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Mom’s expression slackened.
I knew she wanted to say more but the presence of the valet in the front seat was keeping her from talking. She looked out of the window, wiping her hand over her face.
Mom was crying.
Guilt spread through me. My chest clenched, knowing I was hurting her.
She wanted the best for me, wanted me to taste the fine things Brian gave her. Since the time I was born, she never left my side. Her world revolved around me.
It hadn’t been easy for her to bring me up on her own. Most young mothers gave up their babies, but she stuck with me.
Mom wasn’t asking a lot from me. She just wanted me to be in her life.
I wanted that too, but Noah, Corey, and Caleb were making it too difficult. Their hatred and rage thrashed against me each time I was in their presence.
Even though they didn’t say a single thing before their father, the moment they got me alone, they exacted vengeance. They turned every good thing into poison.
They liked tormenting me, hurting me.
And the broken thing I’d become, I craved their depraved punishments.
The car stopped before a posh restaurant with tall glass windows.
Mom stepped out. I climbed out after her and followed her inside the well-lit restaurant.
A valet appeared at our side. Mom elegantly handed her coat to the man. I kept my jacket on, digging my hands into the pockets. Thankfully, one of us was dressed well enough to be allowed into such a posh place.
Anxiety coiled around me but Mom looked completely relaxed. “We have a reservation under Mrs. Amhurst,” said Mom.
“Yes, ma’am,” said another valet. “We’ve been notified. Please, come this way.”
Surprise flickered through me. Mom was having no trouble navigating the world of the rich and entitled. It’s like she’d been living this way her whole life.
We were shown to a table in the corner, giving us privacy from the rest of the dining hall.
I watched with mesmerized fascination as Mom fired off our order.
“You’re so good at this,” I said when the waiter left.
“Good at what, honey?”
I gestured around the lavish dining hall. “This.”
A sad expression came over her. “You deserve all this and much more. Just because you grew up under difficult circumstances, doesn’t mean you’re undeserving.”
Her words struck something inside me. They were like a balm against the constant poisonous barbs the Amhurst brothers threw at me.
“Brian wants to give you the same things as his sons,” said Mom.
Noah’s enraged face immediately flashed before my eyes.
“He doesn’t have to,” I said.
“He must,” said Mom firmly.
I stared at her grim expression, feeling like I was being crushed from every side.
“His sons don’t say anything but I can feel them not liking the way Brian treats me,” I said slowly, hoping she’d understand me.
