Four

"I'll be right back," I said to Valen, who kept asking where I was going. I pulled him into my arms and kissed him. If Valen had not been in my life, I'd have left long ago, but now there was another layer to consider.

After instructing the housekeeper on what to give my son for lunch, I drove to my parents' house. My hands shook on the wheel, and tears streamed down my face. I couldn't take such abuse from Byron; it's not like I even did anything wrong. I was also crying because I could already envision the result of this visit—I could never find refuge in my family's home.

I pulled up to the bungalow, killed the engine, and jumped out of the car, banging on the front door urgently. My mom's annoyed voice asked who was trying to break the door.

"Alexis, honey, are the police pursuing you?" she asked after swinging the door open. "What are you doing here?"

Before I could say a word, she launched into it. "I read about the party last night, sweetheart. Why didn't you inform me? You’re a family member and have the right to invite your family to such a high-profile birthday. Imagine how I would have flaunted it to my friends that I attended Alice Campbell's party."

My pace quickened with annoyance as I headed inside, desperate to find my father. He wasn't home. I found my brother Shane sitting in an armchair, playing video games so loudly that he didn't even acknowledge my presence. He only did it whenever he needed money. I was their cash cow.

"Where is Dad?" I shouted above the noise.

"He's not around," Mom said while I was about to enter the bedroom. "What's going on?"

"Mom, don’t—" I said, bursting into tears, unable to hold back my emotions. "Byron slapped me."

Her fake lashes, heavy like an umbrella that shadowed her cheeks, flew up, and she stared at me, tongue-tied. I expected her to be concerned; instead, she shrugged. "If Byron slapped you, maybe you did something to warrant it."

"Mom!" I bristled. "Why would you say something like that? Don’t you care about my well-being?"

"I do, or else I wouldn’t have orchestrated your marriage to him. You will never know poverty; you will never struggle like I did. You should thank me for that and try not to offend your husband. Stay in your marriage—he's the heir to his father's fortune."

I loved my mother because she brought me into this world, but I detested her. As I looked at her, my breath sounded loud in my ears, and I desired to carry out a vendetta against her. Instead, I clamped my teeth shut to contain the harsh words that threatened to spill.

"Sometimes I wonder if you even gave birth to me—was I switched at birth?" 

As usual, she laughed and waved me off. "You stayed in my womb for almost ten months, and I had a tough labor that they had to tear me open for. That is why you must repay me for bringing you into this world."

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "So I haven’t paid you enough?"

"This is just the beginning, honey. Anyway, your dad told me that your husband's twin is back. If he’s as responsible as Byron, we could introduce your sister McKenzie to him."

My mother was so shameless. When my father came home, I rushed to his side, and my tears came down in torrents. He looked at me, confused, and made me sit on the sofa. After crying in his arms and pouring out my heart to him, telling him everything—well, except for the bond—he looked very concerned.

"I'm so sorry, honey..."

"Stop spoiling her, Larry," my mom snapped at him. "She must go back to her husband. She has no choice."

"I have a choice!" I yelled back at her. "I'm not interested in the marriage anymore. I'm staying here."

"But what about your son?" Dad said. "If you don’t return, you’ll lose him and everything."

"Dad, you need to grow a spine," I said, damning all the consequences. "I've done everything Mom wanted, and because of me, she's placed on a monthly allowance. I'm not going back to Byron's house."

"You can't stay here," my brother, Shane, said, removing his headset. "If you do, I'll make life difficult for you."

"You ungrateful swine!" I yelled, but my dad begged me to ignore him. Anger burned in my heart. I couldn’t believe my family was abandoning me. They couldn’t protect me from Byron's abuse. It made me feel truly alone.

Knowing that I couldn’t leave my son, I headed back home. I noticed a car I didn’t recognize in the driveway and wondered who it belonged to. I headed inside, dropping my purse on the entryway table.

"We have a visitor," Maria said, "and the master isn’t home."

Nodding, I headed into the living room to see who it was, but the second I stepped in, I froze in my tracks. Sitting on the couch, looking effortlessly casual, was my mate. I wanted to head back and silently run as far away as possible, but he had caught my eye and was smiling at me.