Chapter 31
“Yeah, he’s head over heels for you.” Max chips in, shrugging. “He looks at you the way Dean Winchester looks at
pic.”
Dylan, Megan and I all stare at Max.
“What?” He questions cluelessly.
“Honey, if you ever need anything. I’m only a plane ride away.” Tanya tells me, hugging me tightly. “Seriously, if you need me, I’ll be on the next flight to New Zealand.”
“Thank you, Mrs Ki–Tanya.” I smile sheepishly as I hug her back. “For everything.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Vach?”
Tanya and I break away as Danny’s voice floats through the room.
“Hey, little man.” I give him a small smile, kneeling down.
“What’s going on?” He questions, walking over to me.
I bite my lip.
This is why I don’t get close to people.
The less people you have, the less it hurts to say goodbye.
I’m
“Uh, I’m going back to New Zealand.”
“For how long?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.
I sigh. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” He repeats in confusion. “Aren’t you just going on vacation?”
Dammit. This just keeps getting harder and harder.
“No, Danny, I, um, I have to go live there.” I tell him.
“Why?” His lower lip wobbles.
“Because…” What do I say?! “I’m sick, kid. And I don’t know when I’m going to get better.”
I’m not going to get better.
“Do you have a cold?” Danny questions, eyebrows furrowed. “Because we have Mucinex.”
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Chapter 31
“Thanks, Danny, but it’s not that simple.” I sigh before pulling him to me and hugging him tightly.
“I love you. Vach.” He wraps his arms around my neck.
“I love you, too, short stuff.” I mumble.
“You sure you want to see her?” Aunty Mila questions as we stand outside the rehabilitation centre.
“No.” I mutter. “But I need to say goodbye.”
She nods as we walk in and one of the workers take us to the visiting room.
“She’s already in there. You have twenty minutes. The worker tells us before walking away.
“You coming?” I ask Aunty Mila as we stop outside the door.
“Yeah, nah,” she starts. “I’m afraid I’ll punch her in the face.”
I chuckle a bit before taking a breath and putting my hand on the door knob.
Aunty Mila gives me an encouraging smile and pats my shoulder.
I twist the handle and step in.
I see my mum sitting at the table with her back turned to the door.
I walk over and sit opposite her.
She doesn’t look up at me.
“Uh, I just wanted to say goodbye. I’m going back to New Zealand tonight with Aunty Mila-”
“What?!” Mum exclaims, looking up. “You can’t go back to New Zealand with her!”
“And why not?”
“Can’t you see?!” She yells. “She’s stealing you away from me! She put me in this place so she could have you all to herself! She’s not going to be a better mum than me. I was a great mother to you-”
“Great mother?” I laugh humourlessly, cutting her off as I stand up abruptly, knocking the chair over. “Great
mother? You were a terrible mother!”
Her eyes narrow. “You listen to me, young lady-”
“No, you listen to me!” I shout. “We put you in here because you need help! Ever since Heaven died, all you’ve been doing is getting drunk and stoned! You’ve given me so many burns and scars yet I still loved you!”
“1-”
“You see this?” I lift my hoodie, along with my T–shirt to show the large scar going from my shoulder to my abdomen. “You gave this to me.”
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The Heiress’s Shadow
Chapter 31
She shakes her head as I pull my shirt and hoodie back down. “N–No, I didn’t.”
“I was fifteen.” I carry on, ignoring her. “You broke a whiskey bottle and cut me with the biggest piece of glass.”
She keeps shaking her head. “No, n–no,”
“I have to live with this for the rest of my life!” I shout, making her shut up as I point to where the scar is. “Every time I see it, all I can think is my mother doesn’t love me“:”
She starts to protest. “No, I do”
“Burning and cutting me is one thing, but you know what hurts the most?” I start with watery eyes. “I loved you through all the shit you put me through and you had the balls to turn around and say that I SHOULD HAVE DIED! So don’t you feed me your bullshit and try to tell me that you were a good mother because YOU WEREN’T.”
She opens her mouth but no words come out as tears start streaming down both of our faces.
“And guess what, mother?” I spit the word like it’s poison. “You got your wish. I’m dying. I have cancer.”
“W–What? N–No,” she starts sobbing.
“I found out the day you cut me me with that glass.” I admit through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry!” She sobs loudly. “I’m so, so sorry!”
I walk over to the door and put my hand on the knob, but I turn around before I open it and say one last thing.
“See you in hell.”
1 bite my lip and knock on the door as I fiddle with the envelope in my hand.
