Page 154 of Restitution

Bernadette’s eyes lift to me, and they darken a touch, but she doesn’t talk – she doesn’t seem to be in any state to respond.

I settle on my knees in front of the cage, watching the way her body tenses at my proximity. Her stench is making me feel sick,but I stay in place.

And I know I should be terrified that she could grab me through the cage, but she looks far too weak to do so. I want her to break out of the cage and fight me. I want to grab her by the hair and swing her around the room.

I always found Bernadette to be annoyingly beautiful. She had the hair, the perfect make-up, the style and figure, and she was extremely powerful. She didn’t need Archie; he was just her shadow. But right now, she looks like a corpse: thin and sweaty and pale, her face drawn from lack of food. No make-up to hide her imperfections. No styled and dyed hair.

I still don’t feel sorry for her.

I lower my voice and smile through my words. “I watched Kade put a bullet in your daughter’s head. I heard the way her body dropped to the ground when it killed her instantly. I saw the light leave her eyes. She’s better off dead. You can’t hurt her anymore. You are by far theworstmother I’ve ever come across.”

Bernadette just stares at me, shaking, but I can see the rage kindling in her eyes.

“It must be killing you inside. You tried everything you could to make Kade fall in love with you. You tried to trigger some sort of Stockholm syndrome. You abused a teenager, raped and drugged him, and turned him into a machine. You forced yourself on him and Base, turned them into property by allowing others to pay for them while threatening everyone they loved.”

I pause, still glaring at her. “All that power and control you had over him and he still never fell for you. His heart always belonged to someone else.Me.” I point to my chest and hit the bars in anger. “Fuck you for trying to take him away from me. You failed. You’llalways fail, because he’ll always be mine.”

I stand, looking down at her in disgust.

“Kade won’t give you a quick death. He’ll make it last as long as he can. And I’ll be right there when he finally puts a bullet in your black heart and sends you straight to hell, where your equally sick husband will be waiting for you.”

I keep seeing the way Jason’s body went limp in front of me, and a tear slides down my cheek. It’s an angry tear that represents so much heartbreak. It represents years of neglect for me and Kade. It’s a tear that falls onto the dirty floor, representing how close our lives were to ending in that fire, how we’re holding on for a future we might not get.

Because I have no idea what will happen next.

“No one will help you. No one will stop his wrath when he unleashes it. You’re the one that made him this way. You’re the reason he has so much going on in his head, and it’s only right that he unleashes it all on you.” I snort. “I’d be surprised if he didn’t try to fuck me in front of you. How jealous would you get, huh? To see him actually enjoying it. I might suggest it.”

My voice echoes in the cold room, and I can’t seem to stop letting the words fall from my lips. Each one is angrier, gritted out through my teeth as I fist my hands at my sides.

“Kade will never love you. Do you know why?”

Bernadette is staring at me, her eyes rolling slightly, her head dropping to the side.

I’m not an angry person. I’m not a fighter. And I’m the last person you’d expect to wish death on someone. But I want her to die a horrifying death that’s splashed across every news channel. I want the world to know she got what she deserved.

“I’m the one he loves. While you’re lying in your own filth and wishing you were dead, I’ll be in bed with him, wrapped in his protective arms and making promises we can keep. He’ll make love to me – he’ll whisper praises in my ear about how I’m made for him, how it drives him insane the way I fall apart beneath him.” I laugh derisively. “I hope it kills you a little inside to know that Kade Mitchell willalwayschoose me.”

The metal door swings open to reveal Tobias. “Time’s up.”

I glance over my shoulder at her. “I want her to die, but I also want Kade to make it last as long as possible.”

“He won’t be able to move on until she’s dead. I think dragging it out will be harmful,” he says, turning off the light and closing the door. It beeps to indicate it’s locked, and we walk along the corridor. “You okay?”

I nod and hug myself. “I just wanted to get it all out while I can. Kade and Base will be the ones to deal with her, so I wanted to get my piece in and out the way.” I look up at him. “Thank you for letting me come down.”

He shrugs. “She’s incapacitated. I wouldn’t let you in there if there were any risks she’d harm you.”

Tobias walks me to my bedroom door, and when I limp too harshly, he takes my elbow. Exhaustion hits me then, and I yawn far too many times before saying goodnight.

The door clicks shut, and Kade groans and sits up, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. “Stacey?”

I hug myself. “Sorry for sneaking away. I… I had to go see her.”

He quickly gets to his feet and eats up the distance between us. “Did she hurt you?” he asks in panic, searching my body for any new injuries.

“No,” I say, my voice cracking as my eyes burn with tears. I have no idea why I’m crying. “She wasn’t in any state to even speak. I needed to tell her what I thought of her. I’m sorry. Your dad was standing outside the door. I was safe.”

“And you’re okay?” He carefully takes my face in his hands and wipes away my tears as I nod. When I start to shake, he pulls me against him and kisses the top of my head. “Don’t go near her again without me there. She’s unpredictable.”