“We can order pizza. How does Hawaiian sound?” Mom asks as she sets the kettle on the stove.
My forehead creases, but I nod. “Yeah, that’ll be great.”
Wade seconds the response with an adamant nod.
Mom grabs three mugs from the dishwasher and sets them down on the counter. “Okay, so what is it you want to talk about, then?”
Part of me would like nothing more than to sit down next to Wade, but the other part of me is too agitated to sit still. Instead, I opt for pacing behind him.
“Mom, you and Dad were divorced, right?” I blurt out. The moment the words leave my lips, I turn to face her, holding my breath. I watch her every movement and micro-expression as if they are the only things that will lead me to the truth.
The question does as I expected. She pauses, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. Then, her eyes flutter frantically, as she turns to check on the kettle.
“Mom?”
I glance at Wade, whose expression tells me everything I need to know.
She places her hands on the oven’s handle, dropping her chin to her chest. “It’s not that we were keeping things…”
Releasing my held breath, I reach for the other stool and take a seat.
Mom turns around, her sorrowful gaze meeting mine. She holds it for a moment, but no more words escape her lips.
Tears brim in my eyes and I shake my head. “Mom… how could you keep that from me?”
Wade’s hand is suddenly on my back, his warm palm rubbing circles against the space between my shoulders.
Her voice is barely a whisper. “We thought it would be easier on you. Help you live a more…normal life.”
“Normal? You call any of this normal?” I sputter. “Dad’s dead. I’m being hunted by the literal Fates. And until a little over a year ago, I had no idea there was anything supernatural about me. But you knew—you knew all of this.”
I lean forward, reaching into my back pocket. Pulling out the letter from my dad, I slap it on the counter between us.
Mom’s forehead creases. “What’s this?”
“A letter from Dad,” I say, sliding it over to her.
She swallows hard, but takes a step forward, reaching for the envelope. Removing the letter, she shoots us one last confused glance before reading his words.
I already know what’s said in there. I read it when I found his journal, thanks to Abigail. He was going after the Moirai to protect me—and he wanted her to know he’d do everything he could to keep me safe.
Yeah, that went well.
Tears fill her eyes and she clutches at the necklace dangling in front of her throat.
“Did you still love him?” I say, swiping at my own tears falling across my cheeks.
Her expression is nothing more than pure agony, and my heart rips in two. “More than anything,” she whispers.
“Then why? Why did you leave him?” I demand. “Who does that sort of thing? Was it because of me?”
“Autumn, you have to understand…” she begins, trying to sound reasonable, despite the tears brimming in her eyes. She looks between Wade and me as if searching for the best way to deliver the news. Or maybe just hoping he’d help her find a way to calm me down.
“Mom, enough of the bullshit. Just tell me what the hell is going on. Why was Blackwood Manor willed to you? And why did I have to find out about you and dad from some goddamn lawyer? What in the hell could possibly be the reason for keeping me in the dark about all of this?” I spit.
“We had to—” she fires back. As soon as the words leave her lips, her eyes widen and she presses her fingertips against her mouth.
I narrow my gaze. “You had to?”
Mom sighs, setting down the letter on the counter. “I’m sorry, Autumn. You deserve to know the full story. I just don’t know if—”
“Mom, we’re down to the wire here. Those signs Dad talks about in the letter,” I say, pressing my index finger into the crumpled paper. “They’re happening to me now. Everywhere I go. The mall, the manor, the cemetery here in Mistwood. I don’t know how long I have. I don’t know how to stop this when he couldn’t even put an end to it. What I do know is my entire childhood has been a lie and I need some damn answers. Otherwise I’m going to end up like the rest of the Blackwood family—dead.”
Mom gasps, pressing her fist against her heart. Her head twitches back and forth, clearly shaken by my words. Part of me is actually pleased that they had such an impact.
“I really tried to keep you safe. We both did. But it’s clear that’s no longer up to me.” She stifles a sob. “You’re right. I’ve been keeping so much from you. It’s time I tell you everything.”
Chapter 8
Family Matters
Mom’s face is a mixture of emotions as she paces from one end of the small kitchen to the other. Both Wade and I watch her closely, anticipating what she might say. There are so many secrets she could be holding onto. Neither of us say a word; we just wait for her to be ready to reveal whatever information she’s ready to share.
After a minute, she stops moving, leans against the sink, and places her hands on the counter behind her. “Last year, we talked a little bit about things, Autumn. Like what happened when you went missing. But you hung up before we could really talk.” Her eyes flick up to me, holding my gaze for a moment. “Not that I’m blaming you at all. Things between us have been so strained because of… Well, it is what it is. However, I knew”—her eyelashes flutter across her cheeks as she looks down—“that day on the phone, I knew something was going on. Something horrible. I could feel it.”
Goosebumps flash across the
