“No,” I say louder. “You don’t get to sit there and tear me apart, accuse me of being with your daughter for her money. I have a job. I worked hard to get to where I am… something you have no idea about.”
Born from generational wealth, and it shows on her in every aspect. She has never had to pick between a full belly or paying rent. Who the fuck does she think she is, talking to me about money when it was handed to her for her whole life?
“Yeah, you worked hard… getting my daughter to fall in love with you.”
“Fuck you,” I snap like a reflex, unable to control myself because of the venom she just spit out. She doesn’t look surprised, but then her eyes move to something behind me.
“Adaline?”
Juliette walks into the room, her eyes wide like someone just shot a puppy. I sigh deeply, knowing exactly where this was going to go.
“What the hell is going on?” she asks.
“She swore at me,” Samantha says immediately, voice smooth again. I almost get up out of my chair and punch her in the face.
“I told you to play nice.” Juliette grits her teeth at me. “Could you not do this one thing for me?”
My heart tugs at her words. “Juliette, your mother acc—”
“I don’t care, you don’t swear at her!”
“So she can say whatever she wants about me,” I say, “and I’m just supposed to sit there and take it?”
“It was one dinner!” She raises her voice while Samantha just sits there and listens.
“What is wrong with you? Your mother is literally insane.” I stand up from my chair. “You’re not even letting me tell you what she said.”
“Because it doesn’t make what you said okay!” Her face is getting redder now. “She’s my mother, have some respect!”
She screams the words at me, and I almost flinch, seeing a glimpse of the old Juliette I so very disliked. Her mother is sitting at the table. I can’t ascertain what her expression holds, but I’m assuming she’s feeling very smug right now. I hate being screamed at. Juliette knows that, and still she just did it.
“Respect is earned,” I say, resolute, trying to hold back my tears before I grab my bag. Juliette tries to take hold of my hand, but I yank it out of her grasp. My eyes avert to Samantha, andI say, “Congratulations. Enjoy having your stable and grounded daughter back.”
The door closes behind me with a sound I’ve heard a hundred times. This time, it feels different. This time, I don’t know if I’m coming back.
CHAPTER FOUR
First official fight
JULIETTE
Adaline doesn’t answer my calls. It started off with me texting her, asking her to speak. I was ignored, then my next fifty calls also were. I sit there and pretend that she just needs a night, she’s upset and I screamed at her. I never scream at her. My chest coils when I think about it, an all too familiar rage took over my body and I lashed out. I let my phone sit on my bed, face down, like I’m not checking it every five minutes anyway. By the next morning, the silence feels intentional, like she isn’t just angry at me but it’s more than that.
I replay the night over and over while I get dressed. The way she looked at me when I shouted, the betrayal rooted into her smile lines. The guilt gnaws at me like a dog with a bone, but she still won’t answer any of my calls.
Stuff with my mother isn’t any better. I’ve been ignoring her because I know she did something to provoke Adaline. I know she didn’t just snap for no reason. I wish I had told her that. I wish I hadn’t snapped and actually thought everything through.I still don’t know exactly the words my mother used, but it was something about Adaline not being good for me.
When I walk downstairs, I see my mum. She sits at the kitchen island, coffee untouched, scrolling through something on her tablet like she hasn’t completely disrupted my world.
“You’re up early,” she says without looking at me.
“I didn’t sleep.”
She hums. “Do you want some breakfast?”
I ignore her question. “You need to apologise.”
She finally looks up. “For what?”
