Page 30 of Lethal Weakness

I can feel Turner’s parents looking down at me. They didn’t meet me until we already knew I was pregnant, and they did not take kindly to the news. They barely reacted. You would have thought it was a cancer diagnosis with how clinically they responded. Asking about my prenatal care, my family’s health history.

I think they hated that I didn’t come from money. They rolled their eyes when I told them I wanted to be a teacher.

They went into crisis mode immediately. I’m pretty sure this wedding was their idea.

I wish my mom was here.

I need my mom…

“Linden?”

“I’m sorry, what?” I blink towards the judge.

“Do you take Turner to be your husband?”

“Yes. I do.”

There are no rings. I told him that I was too afraid my fingers might swell. I also don’t think I’m ready for that type of broadcasting for our situation.

“Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Turner leans in and gives me a gentle, modest peck on the lips. Luckily, that means he probably couldn’t feel them quivering.

I’m officially a Scott.

* * *

Present…

A harpist is playing in the corner, and I’d be fine standing here in her proximity all evening. This dinner party is more quaint than the backyard soirée they had last month, but it is still much the same.

The room is filled with people that I don’t know, and Avery is being paraded around by her grandparents like a contracted beauty pageant queen. I hate it, but at least this time she’s remained in my line of sight.

“My son says that you haven’t been answering his calls,” Merrill says from beside me suddenly. She does this thing where she only confronts me about things in the middle of social gatherings because she knows I’m too kind to cause a scene.

“Of course, I haven’t. All he’s done is harass me.”

She tsks. “I doubt that.”

“Shocker.”

“He is entitled to see his child.”

“That’s odd because he hasn’t mentioned Avery once.”

“Why would he? He knows you’ll keep her from him.”

“Keep her from him? He did that on his own, and you know it.”

She looks over my shoulder, smirking proudly. “Well, that won’t be a problem now.”

I glance back to what she is seeing, and my body goes cold. Turner is standing in the foyer, scanning his eyes over the party.

“How dare you?” The hurt overpowers the anger in my heart. They might deny it, but they know what he’s put me through, and they continue to torture me.

I never expected them to love me like family, but not even getting the simplest amount of human decency has destroyed my self-esteem time and time again.

Why am I not enough to be cared about by anyone?