Chapter 5 - The Mother’s Betrayal
The headlights swept across the cabin windows at midnight. I watched from the darkened kitchen as my mother’s luxury SUV parked in the dirt driveway. She stepped out, wrapping a designer shawl around her shoulders, looking utterly out of place in the wilderness.
I unlocked the front door and stood in the frame.
"Clara!" she gasped, rushing forward, her face a mask of fake maternal concern. "Oh, honey, I've been so worried! Why won't you answer my calls?"
"You're not here because you're worried," I said, blocking her from entering. "You're here because Chloe’s bail hearing is tomorrow."
My mother sighed, dropping the act. Her posture stiffened. "Clara, be reasonable. Chloe spent two nights in a holding cell. The media is having a field day. David’s business is hemorrhaging clients. You have made your point. You need to call the DA and drop the charges."
"She tried to kill me, Mom."
"She made a mistake!" my mother hissed, stepping closer. "She was stressed about the wedding! You always push her buttons. If you don't drop this, David is going to sue you for defamation. I will personally make sure you lose your job at the library. You will have nothing."
I looked at the woman who had given birth to me. I thought about the healed fractures on my X-rays.
"You always were her best accomplice," I whispered. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a copy of one of Grandpa’s journal pages, and handed it to her.
My mother read the page under the porch light. It was an entry detailing the time she had lied to an ER doctor about Chloe pushing me down the stairs when I was twelve.
May you like
All the color drained from my mother’s face.
"Grandpa left me more than a house, Mom," I said, my voice cold as ice. "He left me the receipts. If you or Uncle David ever threaten me again, I won't just ruin Chloe. I will send you both to prison for child endangerment and fraud. Get off my property."
