She harrumphs. “Of course not. You’d rather just spread your legs like that whore of a mother.”
“Excuse me? You can’t say those things about my mother.” There is no love lost between Mom and me now. She chose my father over me, and they abandoned me without a second thought, but I won’t have her character slain when she’s not here to defend herself. “My mother loves my father. They are devoted to one another, and I don’t like the insinuation you’re making.” I grew up in a loving home without any hint of the horrific stuff my father was involved in. Mom clearly knew, and they both sheltered me from it, which I hate, especially because everything feels fake now.
“You know nothing, Emery.” Bernice slurs her words, and her mouth contorts into an ugly grimace. “She stole my brother from me, and she did it deliberately. She’s a whore, and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up one too.”
“I think I’ll skip dessert.” I stand, and Uma climbs to her feet too. It takes considerable effort to remain calm and polite, but I won’t sink to my aunt’s level. “Thank you for dinner. We’ll see ourselves out.”
“I’ll walk you girls out.” Gordon stands and rounds the table.
Uma quietly seethes as we exit the dining room and head toward the front door.
“I apologize for my wife, Emery. She’s had too much to drink, and your mother was always a sore point for her.”
“Why?”
“It’s complicated.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “It was lovely to meet you, Uma, and I’m sorry our night was cut short,” he says, opening the door when we reach it. “I hope we see you again.” He looks directly at me. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Uncle Gordon.”
We leave the house, and the door shuts behind us as I release the breath I was holding.
“She’s a bona fide nutjob,” Uma says as we stumble over the gravel in our heels toward my SUV.
“She has never acted like that before. Mostly, she just pretended I didn’t exist. Tonight was weird.”
I climb behind the wheel, kicking my heels off and trading them for the ballet pumps I keep in my car. Uma scrambles into the passenger seat and buckles her belt. “I know you miss piano, but nothing would tempt me to make a return visit here. I can’t believe you lived here for almost a year.”
I reverse the car and turn it around, taking off down the driveway. “I kept myself busy with school and study, and I had Myles.”
“You should just buy a piano from the money in the bank account. Then you won’t have to come back here again.”
“I’m not touching that money.” I look both ways before pulling out of the driveway onto the road.
“You don’t know it’s criminal money. Zayn could have given it to you out of his own bank account.”
“I have no proof Zayn was the one who set up the bank account in my name, and if he did, why would he give me his money when he cleared out my father’s bank accounts again after Lindsay was arrested?” I glance at my friend as I drive toward the town center. “The most obvious explanation is he putsome of the stolen money into an account for me, most likely after he learned my parents had fucked off and left me homeless and penniless.”
“At least it shows he cared.”
“That has nothing to do with it. It’s guilt, pure and simple. No matter the motivation, I’m not touching that money. My father earned it through various criminal enterprises, and I won’t spend a penny of it. I would donate it all to charity if I didn’t think it would invite questions from the authorities.”
“So, you’re just going to leave it all sitting there?”
“Yep.”
“A piano would bring you so much joy and would look great in the corner by the window.”
“It’s not happening. I’d feel sick every time I sat down to play knowing where the money came from to buy it. It would suck out all the joy.”
“Fair enough.” She kicks off her shoes and props her feet up on the dash. “I just hate to see you deprived of something that makes you so happy. Your whole face was alive back there, and I want that for you because you deserve it.”
“We don’t always get the things we deserve, and I’m just grateful to have a job, a roof over my head, my best friend by my side, and college to look forward to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Zayn
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Abby says, stretching up and wrapping her arms around Roman. “Your brothers have been searching for you for so long, and you’re finally here. I can scarcely believe it, but I’m so grateful.” Tears glisten in her eyes as Roman freely accepts her hug.
