“I couldn’t.” I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do a better job of protecting myself. That I was stupid to assume that condoms would be sufficient.
She pulls away enough to search my eyes. “There’s nothing you can’t tell me.” She pauses before adding, “Ever!”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, I’m the one who’s sorry! I was so consumed by my grief that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for letting you down.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” I draw in a deep breath, attempting to steady all the emotions that riot painfully in my chest. Once it’s all locked down tight, I release it back into the world. “It happened, and I dealt with the situation the best I could.”
Her teeth sink into her lower lip as a tear treks down her face. She pulls me back into her arms for another bone-crushing embrace. “It’s a relief to have you home where you belong. Thank God this nightmare is finally over.”
“Is it?” I ask, disbelief tinging my voice. “Is it over?”
Since we first received word about Grandma Rose’s death, our lives have been turned upside down and inside out. Every time I assumed it couldn’t get worse, somehow it did. It was like a Greek tragedy being acted out. And now…
Now it’s really over?
The curse that had fallen over our family has finally been lifted?
“Early this morning, Keaton delivered copies of the voided contracts along with new ones that divide Hawthorne Industries evenly between our families. I took a cursory glance at the paperwork and he’s agreed not to go after restitution for what his family was cheated out of decades ago. I’m sending the documents to our lawyers to go over, but everything seems to be in order.”
Her verification of the information feels like an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders. For the first time in weeks, I can inhale a full breath. No longer am I being crushed to the ground by expectation and forced demands.
It’s almost too much to take in and process. “What happens now?”
Even when she takes a step in retreat, her arm stays wrapped around my waist as if she can’t bear the thought of releasing me. “I’m not sure yet, but I was thinking we could go back to Chicago.” She glances away before blinking the moisture out of her eyes. “With your father gone, there’s nothing left to keep us here. I don’t want anything to do with that miserable company. Keaton offered to take over the day-to-day operations. And I’m considering it.”
Did I hear her correctly?
“Do you trust him?” Because I sure as hell don’t.
“What does it matter?” Her eyes grow distant, as if swamped by memories. “The whole point of this move was to make a new life together, a better one for our family.”
A thick lump settles in the middle of my throat, making it impossible to swallow. None of us could have predicted this outcome. The very fabric of our family has unraveled. Dad is gone and the three of us have been left behind to pick up the tattered pieces.
As if that’s even possible.
“I emailed my old boss, Terry, and asked if I could get my job back. We have a telephone conference set up for tomorrow to discuss the possibilities.”
My mind spins as I try to absorb all the changes that are happening. When we moved here in August, what I wanted most was to return to my old life.
And now it’s over. We can finally leave this hellhole behind.
So why aren’t I jumping up and down, screaming at the top of my lungs like I just won the lottery?
Instead, I feel numb inside. There’s a giant void where my emotions should be.
Mom strokes her fingers through my hair, drawing my attention back to her. “What do you think about that?”
I hoist my lips into a weak smile, tamping down the confusion that churns through me. “It sounds good.”
“Putting everything behind us and starting fresh is exactly what the three of us need.”
When I nod, she draws me to her again before pressing a kiss against the side of my face. “I’m glad your home.”
“Me, too.”
That, at the very least, is the unvarnished truth.
Everything else?
I’m not so sure about. And somehow, that realization is just as disconcerting.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The light rap of knuckles against my door has me springing to attention. For a fleeting moment, my heart trips at the possibility that Kingsley stands on the other side of the thick wood. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since I was ushered out of Rothchild Mansion two days ago. It never occurred to me that I could miss him so fiercely. It’s almost as if there is a piece of me missing. The air stalls in my lungs as the door swings open.