“You don’t even know—who do you think you are to even—”
“There are no cameras here or media to spin tales for, Rebecca,” Rita snapped. “We all know the truth and you arestilla terrible mother. I don’t even like Jean for how she has treated Bevin, and I am upset on her behalf. How can you call yourself a mother and threaten your own daughter? I would—you have no idea what it means to be a mother!”
“I will not be lectured by someone like you,” Rebecca spat out.
“Someone like me? You mean someone who almost lost a child because ofyour mate?You know who I am, and the fact you haven’t already apologized or immediately did now when you saw me is disgusting.”
“I didn’t do anything. Charles did it!”
“Yes, but all of yourdaughtershave apologized for the pain and suffering our family has gone through and none of them were responsible either.”
I was impressed to hear Jean did that. It gave me some hope for her.
She was still a psychopath, but at least she could behave? Maybe?
“Silence,” Rita ordered in Latin when Rebecca opened her mouth again, smirking when we couldn’t hear her rant. “Well, clearly, I’m the more powerful witch when you look down your nose at me.” She snorted and stepped closer to Rebecca, stopping when the Shaw guards around us reacted.
“She’s not worth it,” I mumbled, not sure what else to do.
Rita turned and the pity in her eyes made me feel weird. “No, but youare, sweetie.” She blinked back tears as she looked at Clare and then even Jean. “All three of you are.” That shocked all of us, but she was focused back on Rebecca. “Youwerethe victim once, Rebecca. You were, and Igrievethe girl you once were who wasn’t protected as you should have been.
“But you became a monster.” She pointed at Jean. “Youcannotrant you are the victim while threatening your fucking child! I would take a lifetime of banishment if it would help my boys for amoment!That is a parent. That isloveand you don’t know how to love. You know how to lash out. And if it was just you then maybe I would feel bad for you.
“But I can’t becauseyou hurt others, Rebecca. You are just as big of a monster as Charles in my eyes.” She nodded when everyone around us had a variety of shocked reactions. “You did nothing to reel him in. I just watched Bevin not react to your going to slap her. That means she wasused to it!This gem of a girl was used to you slapping her.
“Have you no shame? You’re a mother and you didn’t protect your girls. You wereblessedwith three girls and you allowed them to be treated as you were, worse if you hurt Bevin and jeered she would be mated to someone who abused her.” She snorted. “Only because you couldn’tsacrifice her.” She let out a shaky breath. “You are not a victim here, Rebecca. You are the monster.”
I wasn’t the only one gobsmacked when she carefully herded me to leave. She was careful not to put her hands on me, but her arm was across my back like… I wasn’t really sure since I was a bit shocked.
Rita dipped her head to Jean. “I apologize for using magic at your home on your family without your permission, but as a mother I couldn’t contain that. I wish you the best and hope you free yourself from that toxic woman as well and grow to becomehealedafter your abuse instead of the monster Rebecca became. I’m here if you need to talk.”
I’d never seen Jean speechless, acting like a fish as she stared at Rita like she’d grown another head.
And then we just left.
I simply blinked at Rita as so much raced through my mind.
She chuckled and pushed her hair out of her face. “I had a question after you left the factory and didn’t know you were going there. When I heard you were—Nina and I were fighting who could go and chew out your mother. We knew she would take the opportunity to harass you. Fucking bully.”
“Thanks, Rita,” I whispered.
“I hope you’re not upset with me for offering to help Jean,” Rita hedged.
I opened my mouth and then closed it a few times, doing the fish impression too before sighing. “I’m not. I don’t know what I am but…”
She studied me and then my aura.
“She doesn’t trust Jean enough to risk you won’t get hurt but also can’t tell you what to do,” Tracey said from behind me. “You need to understand how manipulative Jean is, Rita. You see an abused child, but Jean is—you’re not wrong, but she is smart and dangerous.”
“Yes, but—”
“No but, Rita,” Tracey cut in, her voice cold. “She could have handled Alex abusing Bevin. Easily. The first time snitched or—she was smart enough to handle it so she didn’t get hurt and would still come out the hero. She kept that ace in her back pocket to benefit her not caring what it did to Bevin. Jean is already a broken monster. You weren’t there for the meeting we were.”
Rita swallowed loudly. “You’re probably right, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be saved.”
“I just can’t be a part of it or hear it,” I said firmly, backing away from her. “And I don’t think you can be the one to save her after what Charles did to Kevin, just as Kelton couldn’t help me recover from that either.”
Rita opened her mouth but then slowly closed it and nodded. “I see myself in Jean. I had…” She let out a long breath. “I became manipulative to survive, and my mate was the one who helped me see there was another way to live. Jean could just need that help.”
