Page 75 of Ruined

Kim gives a joyless laugh. “Of course he has! He’s put you on a pedestal since he was a child. He’s not thinking clearly.”

“People change, Kim. Things are not what they used to be. And now we’re adults, and we’re choosing this.”

“He’s nineteen.” Her nostrils flare as she closes her eyes, as if she’s stopping herself from doing something rash. She was like this when we were together, too. This controlled, cold rage. She doesn’t explode; she burns, and that heat is scalding enough to flay you open.

My heart beats faster, my hands clenching into fists. “Kimberly…”

“Don’t!” For the first time, she raises her voice. It’s hard to provoke her temper, and the times I’ve seen her anger explode are few.

“Don’t yell at him.” Oliver steps forward. “It’s not his fault.”

“And you.” Kim glares at her son, eyes blazing. “You don’t understand what you’re doing. This isn’t a… a relationship.” She scrunches her face up, as if she’s disgusted by the notion. “You’re nineteen; this feels bigger than it is. When you’re older, you’ll look back at this and be embarrassed, or worse, realize he took advantage of you.”

“It’s not like that. And I know I’m young, Mom, but this is what I want.”

She huffs and shakes her head.

Oliver bristles. “You can’t just discredit everything I say because of my age!”

“You know what? I can, and he should too.” She points at me. “The fact that he’s not only makes this worse.”

Oliver takes my hand in his. “I love him. That hasn’t changed. Just the expression of it.” His cheeks redden, and I can’t help the rush of embarrassment striking me as well. Yes, our love has changed in many ways indeed.

“Why did you come here?” she asks finally, shoulders shaking. “You want my blessing?” She spits the word out like she tasted something foul.

“I don’t need your blessing,” Oliver mutters.

“I do,” I say.

They both stare at me, and I take my time selecting my words carefully.

“I was kept from him once, Kim. I won’t let you separate us again.”

Kim’s mouth turns into a thin line, and Oliver looks up at me, tugging my sleeve.

“What do you mean you were kept from me?” he asks.

Kim crosses her arms, face pale. Sighing, I turn to Oliver, easing my hand off his.

“I never wanted you to know any of this.”

Oliver frowns. “Know what?”

I send Kim a glance before looking back at him, fearing now what I feared then. I didn’t want him to know… Didn’t want to risk ruining his relationship with his mother. But it’s time. He has to know. He’s old enough, and when he knows the truth, he can make his own decisions.

“Your mom and I didn’t end things because I stopped loving this family.” My chest clenches with old, painful memories. Betrayals, endings, and a family shattered. “She’d already started seeing someone else.”

Oliver blinks. “What?”

“A man from work.” By the time I found out, Kim and I had already drifted apart, but it still hurt.

Oliver looks to his mother instinctively. “Is that true?”

Her delicate features pull into a frown.

“But that isn’t why I disappeared,” I continue.

Oliver snaps his gaze back to me. “Then why?”