Page 28 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Why don’t you tell your husband who was really paying the bills whenever he went to prison.

Let him know who was responsible for him having money on his books and new shoes.

’Cause it damn sure wasn’t you.” She sat there with her head hung low, but that wasn’t enough for me.

After the hell she had caused me, she had a lot of nerve to sit here acting innocent.

“Oh, okay. Well, since your wife seems to have lost her voice, then I’ll go ahead and tell you.

The money she used to pay for your bills and ours was collected from me.

She pimped me out to the men in the church and some of the dealers in the neighborhood in order to keep her pockets laced and her addiction fed.

Your wife never worked a single job while you were locked up.

Instead, she collected all of the government checks she could and blew her money on drugs and nights out with her friends while we sat in the house hungry and alone.

“I’m the one who kept this family together and made sure we had a roof over our heads while you and your sorry ass wife lived your lives as if being a parent was optional.

I’m the one who was taken advantage of night after night so that you could have commissary.

Then when I refused to do it anymore, she kicked me out of the house, and you never once came for me.

” I swiped the tears from my face because neither of them were worth it.

As much as I loved my father, he failed me for the last time.

I was tired of coming to their rescue while being my mother’s personal punching bag.

My father turned in his seat with a glare on his face. Of course, Rochelle put on her acting hat, with her eyes full of forced tears.

“I-I don’t understand. Is that true, Rochelle?” My chest heaved up and down as I watched her to see what excuse she would use to cover up her sins. Instead, she gave me the shock of my life when she nodded her head.

“Yeah, it’s true. I did what I thought was necessary to keep our heads above water.

I had two other children to consider, and she needed to earn her keep.

Most of the girls her age were fucking, so I didn’t see anything wrong with profiting from it.

My mother did the same to me as a kid, and I’m a better woman for it.

Besides, no one would want to lie with a disgusting slob like her voluntarily, so I was doing her a favor. ”

All sense of reason left my mind as I lunged toward her.

I could no longer sit back and allow her to disrespect me.

She never gave a damn about me, and I was done trying to keep the peace between us.

We tussled with one another until I got her on the ground.

I had never once put my hands on my mother, but in that moment, she was nothing more than a bitch off the street.

My father yelled for me to stop, but due to his injuries, he couldn’t do anything to stop me.

My mother screamed, but I ignored her the same way she ignored me all those nights I cried.

My anger grew more intense as the memories of her shoving her fingers down my throat flooded my mind.

I couldn’t name a single good memory I had with her because there weren’t any.

There was never a moment when I thought she cared about me.

I was always the burden. The imperfect daughter she was unfortunately saddled with.

“Hey! What’s going on in here?” A deep voice sounded off.

The next thing I knew, I was being pulled off my mother while she lay on the ground, covering her face.

My father explained what happened and, of course, he placed all the blame on me.

In that moment, I decided to cut the two of them out of my life permanently.

“You need to leave now before we call the police and have you arrested,” the guard informed me. Emotionally I was drained, so I didn’t even care about anything. Then I remembered that I had committed enough crimes this week and didn’t need to add a mugshot to my list of things to do.

The sound of someone groaning caught my attention, and when I turned around, I saw Riya with tears in her eyes. I was so caught up with arguing with my parents, I never realized she was awake.

“Can I say goodbye to my little sister first?” The guard shifted his focus between me and my mother before nodding his head.

“Make it quick. I’ll be escorting you out of here.

” I headed over to her bedside and held her hand in mine.

I could hear the guard and another worker talking to my mother to make sure she was all right.

Personally, I wish I had done more damage.

I’ve never hated a person as much as I hated Rochelle, and I don’t believe any amount of counseling or prayer would be able to repair our relationship.

“I’m sorry for doing all of that in front of you. I got a little carried away.”

“Thank you for rescuing me.” Her voice was strained and raspy, making it difficult to hear her clearly.

“I’ll always come for you. I don’t know the details of what you’ve gone through, but I promise I’ll always be here to protect you. When you’re better, I want you to come live with me.”

“You’re not taking my daughter anywhere!” Rochelle shouted.

“If I were you, I would tread lightly. Riya is sixteen now, and if we’re being honest, this incident alone would be enough for you to lose custody of both of them.

I won’t be giving you another chance to fuck up again,” I declared.

This situation was an eye-opener for me, and a part of me felt guilty for leaving my siblings with them.

I thought they would get better with age, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I kissed Riya once more before leaving the hospital room.

Since my car had been taken to the shop the previous day, I ended up taking an Uber home.

Puma and Normandee had been blowing my phone up for the last week and a half.

They were used to me going missing for days at a time, but it had never been this bad.

I couldn’t bring myself to face them because the moment I got around them, they would notice something was wrong and demand I tell them what was going on.

I’ve always been the type to keep major issues and struggles to myself.

I was the friend everyone came to when they need advice or help with something, but I often hid my own issues out of fear of being a burden to others.

This secret weighed so heavily on my heart, and I didn’t want them to get caught up in my bullshit, especially if things went wrong. After Puma threatened to break into my apartment and toss me in her trunk, I figured I needed to do some damage control.

Me:

I’m sorry, Besties. I’ve been working extra hours so I can find a new place. I promise I’ll make it up to you as soon as I get my affairs in order.

Normandee:

All we ask is that you at least check in with us. We’ve been checking your location like crazy, and a few times it was turned off. We just want to know you’re okay. We’re here for you for whatever you need.

Puma:

Fuck all of that, bitch. Send me a video so I know we’re not talking to a kidnapper! You’ve been moving real funny, friend, and I’m not feeling it at all. If something is wrong, you need to let us know so we can help. I don’t mind sneaking out and helping you bust a few windows. Belly and all.

Normandee:

What our crazy friend is trying to say is that we’ve got your back. I know you like to figure shit out on your own, but you don’t have to.

I nodded as if they could see me, then told them I loved them and stuffed my phone back into my pocket.

My mind was still reeling from everything that transpired over the last week.

The unsettled feeling still lingered, and something in my gut was telling me this wasn’t over.

If anything, it was only just beginning.