Page 64 of Husband to Go

“You heard me. You slept with your mother’s fiancé. If that doesn’t qualify as amoral behavior, I don’t know what does.”

My mouth drops open. Her barbs are true, and they sting. But still, I’m here to apologize.

“Mom, Ireallyam sorry. I would do everything over again if I could.”

She snorts, blowing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

“That’s a load of bull. You’re not sorry. You’re just upset you didn’t get what you want either, and I’m guessing it’s because Tanner left you, too.”

I gape but manage to keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to tell her that I’m the one who broke up with him. There’s no reason to add to the turbulent mix of emotions. Veronica sneers again.

“From your silence, I’ll take that as a yes. You know, you’ve always been like this. After you were born, your dad was obsessed with you, and he totally lost interest in me as a result. And then my second husband Marlon was so invested in you, it was crazy. I had to run them out of my life.”

“What?” I ask, flabbergasted and horrified at once. She ignores me and keeps talking.

“And Croy,” she continues. “He was always asking me about your love life, if you had a boyfriend, and how experienced you were. If he wasn’t going to appreciate the woman standing right in front of him,” she points at herself, “then he did not need to be in my life.”

I gasp, my heart racing at a million miles an hour. I never knew just how much Veronica hated me. When she was supposed to be protecting me, she was more concerned with maintaining her position in the limelight.

“But their love for me was different from their love for you,” I say slowly. “I’m a daughter, while you were a wife. It’s completely different.”

Veronica sneers.

“It’s not different. Love is love, and those guys were idiots. Once they saw you, there was no longer enough love to go around, and I had to drop them. See ya,” she says carelessly. “Wouldn’t want to be ya.”

I’m stunned by her callousness. These are men that she was legally wed to, and yet Veronica was willing to toss them overboard because of her jealousy of me. This woman is so fucked up, and I can’t take it anymore.

Besides, love isn’t a zero sum game. There are many ways to love and be loved, but Veronica is so messed up that she’s been living in a twisted and corrupt world for years now.

“I see. I’ll leave you alone, then.” I don’t think my relationship with my mother will be able to bounce back from this. Everything she just said was much too hateful.

“Don’t act like you’re better than me,” she hisses. “You deserve whatever bad things happen to you. Karma is a real bitch, honey. What goes around comes around.”

I shoot her a frozen smile.

“Thanks for the tip,” I tell her. “I hope things get better for you, too.” And I mean it. She may hate me, but Veronica is still my mom. I can’t wish her ill, no matter how hateful she is.

I’m about to leave, but then she stands up so fast her stool crashes onto the ground. I jump, frightened. Without further ado, Veronica comes right up to me and slaps me directly on the cheek. She puts a lot of force behind the slap, and pain shoots through my face, leaving it stinging and red.

“Get out of my house,” she hisses.

Whirling, I rush to the door and leave.

“And never come back. You’re not my daughter anymore,” she calls before slamming the door behind my back. I’m standing outside, my palm to my stinging cheek. My chest moves up and down, and I’m on the verge of a panic attack.

I’m stunned by what just happened, and the things she admitted. I can’t believe she drove my dad away because he loved me. Or Marlon. And the whole thing with Croy. I’m glad he was kicked to the curb because in truth, he was a lech. But Veronica didn’t do it for me, she did it for herself.

I walk down the steps and sit on the curb. It’s time to focus on me. I have to stop worrying about how Veronica will feel about what I’m doing. I need to do what makes me happy. I know Andrea is too busy with class, and the only other person I can think to be with is my Aunt Jane. She’ll know what to do.

I take out my phone and dial Jane. She picks up on the first ring.

“Hi sweetheart. I’ve been so worried about you! Where have you been?”

I blink through the tears in my eyes.

“Oh, Andrea told me she called you guys and told you I was fine.” The fallout from my running away to the hospital is really hitting me now. I didn’t realize that so many people would be worried. I thought the world would keep turning without me, which it did, but there were still a lot of concerned people.

“She called but wouldn’t give a lot of details. I know she was just protecting your privacy, but I had no idea why you disappeared for so long and then wouldn’t take my calls. Are you okay honey?”