Page 191 of Scandalous Contract

She nodded.

“Good. You two head on inside. I’m going to go take care of some business.”

Then he turned and walked away. India and I stood on the porch, watching him disappear down the road. I didn’t realize I was crying again until India slipped her hand into mine. I squeezed it, then opened the door and led her into our home.

That night, I monitored India closely, still wondering if I should take her to the hospital or not. I was just about to take her when Julian texted me and said that he was sending his family’s doctor over to check her out.

Even after everything I’d done, this man was still helping me and my child. I hated myself even more, and loved him even harder now. The doctor came and checked India, stating that the drug she’d been given wouldn’t show up on a tox screen, but also wouldn’t be detrimental to her.

He told me to have her drink plenty of fluids over the weekend and to call him if anything happened. But other than that, she could return to school on Monday. That night, India fell asleep wrapped around me like she used to when she was little, with her arms around my waist, her head on my chest, legs tangled up in mine.

I didn’t sleep much that night. My body was still, but my mind ran laps. Every time I looked down at her, I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. My baby was safe. My baby was home.

But Hudson had tried to take her from me. I shuddered to think of what he would’ve done to her, the sick fuck. I hoped Julian made his death as painful as hell. In the middle of the night, Julian texted me that Hudson would no longer be a problem.

I texted him back, thank you. I felt no guilt. I didn’t feel bad for Hudson at all. He got what he deserved. When morning came, I made India waffles, her favorite, and we sat across from each other at the kitchen table, still in pajamas, still emotionally wrecked, but more connected than we’d been in months.

She didn’t say much at first. Just poked at her food, glancing up at me in these quiet little spurts like she was waiting for the right moment. I knew she wanted to talk, but I didn’t want to rush her. Finally, she set her fork down and looked me dead in the eye.

“Will you tell me everything?” she asked.

I knew exactly what she meant. I nodded. But I couldn’t tell her everything. I couldn’t tell her I’d killed her parents. That was the one thing I had to keep from her. However, I told her about her father, and I didn’t sugarcoat things this time.

India didn’t flinch. She cried, but she didn’t pull away. And when I finished, she got up from her chair, walked around the table, and dropped into my lap like she was five again. She hugged me so tightly I could feel her ribs press against mine.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered into my neck. “For what they did. For what I said. Please don’t stop loving me. Please don’t stop being my mom. I lied. I’m not a grown-up. I still need you. I’ll always need you.”

I held her close, one hand cradling the back of her head.

“I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried, India. There is no world, no version of me, where you’re not mine.”

She pulled back just enough to look at me, her eyes shiny with tears. “Do you regret bringing me home when I was a baby?”

“Never,” I said, brushing the hair off her face. “Not once. You saved me. Not the other way around.”

She bit her lip and asked, “Do you regret breaking up with Julian?”

I exhaled slowly. “I really love him, sweetie. But I love you more. I chose you, and I don’t regret that.”

She nodded, but the tears came anyway. “I want you to be happy, Ma. You deserve it. You’ve been through so much, and my selfishness put you through more. I hate what I did. I want you to be happy. And if being with Julian makes you happy, then I don’t care what my friends say, or anyone else. I just want my mom to be happy, because you always do whatever it takes to make me happy.”

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her forehead.

“Don’t worry about Julian. It’s over.”

“No, it’s not,” she said. “I saw how he looked at you. And when you called him to help find me, he came right away. He loves you, Ma. And you love him. You should be together.”

She wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. “From today on, I’m going to be a grown-up. I’m going to listen to everything you say. I won’t try to do things my own way anymore. And I won’t talk to people you tell me to avoid, like Nana, Aunt Abby, and Uncle Arnold. They were wrong for how they treated you. And honestly... I don’t even like being around them. They treat me differently from the other grandkids.”

I stared at her, stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me, India?”

“Because I didn’t want to upset you,” she whispered.

I shook my head and pulled her close again. “India, you don’t have to grow up too fast. Just be careful. And trust me. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. But now you need to call Julian and tell him you want him back.”

I laughed through the knot in my throat. “It’s not that easy.”