Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“I deserve that.” She nodded shakily. “That and so much more.”
“Are you back in Ardnoch?”
“No.” She smoothed a hand over her hair and that’s when I noticed the wedding ring. “I live in Glasgow.”
My jaw clenched and it took me a second to choke out. “With a husband?”
Mum followed my gaze to her hand. She brought it up, looking at the ring with affection. “With my wife, actually.”
Shock rooted me to the spot. Never, not once, had I ever seen my mother with another woman.
She gave me a sad smile. “I used alcohol and drugs to deny a lot of things about myself, Fyfe.”
“Do you think I would have cared?”
“No, of course not. I … it’s a long story, but my father once caught me kissing a girl when I was fourteen. He always lifted his hands to me, but that night he beat me so badly, Mum finally kicked him out.”
What the fuck?
I threw my hands up. “So you disappear for years, after years of saying fuck all to me about anything, and suddenly, in the space of a minute, you’re here, you’re gay, and you grew up with an abusive father?”
“Why do you think I was the way I was? Why do you think I did my mum’s bidding and came home and had you? I owed her. She saved my life that night, and she got rid of the man she loved to protect me.”
My chest felt tight. “I can’t … I can’t believe this shit.”
“Fyfe … I was so afraid of turning into my father. That’s why I left. To protect you.”
After years of neglecting me? She thought abandoning her son was protecting me?
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious of her motives. “How long have you been sober?”
Mum swallowed hard. “Six years.”
“Married?”
“Five.”
All that time, she’d been better … and she never thought to come find me? Until now.
“Why has it taken you this long to show your face?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”
“Then why the change of heart?”
“I … uh … I read about you. There was an article online about the work you’ve done for Ardnoch Estate. About how successful you’ve become. Cybersecurity. I always knew you’d do well.”
“And you … wanted to come congratulate me?”
She flinched at the sneer in my voice.
“I … uh … I wanted to know what happened to the cottage. My mum’s house.”
Cold shivered through me and then a splintering pain scored across my upper torso. I didn’t know it was possible for this woman to hurt me any more than she had.
But here she was. Doing just that.
“You want the cottage.”
She swallowed hard. “I … my wife, Jay, has a daughter from her previous marriage. We want to give her a good life, and finances are a bit tight right now.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I whispered hoarsely.
“Fyfe—”
“Since I was three years old, you left me in that house on my own.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but I felt nothing but resentment and anger toward her.
“Deirdra next door fed me more times than not because you fucking forgot to. And from age twelve on, I paid the bills from the money I made online. Do you know the debt that was on that house for missed council tax payments? Do you know what that amounted to? And I paid that debt off. My solicitors attempted to find you and could not.”
“I … I changed my name.”
“When? My solicitors couldn’t find you.”
“I—”
“Never mind. The house belongs to me. It’s now a holiday rental and source of income. And there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s called a Benjamin order. When we couldn’t locate you, your mother’s estate went to me. Now you can fight me in court for your share, but you’ll have a helluva time convincing a judge to give you back that house.” I took spiteful satisfaction in the way she paled.
“Fyfe …” She gestured around. “Look at all you have. What do you need the extra money for?”
“I don’t. The cottage is a reminder of all the valuable lessons you’ve taught me about independence.” I took a step toward her. “How dare you come here asking me for money for your new family after you neglected, abused, stole from, and abandoned me.”
“I was a different person then!”
I stayed calm, even though the rage threatened to choke me alive. “Really? Because you still seem like the same self-centered narcissist I remember. Only you don’t have the excuse of being drunk. Fuck off, Innes.” My tone was calm as I used her first name. “And don’t ever darken my doorstep again.”
She lifted her chin, eyes flashing. “I’ll take you to court.”
“You do that,” I called her bluff. She wouldn’t want her past dragged out through the courts for all to see. All her sins laid bare.
Innes’s expression fell. “I didn’t mean to hurt you by coming here.”