Page 46 of It’s Me, but Different

“How convenient. You have an answer for everything, right? Or did your older sister prepare that for you too?”

“Esme, please. Everything I told you was true. I want to build a life with you.”

“ENOUGH!”

The scream echoes like a gunshot, making several birds fly out of nearby trees and people stare at us.

“Enough lies! Enough manipulation! Enough playing with me like I'm a fucking rag doll!”

“I'm not playing with you, I…”

“Yeah, of course you're not!” she interrupts me, moving closer until I can see the tears of rage in her eyes. “You do this possibly because everything is a game to you. Because you're bored now that you can't compete anymore. Because you need the adrenaline to feel alive.”

The words pierce me like knives.

“That's not true.” I murmur.

“No? You have no idea what money or work is worth. You don't know what it's like to wake up every morning worried about whether you'll make it to the end of the month. You don't understand what it means to make decisions thinking about your children's future instead of your own needs. Your whole life has been one whim after another. Yes, you were very good at skiing, but you've had the best trainers since you were little. Fuck, you even had your own ski resorts.”

“Esme…”

“Leave me alone once and for all, Sloane. Forever. That's all I ask. Disappear from my life, forget I exist. I'll never forgive you for what you've done, but much less for manipulating my children by making them grow fond of you to convince me. You're the most despicable person I've ever met.”

“I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove I love you. I'll stay here with you, I'll look for work as a ski instructor at Echo Mountain or any other nearby resort. Let me help you with the kids, with the house, with whatever you need. Just give me a chance to prove that what I feel for you is real,” I plead, trying to get closer to her, though she puts a hand on my chest to stop me from advancing.

“Miss Torres, do you want me to call the police?” asks a gray-haired man, walking toward us.

“No need, Joe, she's leaving,” she replies, giving me one last look of hatred before entering the building where her office is.

Chapter 20

Esme

The sound of my phone distracts me again in the conference room.

For the fifth time in an hour.

“Sorry, my daughter won't stop calling,” I murmur, declining Ana Sofia's call again, while the opposing lawyer continues with his argument.

The entire firm is focused on this trial. It's a client who could open many doors for us in the future, and nothing can go wrong. I can't afford distractions.

The phone rings again.

And again.

And again.

“Can you turn off that damn thing once and for all?” my boss growls in a threatening tone.

I apologize and turn it off without even looking at it. Ana Sofia will have to wait. Whatever it is, it can wait two hours until this meeting ends.

Ana Sofia

“Mom, please answer!” I scream into the phone, but it goes to voicemail again.

Theo is lying on the couch, screaming while writhing in pain. His face is gray, and he's sweating a lot.

“Jessica, please, do something,” I beg, but the sixteen-year-old babysitter Mom hired is crying in the kitchen, not knowing what to do.