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I didn’t get the rest out before Zay was beside me with our son in one arm and his other hand around my wrist. “Baby, stop.” His voice was low as he looked at his mother. “You gotta shut the fuck up sometimes. We’re stepping away.”

He took me out of the dining room before anybody could make the situation worse. Nobody followed us or tried to stop us.

The second we got upstairs and the bedroom door closed, I turned on him.

“What the hell was that?”

Zay handed me our son and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Emily, I’m sorry that happened. I shouldn’t have had you down there.”

“She’s a nasty woman, Zay.”

“I know.”

“She isn’t even your real fucking mom.”

Zay looked at me, and I knew I was going too far. I was still so angry that I couldn’t stop myself.

“That bitch should be dead for what she did to you when you were young.”

His entire mood changed.

“Don’t bring that up, E. I told you I don’t like hearing about my past.”

The anger left me because I knew better than to keep pushing him once he told me to stop.

I looked down at Zay Jr. while he played with the buttons on my shirt, completely unaware of everything happening around him.

“She’s a disgusting woman.”

Zay didn’t respond.

“Our son will never be alone in a room with her. I don’t care what title she thinks she has. She will never have access to him without one of us there.”

“I know.”

I kissed Zay Jr. on top of his head and held him closer.

“She doesn’t deserve Azaria, and she damn sure doesn’t deserve our son.”

Voices from dinner still carried faintly from downstairs as if nothing had happened.

Zay stood there staring at the floor without saying much, and I knew my husband well enough to know he wasn’t done with whatever happened downstairs.

Whenever Zay got this quiet, somebody usually paid for it later.

CHAPTER 22

Azaria

“That’s The Dangerous Part”

The next evening felt… peaceful.

I didn’t feel like I was fighting to get out of here.

Emily had a lot to do with that.