“It’s that new girlfriend of his—Lana… Lara… or something. Ever since she came into the picture, I’ve hardly seen or heard from him.”
Here we go again—another unfortunate woman caught in my mother’s wrath, for reasons none of us will ever know. She disliked Skylar from the moment I introduced them to each other. And it used to always bother me. Skylar is the easiest person in the world to get along with. Everyone loved her. My mother’s distaste was completely unjustified.
It’s one of the many things I regret after the divorce: knowing how cruel my mother could be towards her at times, and doing nothing to stop it. It only proved what a pathetic husband I was, and how much better off she is without me.
“It’s got nothing to do withLana, Ma. If you actually bothered to get to know her, you’d see she’s a genuinely nice person. So ease up on her, will you?”
“And you know this how? You thought that whore, Lucia, was genuinely nice, and look how that ended.”
Wow! Did she really just go there?
“That’s uncalled for, Mum. No need to be a spiteful bitch.”
She scoffs at my remark. “I’m honest,Kaden. There’s a difference.”
“No,Mother, that’s not honesty. That’s you being a snob and a narcissistic bitch. You’ve never made the slightest effort to get to know any of the women Dylan or I have dated. And I wish I’d called you out every time you bad-mouthed Skylar.”
“Oh, please. That woman always thought she was too good for you.”
“In what way did she ever give you that impression?”
My mother is speechless for a moment, clearly unable to think of a single reason. The truth is, Skylar never once acted like she was too good for me. If it weren’t for her, I’d never have reached the level of success I did in my career. But more importantly, I would’ve never gotten myself out of trouble and settled down. She improved my life in countless ways, and yet, I still managed to fuck it all up.
“Can’t think of a single thing, can you?” I chuckle, the sound cutting and cold.
She huffs and shrugs dismissively. “Whatever. Did you just come here to lecture me about how I treated your ex-wife?
“No, actually. I thought it would be nice to catch up with you, but clearly, you’re in one of your moods again.”
“My mood is fine. It’s everyone else that’s the problem.”
“Okay, Susan. If you think so.”
“So, what happened to that whore?”
“Can you not say that, please.”
“That’s exactly what that woman is. I’m just stating facts. She had some fucking nerve lying to you and deceiving you. Not only did she screw around with another man while she was with you, but she also knew there was a chance thatbaby wasn’t yours and still let you believe it was. What kind of woman does that? A fucking whore—that’s who.”
“Look, it’s over now. What’s done is done, and there’s nothing I can do to change the outcome. She’s disappeared somewhere now, so it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever see her, or Ari, again.”
“It makes me think you were better off staying married to Skylar than ever getting involved with that bitch.”
And there it is. I was wondering when she’d finally admit to her mistakes. It only took Lucia’s betrayal for my mother to realise that Skylar had always been the better choice for me.It’s too late now, Ma!
“Funny how you say that now, after everything that’s happened. Where was this mindset when we were still together? Don’t worry, I’m not going to lecture you. Skylar has already moved on. In fact, she’s engaged to be married.”
“What? Are you serious? You only just got divorced, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but she’d been dating this guy for over a year.”
“Oh, so they practically couldn’t wait for her to divorce you so they could marry. That bitch!”
“Hey! Let’s not forget the real reason she divorced me and is marrying another man. This all started because of me. So if you want someone to blame, blame the person in front of you!”
I don’t realise I’m yelling until my father walks into the room, looking slightly alarmed, his hands still smeared with a dirty rag.
“What on earth is all this yelling about?”
