She sounds so goddamn uncomfortable asking me this, I almost feel sorry for her. But that’s her own fault. We’ve had years—my entire lifetime—to be a family. I’m glad she’s trying, but part of me is angry that she has to try at all. That she wasn’t ever a mother figure.
I’m angry that we’re all but strangers to each other.
“Seth?” she asks. “If it’s too personal right now, I understand.”
Fine. I’ll test just how fucking much my parents want a relationship with me.
“There’s someone in my life, actually.”
My mom gasps in excitement. I can’t tell whether it’s fake or real, and I don’t care. What I’m after is her reaction to what comes next.
“Who is it?” she asks. “When can I meet her? You should bring her to brunch on Saturday.”
“You’ve already met her, actually.”
She pauses. “I have? Who is she?”
“You remember Madison.”
“Right,” my mom says slowly. “But I don’t remember any of her friends…who is it?”
“It isn’t one of her friends. I’m seeing Madison.”
And my mother, who said she wanted us to be a family, hangs the fuck up.
I stare across my empty office. “I guess Saturday brunch is off.”
9
MADISON
Outside, Jerry from the tree company is pruning the trees at the back of the yard. When he first got here, I told him about the camera I found. He promised to keep an eye out for any others, or anything else suspicious. I watch him work from the dining room, pleased with how everything is looking.
I’m not sure what to think when I see Sonia Colton’s name on my phone screen. Why is she calling?
Curious, I answer. “Hello?”
“Madison.”
“Yes, hi.” I’m not sure if I should know about the whole kidnapping thing. If I weren’t seeing Seth, there would’ve been no reason for me to hear. It hasn’t been on the news or anything like that—Nick and Sonia hadn’t been missing long enough for anyone to make a report. So I decide to play dumb, despite spending over an hour looking up everything I could find about Erich Pointer. I’ve learned he’s middle-aged with silver-gray hair, he’s filthy rich, and he’s steeped in drama with his mistress and wife. But Sonia doesn’t know I know any of this, so I say, “Um, how are you? Is everything all right?”
“You took my baby boy away.” She breathes hard into the phone.
Only now do I pick up on her fury.
I pause, trying to come up with the right words. “What happened to Kyle was a tragedy,” I finally say. “He was out riding his motorcycle, and he—he crashed. I didn’t do that, Sonia.”
“You took my baby boy away,” she repeats, “and now you’re trying to take his brother. Screw you, Madison Greene. Stay the hell away from my sons.”
The line goes quiet—she hung up on me.
I slump down in a dining room chair and set my phone in front of me on the table. My face feels flushed. With shame? I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? With embarrassment? If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be Sonia for acting so unhinged.
I want to know how she even found out that I’m seeing Seth. We’ve barely been out in public together.
Pressing the back of my hand to one cheek in a futile attempt to cool myself down, I call Seth.
“Hey, Madison,” he answers. “Are you free tomorrow for?—”
