“Sometimes, to find your way home, you need to scrape your knee on the path. I knew if I left, you would see. And you would find your way home.”
Adria shook her head, tears burning into her eyes. “You knew what he would do to me when you left.”
Her mother reached out for her. “But now when I look into your eyes, I no longer see Ivan in them. You’re a Serra now, Adria. It took a while, but now that you finally know the truth, we can move forward. No more secrets.”
CHAPTER 63
CURITIBA PARANÁ
Adria marched through the house, leaving her mother and her stupid secret-free face in the dust behind her.
The once-confounding maze of the house, with its twisting hallways and shadowy corners, now felt horrifyingly familiar. Making her way to the backdoor, Adria navigated the jungle path that led into the backyard. What had once been a realm of exotic exploration now felt like a cage, each leaf caging her with the sensation of memories she could neither escape nor confront.
The realness of it all suffocated her.
“Adria. Don’t be mad. It’s ancient history. And you’ve adapted so well. Look at you. You are a vision. A force.”
Adria ignored her, making her way to the guest house.
“I’ve been with you every step of the way. Let’s not pretend that you could have gotten where you are today without me and Xander.”
That did it.
Adria stopped on her heels and turned. “The reason Ihadto get anywhere was because of you.”
She stepped into her mother with pure venom in her voice. “The only reason you helped me at all was to help yourself. So, ifyou think about it,YOUwouldn’t be as close to the Triune as you are without me.”
“And if YOU REALLY think about it, you wouldn’t be as farfromthe seat at the Triune as you are now if it wasn’t for yourself.” Adria turned. “So, pat yourself on the back, Mom, you’re the world’s shittiest mother and now you lost your seat at the table and your daughter. Don’t need to guess what hurts you more.”
Opening the door to their shared guest house, Adria called into the space, “Bryson, we’re leaving.”
No response.
“Kaydon, Seth?”
Nothing.
“They aren’t here,” her mother said from behind her.
Anger simmered just beneath Adria’s skin. It was the sort of anger that brushed against her soul. The type of anger that didn’t sit inside herself but wrapped around the edges, waiting to strike.
The type of anger that threatened to burn her to the ground or anyone else if she let it.
“Where are they?” Adria said, her voice deathly quiet.
Her mother only shrugged. “I’m just the shitty mother. What would I know about my daughter’s flings?”
Adria started to go around her.
“Maybe if Cole were to come in and the three of us sit down and talk, something would shake loose in my memory.”
Adria froze. She knew.
“And maybe if we work something out, I could give you this,” her mother flashed a note embossed with Bryson’s family symbol.
“Give that to me,” Adria said.
“Stop being a child and bring Cole in here, and we will sit down.”
