"When are you going to stop playing house with my family?" she spits, each word coated with venom.
"This is not a game for me, and you know it."
"You are not her mother," she snaps back, as if I need to be reminded.
"Neither are you," I reply, teeth gritted.
She opens her mouth to retaliate, but I don’t let her. "You might have given birth to her, but let's call it what it is. The only reason you're here is becauseI'mhere. You don't care about being a mother. You only care about making my life miserable and keeping me away from the people who love me. The Callahans."
"Ha!" She scoffs, her voice dripping with contempt. "I couldn’t care less about you or the Callahans."
"Really?" I raise an eyebrow, my tone sarcastic. "I've been a thorn in your side since the day we met, haven’t I? But here’s the thing, Meghan, maybe you were so desperate for love and attention that you couldn’t stand the fact that from the very moment Cal met me, heloved me."
"Sweetie, he married me!" she retorts, venom dripping from every word. "We created Hannah together. He was mine, and he still is. All I have to do is snap my fingers, and he'll be eating out of the palm of my hand again."
"I don't think so," I reply, my voice low and unwavering. "If you hadn’t lied, manipulated, and twisted everything all those years ago, I would’ve been part of Cal’s family. Your relationship with him might have never even existed. The only reason Cal came to you was because you were his only link to me.”
"Oh, please," she sneers.
"You know it’s true," I say, stepping closer, my words cutting through the air. "What you and Cal had was built on lies. Cal loved you, but he loved aversionof you—a fake. You were as fake as a three-dollar bill, and worth much less. This is the real you. The one who’ll stop at nothing to destroy the lives of others. You know the onlything that would break Cal is losing Hannah. You know the only thing that would break me is losingthem. You're cold, cruel, narcissistic, and the most pathetic excuse for a human being I’ve ever met, and I've met plenty of monsters."
The heat that sears my flesh makes me see stars before I even realize I've been slapped. My hand flies to my cheek, and I stare at Meghan in disbelief, the sting still radiating.
A slow smile tugs at my lips. "So, I’ve hit a nerve."
Before she can respond, the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs slices through the tension in the room.
Hannah runs to me first, throwing her little arms around my waist. "Bye, Elle!"
"Bye, sweetie," I say, kneeling to her level. "I’ll see you soon, okay?"
"Are you ready to go?" Meghan asks, her voice sharp as she places a hand on Hannah’s small shoulder.
"Yep!" Hannah replies, slinging her bag over one shoulder.
I watch them both, feeling the heaviness of the moment. Meghan ushers her out the door, her back stiff, like she’s already won. Beth stands beside me, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her features set in quiet disappointment.
I walk to the door just as Meghan turns to face me one last time. Her eyes lock on mine, and her voice cuts through the air like a blade. "I’m going to destroy you."
"I think you’ve forgotten," I reply, still feeling the burn of the slap on my cheek. "I’m not fourteen anymore."
With one last look, I shut the door with more force than I intended, the sound echoing in the silence that follows.
***
"She did what?!" Tina snaps, her eyes scanning my face. "She had the nerve to hit you?"
"I'm fine," I lie, feeling the sting of Meghan's words a lot deeper than the red welt on my cheek.
"Why didn't you—"
"What?" I cut her off. "Slap her back?"
"That’s what I want to know!" Beth exclaims from her perch on the couch. "How many times did you react when Duke tried to hit me?"
"You remember that?" I turn to Beth, surprised.
"I remember fragments," Beth admits, her voice quiet. "But between the few memories I have and what you've told me, I’ve pieced together just how fiercely protective you were of me."
