“Yeah,” I say, drawing out the word. “She came back under Andrew West’s arm. He tucked Landon under the other when the kid jumped up to hug him. I sat there, watching their happy family reunion until he locked onto me. I don’t remember leaving or getting on my bike. All I recall is thinking about Landon never having so much as a bruise on him. His genuine excitement at seeing the man who beat me most of my life.” I chuckle. “It’s fucked, right? He cheated on my mom, moved both families to the same place to make it easier on himself, I guess. He lied, deceived, and all these reasons to hate him. But I was most furious he fucked me up but loved another son.”

Remi’s eyebrow draws in, her head shaking. “I’m sorry. I hate him for it too. What happened with your mom?”

I smile, half-amused and half still disbelieving. “She blinked at me for a solid minute, then calmly told me we’d talk about it when my father got home. That’s the moment I stopped having one. He showed up hours later, walked by me like I didn’t exist, and pulled my mom into their bedroom. I heard most of it, muffled, but clear enough. They came out a united force, and I was to forget everything I saw and never mention it again to anyone.”

“What? She was…”

“Subservient,” I remind her.

A similar disbelief swims in her gaze.

“But me? I kicked the living shit out of him until—here’s the best part—my mom pulled a knife on me.”

Remi whispers, “What the fuck?”

“She claimed it was to protect both of us, scared I’d kill him. I might have. We’ll never know. He threatened me more, but I held all the power. I could tell his second family about the first. So, they shipped me back to Texas, and he gives me money to live off every month and pays for school to keep me away. I feel like a piece of shit for it, but it got me away from them. Once I graduate and have my future set, I’ll fuck up his life in every way I can.”

“I understand it,” she says. “I’d probably do the same, honestly.”

“No one’s hurting right now because of it. My mom’s happy, her depressing version of it anyway. She even willingly divorced the bastard five years ago so he could marry the other chick. Which means his new wife got what she wanted, making her and the kid happy.”