-putting.”

“I get it and because I’m a woman before I’m a mother, I say do what’s best for you.”

“Really? You won’t talk me into staying with your son?”

Ada shook her head. “Hell no. I’m never going to talk a woman into staying in a relationship that’s not healthy. I love all my boys but if they aren’t treating their wives right, I would urge them to leave, especially when they’ve never seen their father mistreat me.”

Bria pondered her words, drinking them in like they were an ice-cold beverage. Lo was difficult. He was stubborn, and Bria had reached her peak of trying to hang in there with him. Understanding his character had been eye opening but still, it didn’t change what he had been to her.

“Thanks for talking to me. It was nice getting to know you, Ms. Ada.”

“Oh, I’m so thankful you came. Give me a hug.”

Bria hugged her and the two stood. Ada walked her out of the house and into the main house.

“You come see me again. Maybe Dax will be better by then.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s just under the weather.”

Bria smiled. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

The two parted ways and she walked back to the car. The visit had been so heavy that Bria wanted to spend the rest of the day putting the complete puzzle of Lo together.