Does Grizz see me as a project?
He does like to fix things—to take furniture and things that are broken and create something new with them. Then he will move on and find something else to do the same with.
Is that where things were heading?
Sarah’s mouth turns up into a triumphant smile.
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” she taunts, letting out a soft sigh. “I told you, I know him better than you ever could. And for a while, I was happy to just wait around until he was done with you.”
“So why didn’t you?” I whispered, my teeth chattering. The slight layer of snow across the ground is seeping into my clothing, and my body is quickly getting past the point of fighting the cold off.
That is, until she says that one word that will forever light the fire inside me.
“Jovie.”
For the first time since this nightmare started, I feel something other than fear and uncertainty rising within me.
I’m used to backing down when things get difficult, but having the strength that day to leave my mom and her toxic bullshit behind—that’s what got me here. To a place where I’ve finally found myself, where my daughter can finally spread herwings, and where there is a person who gives a damn about me and wants to see me succeed.
I had to make a hard choice that day, and I fought back.
I did it for me.
And I did it for Jovie.
Now I have to do it again.
I need to be strong and fight back.
“Jovie is my daughter,” I hiss through clenched teeth, the fire in my stomach building.
“Jovie makes Grizz happy,” Sarah counters, shuffling on her feet. “He adores her. I could never take that away from him. That’s why I had to step in, because I couldn’t just wait for you to leave town and take her with you. She has to stay. It’s you who has to go.”
It hurts, but I try to ignore the pain shooting through my heart, and instead, I glance around quickly, desperately searching for something, for anything that I can use.
A stick.
A rock.
The light flutters through the trees just as I look down, highlighting the tiny yellow flowers growing across the forest floor.
The nettle.
My body tingles, remembering the uncomfortable stinging sensation and the itchy bumps that practically evaporated with Grizz’s magic potion.
And the gentle, nurturing application.
“Sarah, please…” I plead, turning over so my back is to her and carefully pushing onto my knees, my hand beside the poisonous bushes. “Don’t hurt Jovie like this.”
“I would never hurt Jovie!” she snaps, outraged by the accusation. “I’m not a monster!”
If I hadn’t been so focused on my next move, maybe I would have laughed, but honestly, it’s the fact that she thinks she’s not a monster, that makes her so god damn dangerous.
“If you don’t want to hurt her…” I start, holding my breath and wrapping my hand around a bunch of the flower stems. Clenching my jaw as I ignore the sting, I grab as many as I can. “…you can’t just plan to remove me from her life.”
“Oh, this isn’t about removing you,” she says with a laugh as I rise to my feet, ripping the flowers from the ground. “It’s about replacing you…with me.”
Time’s up.
