Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Wren
These cramps are going to be the death of me. My menstrual pains aren’t this bad. Leave it to celiac and all its glory to render me more useless than I already am. All I’ve done is sleep. The second Dad left, I crawled back into bed and didn’t wake until the following morning.
I should be working, but I took a personal day to catch up on running around. My body screams at me to rest, but I ignore it. There are groceries I need to pick up, but first, I have to stop by my apartment. I knew I should have packed more underwear, but no, I just had to listen to?—
I stumble over my own two feet, and the breath I was mid-inhaling freezes in my chest.
My body knows before my brain catches up. Brandy promised she hadn’t been by; I was supposed to be safe. So why... Why is she here? Why does she always do this to me?
Her silhouette is unmistakable, dragging me into memories I’ve fought so hard to bury.
My heart pounds like a frantic warning bell, my legs rooted to the pavement as her familiar figure pulls me back to a past I’ve tried so desperately to escape.
I’m sixteen again, small and powerless. The woman I’ve worked so hard to become is gone, carried away in the wind.
As if she feels the weight of my stare, she turns. Like a gravitational pull, her dull blue eyes lock onto mine. She smiles—a twisted mirror of a gesture meant to comfort, but it only makes my stomach churn.
She’s aged. Wrinkles crease the corners of her eyes and mouth, and some of her teeth are missing now. Once, everyone fell at her feet. I wonder if they still do.
“There you are,” she coos, the sound saccharine enough to make me sick. “You’re a hard woman to reach.” Her voice—syrupy sweet—is a leash yanking me back.
My shoulders instinctively hunch, a reflex I hate but can’t quite unlearn.
“What do you want?” My voice is flat, distant.
I cling to every ounce of composure I have left. I want to scream, to lash out. But years of learning how to survive her has taught me to hold steady. Weakness is her playground.
Theo always said she can’t win if I don’t let her. I wish he were here now, but maybe it’s better that he isn’t. He seemed off this morning—avoiding eye contact, shaking his head when I asked if he wanted to come with me. It was strange. Usually, he’d jump at the chance to tag along.
“A mom can’t visit her daughter?” Her voice is drenched in condescension, each word a calculated prod at my armor. “You’ve been so distant?—”
“And you still don’t understand why.” My voice is steady, but my teeth are clenched.
Her smile falters for a fraction of a second. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
It always goes this way—gaslighting, dismissiveness, and just enough feigned innocence to make me question myself.
But I’m done.
“I set a boundary,” I snap, my shoulders stiff as stone. “And you keep crossing it. Why? Because you don’t care about my well-being. It’s always been about you . You don’t miss me; you miss having me under your thumb—someone to control.”
Her expression hardens, the carefully crafted facade slipping. For the first time in years, I see her for who she truly is. If I weren’t so worked up, I’d relish the sight.
“You’re so ungrateful,” she hisses, spit flying from her cracked lips. “I did everything for you, and this is how you repay me? You treat me like some stranger.”
Her words are like a sharp slap, the kind that leaves no mark but stings all the same. My nails bite into my palms, grounding me against the tide of her venom. My breath quickens, but I won’t let her see me falter.
“You refuse to understand what I’ve been through!” The words tumble out. “You refuse to see that you’re the reason for most of it!”
She throws her head back and laughs, a sound that slices through me. “Oh, here we go—the ‘woe is me’ routine! I had it worse than you ever did. But I didn’t wallow in it—I took care of my family.”
“Took care of the family?” I repeat. “You mean abandoning me when I needed you most? Cheating on Dad simply because you could? Enabling his drug addiction? You fed me food you knew would make me sick because you didn’t care. You made me believe you were on my side, then threw me under the bus whenever it suited you. That’s not care—it’s neglect.”
Her face contorts with fury, and tears spring to her eyes. But I know better. They aren’t real.
“How dare you speak to me like that?” she shrieks. “I’m your mother! You have no idea how hard I had it, how much I sacrificed for you.”
Her voice shakes, but it’s not regret. It’s desperation. She knows she’s losing this battle.
“Fine,” she spits, taking a step back. “If you don’t want me in your life, just say it. But remember this: when you’re alone and have no one to turn to, don’t come crying to me.”
I meet her gaze head-on. “I’ve been alone my whole life because of you. But hey, two out of three daughters isn’t bad, right?”
Her mouth opens, then closes. With a dramatic huff, she spins on her heel and stalks away, muttering under her breath.
I don’t move until she’s out of sight. The weight of the encounter crashes down all at once. My chest tightens, and I gasp for air, clutching at my ribcage as if it might hold me together.
When I can finally breathe, I take a step forward, shaky and unsteady. One step. Then another.
She’s gone. But her words linger, just like they always do.
All I want to do is leave—turn around and run until I’m back at Theo’s, where it’s safe. My stomach twists, nausea rising up my throat, but I swallow it down and force myself to stand tall. My legs are shaky, my head light, but I keep moving.
Inside, I grab a bag and throw in the essentials, hands trembling as I fumble with zippers and straps. I don’t stop to think or second-guess—just pack, zip, and go.
When I step outside again, the air is thick, and the clouds hang low, heavy and gray with the promise of rain. A storm is coming.
Most people would quicken their pace, eager to get ahead of it, but I do the opposite. I slow my steps, deliberately letting each footfall ground me.
I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the earthy tang that comes before rain. The first drop splashes onto the pavement, and a moment later, the skies open, rain falling in a steady downpour.
The scent is overwhelming in the best way—fresh, clean, alive. I’ve always loved the smell of rain. When I was little, Dad would open the front door during storms, and we’d huddle together, watching the rain sweep across the yard. Those were some of the rare moments when everything felt right, even if it was just for a little while.
Rain clings to me as I step inside. For a moment, I just stand there, dripping onto the entryway floor, clutching at the fond memories—the way they used to calm the chaos, if only briefly.
But there’s no calm here.
Not now.
The air in the room is heavier than the rain-soaked clothes sticking to my skin. Theo hasn’t moved from where I left him, hunched over on the couch, his hands cradling his head like the world’s crushing him.
I drop my bag to the floor with a dull thud, kick off my shoes, and take a step closer.
Theo’s never this quiet—never this still. The last time I saw him like this was in high school, when depression swallowed him whole. That was years ago, but the memory twists like a knife in my gut.
“Theo,” I say softly, testing the silence.
I approach him like one may approach a skittish creature—light footsteps, no erratic movements. The last thing I want is to scare him away.
I drop to my knees in front of him. “Hey,” I murmur.
Those dark eyes meet mine, and they widen at the sight of me. “Wren, you’re drenched.” Standing from the couch, he grabs my hand and pulls me toward his room.
“Theo, what are you?—”
“You’re already recovering, the last thing you need is to catch a cold.”
I watch as he goes to his dresser to retrieve a dry shirt and pajama pants. A small smile curls my lips. Theo knows I have clean clothes, but he’d rather put me in his own, and you won’t catch me complaining about it.
“Here.”
He’s so far away... Where are you right now?
I take the clothes and walk into the bathroom to change. I don’t bother closing the door. Theo has seen me naked numerous times now, and something tells me he won’t be stealing a peek today.
After I redress, I enter his room and find him on his bed, his eyes locked on me. This gaze... it’s almost as if he’s committing me to memory, like he’s going to lose me.
“Theo.” I keep my tone soft. “What’s wrong?”
I sit beside him, desperate to reach out and hold him, to fix whatever he’s going through. My heart thuds in my chest, rattling my weak bones and making my temples throb. The uneasiness in my stomach intensifies, and I have to swallow the acid in my throat.
With a long exhale, he asks, “How are you not embarrassed to be seen with me? To be with me?”
“What?” My brows arch, and I have to stop my voice from rising.
“When people notice me in public, you’re never ashamed or try and distance yourself. You didn’t have to tell your dad about us, but you did. I know he doesn’t know what I do for a living, but that doesn’t make me less horrid. I’m an awful person.”
“You’re not an awful person,” I tell him while reaching for his hand, but he pulls away, and my heart drops into my stomach.
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew.” His tone drops.
“Knew what?” I whisper.
“What I’m considering.” His gaze turns to ice, every inch of his body stiffens, and the emotion in his voice is gone. He fixes his gaze on the wall., “Amanda has the video of us.”
I freeze. The blood pumping through my veins halts, and I become cold within seconds. “How?” I croak.
“I forgot she has access to my drive.”
“Why did she have it to begin with?”
“I’m an idiot, Wren. I trusted her years ago and didn’t remember until it was too late.”
I suck in a shaky breath. “You’re not an idiot?—”
“She wants me to fuck her.” Theo looks at me, his expression sharp and unyielding. “And if I don’t, she’ll post our video. You’ll be front and center for the world to see.”
My entire body has shut down, leaving my brain numb. Too much has happened today. I can’t process a damn thing.
“And I’m considering it.”
That’s what flips my switch. One neuron at a time, my brain fires on, and words spill from my mouth. “She’s blackmailing you, and you’ll give her what she wants?”
“I can’t let her post that video.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, thawing my frozen expression. “Why not? Am I embarrassing? Does being with me disgust you? I mean, you’re used to being with women like Amanda. I have curves and cellulite. For all I know, you’ll sleep with her to avoid ruining your reputation.”
“What?” And that’s what sends him over the ledge. My nostrils flare as his jaw clicks.
Theo has only been mad with me a handful of times, and this is the face he makes. His cheeks are red and splotchy. The smile I love melts away into a frown, and his posture tenses.
He’s angry, but I’m well past that.
Theo has to know that if he does this, it’ll be the end of us. I wouldn’t be able to continue with our relationship if he slept with her, even if it’s to protect me. I refuse to put myself through the emotional rollercoaster that will send me on.
“I’m not like her ,” I hiss. “I’ll never be someone like Amanda.”
“You think I want this? Do you honestly think I want someone like her? I want you! Someone who knows who she is. Someone who is loyal, fierce, loving, and a goddamn pain in my ass when she wants to be. I want someone who will love me for me until my dying day. Someone who will adore me regardless of my flaws. You’re the woman I want!” His words strain his throat like passionate fire.
Tears sting my eyes before they slip down my cheeks. “Then why are you doing this?”
“To protect you.”
“Even if you lose me in the process?” My crying turns into a sob, and I choke on my saliva.
“Yes.”
What term can I use to describe how my heart falls into my stomach? It’s not heartbreak; this is severe, a burning, gaping hole in the pit of my core.
Grasping my middle, I inhale and exhale rapidly. If he loved me as much as he says he does, he wouldn’t give Amanda’s proposition the time of day.
“This is illegal. She can’t do this,” I choke out.
“She can, and she will.”
The room spins around me, stealing my air and leaving me dizzy. He may not realize it, but he’s made up his mind, and no rational idea will penetrate his standing.
“You haven’t asked me how I feel about being plastered all over the internet,” I mutter. “My opinion matters, right?”
“Of course it does.” Theo’s voice softens, and he looks down at his hands.
“You’ll sleep with a snake to protect me, but I’d let that serpent share our video and shame me to the ends of the earth to protect us . I don’t care, Theo. All that matters is you—us.”
He turns his head, and his brown eyes glisten as he holds back his tears. “I won’t let her do that to you.”
“It’s my body! My face is in that video. I have a say in this as much as you do. Let her post the video. For once, let me protect you!”
“Wren—”
“Don’t ‘Wren’ me,” I snap. “We look out for each other. Let me help you.”
“She can’t post that video.”
“Why not!?” I shriek.
He breaks our eye contact, and I’m left trembling.
This can’t be happening. Theo is the one person I can trust to keep my heart safe—to keep me safe.
“Don’t do this,” I plead, tears slipping from my eyes. “Please.”
“I’m sorry, Wren.” His voice breaks, and the barrier around my heart crumbles to nothing.
“You’ll destroy us,” I cry.
All he can do is nod.
Without another word, I stand and storm out of the room. I walk toward the front door but stop when my hand reaches the handle.
I don’t know how long I stand there, trembling, but when I finally look back toward his bedroom, I expect to see him coming after me.
He doesn’t.
And somehow, it hurts more than everything he said. She’s going to win, and he’s not going to do anything to stop it.
No.
Not this time. I’m tired of people like her and my mother winning. It’s time I take matters into my own hands.
No more running.