Kade growls behind me, reading her intention correctly. “If you come anywhere near her, I swear to god, I’ll make you regret every single time you raised your hands against her.”
This time she doesn’t spare him a glance. “I came here to talk some sense into you, but clearly I’m wasting my breath. But if you’re stupid enough to forgive him after…”
“After what?” I demand when she trails off. “After you paid some hussy ten grand to trick me into believing he slept with someone else?”
Her head jerks back like I slapped her, disbelief entering her gaze before she can hide it. She clearly didn’t expect me to find out about this. “I don’t know what you—”
“Save it. We all know that’s exactly what you did, right after you tried to convince me Kade or Dad was the one leaking the story about the accident. But that’s not true, is it?”
“I don’t know who leaked it, but there are only so many options.” She shrugs like she doesn’t care. I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out what is fishy about this whole situation, when my phone rings from the nightstand.
I debate not answering it, getting whatever this is over with, but it might be important. I walk to my phone and look at the screen. I’m confused why Bob would call but I pick it up nonetheless.
“Hello?”
“Mon,” Bob starts, excitement clear in his voice. “I just heard back from my sister’s PI.” My eyebrows rise in surprise, and my eyes find Kade’s, causing him to walk over, completely ignoring Veronika, and he gently grabs the side of my neck. I smile at the now familiar gesture of support.
“That was quick.”
“Turns out Veronika leaked it herself. He found a paper trail. I’m sorry, Mon.”
My eyes close at the realization my mother has no bounds as to what she’ll do to get whatever end results she wants. Usually it involves destroying any happiness I might come by.
“I know, I am too. Thank you for doing this for me. I appreciate it.”
“Montana,” my mother interrupts us loud enough for Bob to hear.
“She’s there? Right now?” I can hear him start to move around like he’s getting ready to leave.
“Yes, but don’t worry, I can handle it. And if not, Kade can.”
“Right, if you need anything, call me. You hear?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I hang up the phone, still trying to comprehend what I just learned. Why she’d incriminate herself in a crime. I look at Kade and seeing his quiet strength, letting me take the lead in this when I can tell he’d love nothing more than to slay this particular demon for me, to give me the resolve to confront her, even if I hear answers to questions I didn’t want to know.
I look at Veronika, and not for the first time I see the person she’s trying desperately to hide. I notice the small signs of age I know she does her best to hide, the crow’s-feet all the plastic surgery can’t hide. I also see the ever-present slight tremor of her hands, the eyes darting around the room looking for something.
“The minibar is in the corner,” I tell her, emotionless, nodding toward the far corner of the room.
I keep my focus on the person who gave birth to me, knowing just like when I was ten that she needs her morning medicine, as she calls it. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized her ‘medicine’ was vodka in a water bottle.
She hesitates for only a second before she turns and stomps to the minibar. She opens it to grab two of the small vodka bottles before she opens both and drinks them one right after the other.
It’s a familiar image, but one I ignored for most of my life. Pretending if I didn’t talk about it, or think about it, it wasn’t happening. That when she showed up buzzed to school functions that was just her being lively.
“Jesus,” Kade mutters behind me. A few months ago, I would have been mortified to have someone else witness my mother’s behavior. Conditioned, I’ve done my best to not let anyone else see her like this, but after everything she’s done, I just don’t care anymore. This isn’t my shame to experience; I’m not her. I’m not the one getting up each morning hungover, and instead of drinking coffee downing a glass of vodka on ice.
I wonder what version of her I’ll be presented with once she turns around, knowing it’s not going to be pleasant. Especially because I didn’t immediately cater to her needs when she showed up pretending to be distraught. When she turns toward us, her features are rearranged into the mask she usually wears around strangers.
I don’t wait to hear whatever lie she’s about to try and shove down my throat. “Why did you leak the story to the press after all these years?”
Her eyes grow wide before she can control her reaction. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit. I hired a PI, and he found a paper trail leading right back to you. Thanks to you, I nearly lost my family because I thought they leaked the story.” I can feel my anger come back at all the moments she stole from me. “You’re a conniving bitch. I don’t know why you hate me so much you’d keep me from my father and continuously try to destroy every relationship I have, but I’m done. We’re done. Stay the fuck away from me.”
A cruel smile twists her face into an ugly mask. “You stupid cunt. This is all your fault. You destroyed my life the day you were born.”
“So you keep telling me. Why didn’t you just leave me with Dad when you left?”
She
