I roll my eyes, taking a seat next to her. “Then it’s good the walls are soundproofed. Can’t trust what’ll come out of your mouth, Mama!”
She slaps my thigh playfully, laughing. Then she sighs, staring at every single piece of furniture and accessory. “I didn’t know he was planning this,” she mumbles softly. “All he did was ask me about your food preferences.”
I frown.
Well, that explains the mussels in the freezer and the huge jar of peanut butter.
“Yeah, well…” I shrug. “It worked. I’m… eating. Properly.”
She looks at me then, studying me with that quiet concern I’ve grown used to. It’s jarring to see it in person rather than on video calls.
The intensity of her gaze makes me shiver slightly. Like she’ll figure something out that even I haven’t noticed.
Her lips part, still deep in thought. “My son,” she says, but it feels like the start of a longer story. “He was spoiled a lot. Paul—Torch…” She smiles to herself. “Always wanted him to become a brother. But he never forced it on him.”
I look down, wondering where this is going.
“When Sandra,” she continues, a sneer forming. “May her soul rest in hell—when she had Dane a few months after I had Theo, I was ecstatic. The new generation, you see. The one that won’t make our mistakes. I want to say I brought them both up. Because Savage was raising a future president, not a son. So I… I took it upon myself.”
Dread creeps in.
No.
“And when both my sons hurt you—”
“Mama, no!” I hiss, my tone firm. Unrelenting.
“Sweetheart—”
“No! Just…no.”
I shoot up from the couch. “No matter what, I’m not allowing you to take the blame for what they did,” I almost yell.
She sighs. “That’s not… okay, fine. I was implying it a bit. But, Charlotte, who else is there to blame? Surely the people who raised the two idiots.”
I sit back down, trying to find the words that would explain what I’m feeling. “Mama, to me, the parts of them that felt arrogant and violent enough were Savage’s. And the parts that feel the guilt—are yours, Torch’s. That’s how I see it because… Mama…”
I blink hard, trying to control the sting behind my eyes. “…there’s no way they would feel the way they do had you not been the one to raise them. To guide them. I see it, you know. The blame they carry. And even though it’s not for my benefit, I’m glad they took responsibility for it.”
She grumbles a bit at my explanation, shoulders sagging. “I told Paul not to let Theo become the VP so soon. But Wolf was already the prez—a bit too early, if you ask me. And he wanted Theo to start taking on his responsibilities. He should’ve… waited.”
I stare at her deadpan. “And now it’s on Torch, huh?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not blaming him, I just—”
“Ever wonder that the only people responsible are Wolf and Ruin? I don’t know what led them to that… decision. Maybe it was anger, or betrayal—”
“Immaturity…” Mama supplies with a drawl, raising her brows.
I nod. “Lingering influence of bad role models?”
Mama frowns.
I chuckle. “Savage for them. Glory for me. I made mistakes too, didn’t I?”
She starts to shake her head vigorously.
“Mama, I snuck into Ruin’s bedroom… naked. Maybe that bitch was to blame. But Iwas the one responsible for my actions.”
