The doors at the back of the house slid open and I turned my head.
It was the first time I"d seen my mother in almost two years. She still looked the same... just a little more plastic. She had clearly gotten a facelift and it even looked like she"d had something pumped into her lips. Gross.
"Katyrina," she said. My full name alone was like nails on a chalkboard. Hearing it come from my mother was like having open heart surgery while awake.
"Mother," I gritted between my teeth.
She descended the steps and stopped in front of me.
She patted my cheek but it was hard enough to be a slap. I flinched at her touch but she went on like nothing had happened. I could feel Jared tensing beside me.
She looked me up and down. "Still homely I see," she sneered.
Somebody, shoot me now.
"Still a b.i.t.c.h, I see." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I instantly bit down on my tongue, tasting blood.
Her eyes widened and then she pointed a long, red, manicured finger at me. "Watch your mouth, Katyrina. Keep in mind who pays your bills."
My face colored at her words.
Jared released my hand, cupping my waist instead.
This time, my mother looked him up and down. "And who are you? I don"t recognize you."
"Jared Reed, ma"am," he held out a hand for her to shake. "Katy"s boyfriend."
"Cynthia," she replied. She turned to glare at me, acting as if Jared wasn"t standing right there. "He calls you Katy. You know how much I hate it when people don"t call you by your given name."
"And you know how much I hate it when people do," I replied in a cool, clipped tone.
She took a step back, a huff escaping her red lips. "How I ended up with you as my daughter is beyond me," she crossed her arms over her fake chest. Everything about her was fake.
I could feel Jared"s hand flex against my waist. I knew that if I looked, his jaw would be clenched, the muscle ticking.
"Enough of the pleasantries," I glared at my egg donor. "What is it you need me to do?"
"Just mingle and talk about the charity. It would help if you would talk about what a good mother I"ve been," she picked at an invisible piece of lint on her white dress.
I snorted. "Nice try. I"ll do two of the three."
"That should be enough," she waved her hand in dismissal.
As she walked away, Jared whispered in my ear, "That"s your mother?"
"That"s her."
"She"s nothing like you," he said, in disbelief. "I mean, I figured as much but... d.a.m.n, I didn"t think she would be that bad."
"That"s her being pleasant... at least pleasant to me," I shrugged.
"I don"t know how she managed to raise a child," Jared muttered under his breath as we walked around the large yard.
"She didn"t. My nanny raised me. I was nothing but a showpiece... a prize to her. That"ll never change."
Jared ran his fingers through his hair. "Most people would look at this house," he motioned to the expansive building, "at all this fancy stuff and think you were a spoiled brat, that nothing bad would ever happen to you. They would never begin to fathom what you"ve been put through."
"This is all just a facade, Jared," I said, staring at the too green gra.s.s.
"People look at the guy standing on the corner, covered in dirt and wearing old clothes, and a.s.sume he"s sc.u.m. They"d never look at your mother and see her for the sc.u.m that she is," he spat. "How can someone talk to their child that way?"
"Why did your dad do what he did to you?" I waited for him to answer and when he didn"t, I continued. "Some of the questions we ask ourselves have no answers, because they"re not meant to be answered. There are always going to be monsters out there, some are just more noticeable than others."
Jared stopped in his tracks, forcing me to stop too. "It just makes me so angry that she thinks it"s okay to talk to you like that. It"s wrong."
"Please, Jared," I begged, "can we please stop talking about it?"
"Fine," he ground his teeth together. "I won"t talk about it."
"Thank you," I said. I looked around, noticing that more people had arrived and a band was now playing a slow, quiet song. "Time to mingle," I groaned.
I saw a few familiar faces but most of the people attending the brunch were strangers to me. I spoke highly of the charity the donations would go to, encouraging them to bid.
Even though my mother only had the Charity Brunch to keep up appearances, she had chosen a good place for the money to go to. Everything would be donated to a local children"s hospital, for cancer research.
After about an hour of speaking to different people, it was time to eat.
Everything was delicious, just like I knew it would be. My mom always had her events catered by the best people in town.
The plates were cleared away and the band left the stage.
Bidding was about to begin. Everyone stood, crowding towards the stage.
I took this as my cue to leave. "Let"s get out of here," I whispered under my breath to Jared.
"Thank G.o.d," he said, standing.
"Leaving so soon, Katyrina?" a voice spoke from behind me. All the blood drained from my body, leaving me feeling lifeless.
"Preston," I gasped.
35.
"WHAT?" JARED LOOKED AT ME, BEFORE TURNING AROUND.
I slowly turned to face the man that had raped me... body, mind, and soul.
"I can"t believe you were going to leave without saying goodbye," Preston smirked, his blonde hair flopping in his eyes. He still looked like the c.o.c.ky, preppy, high school football player. He wore kaki slacks and a pale green polo shirt, with the collar popped. I"d once thought he was good-looking; now I only saw him for the sc.u.m he was underneath the exterior. "That"s not nice, Katyrina. I"ve missed you."
Jared stepped in front of me, blocking me from Preston"s sight.
"You need to back off," Jared warned.
Preston smirked, looking up at Jared. He was a good four inches shorter and had to tilt his head back to meet Jared"s eyes.
"I don"t know what your problem is bud. I"m just talking to my old girlfriend," Preston stuck his hands in his pockets.
"My problem is sicko"s like you," Jared shoved Preston hard enough to send him back two steps.
"What the f.u.c.k?" Preston growled.
"Stay away from her," Jared warned. "I know what you did and I won"t hesitate to put you in the hospital."
For the first time since Preston had appeared behind me, I looked around.
Everyone was silent, the bidding forgotten, as they watched us.
Preston put both his hands up in front of his chest. "I don"t know what she"s told you, she"s a pathological liar. You can"t believe a thing she says. I can"t help it that her first time wasn"t what she imagined and she cried rape."
"That"s it!" Jared yelled, pulling his suit jacket off and throwing it on a table.
Before I knew what was happening, his sleeves were rolled up and he was punching Preston in the face. I heard a crunching sound and blood spewed across Jared"s shirt.
Preston tried to fight back, he certainly wasn"t a scrawny guy, but he had nothing on Jared"s size and MMA skills.
I watched Jared continue to beat Preston. People started yelling, and I could hear Jared saying something to Preston with each punch.
I wanted to stop Jared, knew I needed to, but it was like I was encased in gelatin. I was trying to move, but I couldn"t, something held me back.
I didn"t lose it until Preston"s blood splattered across my legs and the bottom of my dress.
I screamed. "Get it off! Get it off!" I didn"t want any part of Preston touching me. I reached for one of the white tablecloths, pulling all the gla.s.s dishes off in the process. They shattered as they hit the ground but I was beyond caring. "Get it off! I need it off!" I sobbed, trying to wipe the red from my skin.
"Katy," Jared said softly, his chest rising and falling heavily with each breath. "Calm down," he took the cloth from me, and bent to wipe my legs.
Tears coursed down my face. "Get it off. Please, just get it off," I begged.
My mother chose that moment to break through the crowd. Her blonde hair was fanned wildly around her head, telling me she"d been pulling on it.
"Get out! Both of you, get out!" she shrieked. "You"re such an embarra.s.sment, Katyrina! And now this hoodlum is beating up poor, Preston! I want you both, gone!"
I stood up straight and steeled myself, forgetting all about the blood coating me that had freaked me out. "He raped me!" I pointed at the unconscious Preston. I screamed the words, wanting everyone present to know. "He raped me, mom! You didn"t care! You wouldn"t listen! You laughed at me! But he held me down and forced himself on me! He wouldn"t listen when I told him to stop! He raped me! He raped me! He f.u.c.king raped me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I had never spoken to anyone this way, let alone used this kind of language.
Everyone around us stood in shock, including Cynthia Spencer.
I continued on, I needed to get this off my chest, I didn"t even notice when Jared stopped scrubbing my legs and took my hand.
"You"re a cold hearted b.i.t.c.h! You don"t care about anyone but yourself! You call yourself my mother, but you have to earn that t.i.tle! You. Are. Not. My. Mom. If anyone should get the credit of being my mother, it"s Marisol!"
She was quiet for a moment. "Is you"re temper tantrum over?"
"Oh my G.o.d! You are impossible!" I yelled.
"And you are just like your useless father. Get off my property. I never want to see you again," she seethed.
"Good, because I don"t want to see you again!" I turned to walk away but suddenly found myself facing her again. "Do you even know who my father is? Or are you too big of a s.l.u.t to know?"
I was surprised when her hand smacked sharply against my cheek, even though I shouldn"t have been.
Jared was suddenly in front of me, always my protector. "You will never lay a hand on her, ever, again. Do you hear me?" He grasped my mother"s still raised hand. His voice was deadly calm but with an icy edge.
I saw something close to fear in my mother"s eyes, something I"d never seen before.
She nodded.
Jared released her and grabbed his suit jacket before leading me away from the scene we"d caused.
I could hear Preston stirring behind us, and my mother yelling for someone to get ice.
Jared ignored them and led me out, under the arched trellis.
The girl that had asked for my name was still standing there. Her jaw dropped at our appearances and she then proceeded to try to see what had happened.
"Give me your keys," Jared said and I did.
He sped out of the driveway and I watched the mansion disappear behind us.
I knew it would be the last time I ever saw it.
I was glad.
"Oh my G.o.d! What happened to you guys? Jared, why does your shirt have blood on it?" Karlie gasped, dropping the book she"d been reading onto the coffee table.
"I beat a guy up," he mumbled.
"I take it that didn"t leave a very good impression on Katy"s mom?" she raised a brow.
"That women is a b.i.t.c.h," he snapped. "I"m going to take a shower," he started up the steps.