Chapter 58 #2
She flicks her hair over her shoulder, and the tears are suddenly gone.
“No actually, I don’t. What do you want?”
“Son, you need to separate yourself from Haven. I know you don’t see it, but she is bad news. I see you slipping back into all these old habits that will just lead you down a dark path.”
She tries to touch me again, but I move so she can’t.
“Well, that’s rich,” Haven says from behind me.
Over my shoulder, Haven is standing in the middle of the hallway, arms crossed and eyes hard as steel. The guys are with her, each one wearing the same angry expression.
“If it isn’t the abductor now. Kidnapping my son in his time of need, very classy.”
“You’re really going to stick with that story? Ironic, considering why Cy was locked up in the first place.”
“I have nothing but my son’s best interest at heart. Besides, it seems a shame that I can’t get the police to issue a warrant for your arrest. You evidently enjoyed jail the last time you were there.”
What the fuck?
The thought of my mother watching us makes me gag.
“This is the second time you’ve mentioned the video, Anita. You’re the one who seems obsessed with it. It’s perverse and disgusting that you watched your son having sex. Maybe you’re the one who should be in jail if that’s what you enjoy,” Haven growls back, voicing my thoughts.
My mother tries to step around me, and I block her path. I grab her by the arms and force her back into the hall.
“You need to leave,” I say bluntly.
“Cyrus, don’t you see she’s corrupted our relationship. I told Auguste that Haven working with you was a terrible idea.”
“Don’t even fucking bother. You’ve been driving a wedge between us for years.
It started with dad and the affair. But time after time, you pull shit that has forced that divide.
There has never been anyone else to blame but yourself.
Do you understand that? Take ownership of your fucking actions.
It’s something that I’ve learned the hard way, since I have such a poor example for a parent. ”
“That’s not true. I was a good mother to you,” she says, pointing at me. “Everything I’ve done is for you. I got you a deal with a record company. You’ve had a successful career because of me. I made you the best you can be, and I tried to get you the help you so desperately need.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you had an affair with Haven’s father just to get me a record deal? And then everything shitty, dirty, and evil since then has been to keep me on top?”
The arrogant mask slips a little. She lifts her chin.
“I did what I had to. This is a dog-eat-dog industry, and you would’ve been chewed up and spit out if not for me protecting you and your interests.”
“That doesn’t answer the question, Mother. Did you or did you not start dating Auguste to ensure my record deal?”
A muscle beside my eye begins to twitch with the rage slowly consuming me.
Her hands go to her hips, but she remains quiet.
“What did you do? Stalk him and realize that he had a dying wife, which made him the perfect mark?”
“As I said, I did what I had to do, and I will never feel guilty for it.”
“You bitch,” Haven snarls.
“You shut up,” Anita says, pointing at Haven.
I block her view and have to restrain myself from throttling my mother.
Suddenly, her face changes, and a wistful smile plays along her lips.
“Look at you, son. You have an incredible career. Money, fame, you’re the envy of millions. You’re living the dream that everyone wants.”
“Do you even hear yourself? You sound genuinely insane, and that’s insulting to the mentally ill.”
“No. I sound like a mother who will do anything for her child. I was willing to do anything for you to live out your dreams.”
“You mean live out your dreams. I may have wanted this life, but I never wanted it by you scamming the system to get it for me. That only makes me a fraud.”
“Oh, for god’s sake, stop being a martyr, Cyrus. You have average talent. I pushed you. I got you seen. I promoted you when no one else would’ve given you a chance. And now here you stand, looking at me like I’m a parasite.”
Her words hurt because I’ve wondered so many times over the years if I deserve any of this. And because she is the one person who is supposed to love me unconditionally. But this isn’t love.
“You said it, not me.”
Anita’s eyes narrow, and her face turns a violent shade of red.
“This is exactly what I mean. You didn’t care what I did as long as you got what you wanted.
Haven has somehow turned you into this spineless…
” She waves her hand up and down toward me.
“Thing. You’ve always been weak-willed where she is concerned.
And let me tell you something else…” Her voice lowers, threateningly.
“It’s a long way down from that shiny pedestal you sit on. ”
I snort and shake my head.
“I’m done arguing with you. You made your choices, and they have always benefited you.”
“That’s not true.”