Chapter 65

Kiara

"Hey, Mom," I answer, managing to keep the bitter edge out of my voice.

"Finally! I've been trying to contact you for weeks, don't ever do that to your mother again, you hear me?" she screeches through the speaker.

I roll my eyes, my mind drifting elsewhere as she gives me a lecture about being there for the family and not letting personal grudges get in the way of that.

"You okay?" Trey mouths, his hands expertly massaging my feet, the gentle pressure providing a welcome distraction from the stressful phone call.

I glance at the phone, swiftly muting it before putting her on speaker. "My mom is literally giving me a fucking lecture at three in the morning. No. I'm not okay," I say with a humorless laugh, the weight of the conversation settling into the room.

A mischievous smirk plays on his lips as he suggests, "You can always hang up. We can finish what you started, you know."

I'm tempted to do just that until Mom suddenly bursts into tears. "I need your help,