Mend (Care Duet, #2)

32 | mend betrayal

ONE THING AVELINA once loved before that love was grasped by its head and choked to death, was the way she cared for everyone—possibly more then she would ever dare to care about herself. There was such a pure empathetic part of herself that would let neither hate nor anger anywhere near it. No matter how much wrong she's witnessed, or how much betrayal she's faced, absolutely nothing could stop the kindness of her heart from reaching out into the darkness and lending a hand to even the devil.

"No!" Avelina shouted as the bomb went off before her mother could have a full chance to take cover. She watched over Adrik's shoulder as everything around them went burning down. Fire from the explosion began to swarm the car and engulf the dead body of her mother's guard.

"Adrik, please!" she yelled.

The backseat of his car was pushed open and Adrik carefully placed Avelina inside. The leather seat touched her skin just before her head fell into someone's lap. She immediately sat up to take a glance at the person beside her, Vincent.

She immediately got up and sat back in the seat despite the growing ache in her side and between her legs.

"You look so pale," Vincent pointed out, placing his palm on her forehead. Avelina turned her head away and toward the window, taking in the sight of Adrik going into the fire.

"I don't want our mother to die," Avelina muttered, never bothering to spare a single glance toward him. Vincent let out a loud sigh before opening the back door and getting out. She could hear him taking the safety off the gun as he began making his way over to Adrik.

Her eyes widened. Vincent wouldn't hurt Adrik, she knew that. Vincent was too aware of how much Adrik meant to her, and he had to have known that she would grow to resent him forever. She trusted him to put the stupid feud that clearly held no significant value anymore behind them.

She continued to watch as Vincent carried their mother, who seemed to have passed out. She had scars and bruising all over her body. Dirt had painted itself all over her limp being. Adrik was strolling right behind them up until he had to open the back door for Vincent to place her mother inside.

Avelina scooted over to give her mother some space before they shut the door. They split up, Adrik got into the driver's side and Vincent climbed into the passenger's side. Police sirens could be heard along with the blaring red and blue lights from down the street, so Adrik didn't take his time turning on the car and quickly drove away.

The entire drive, Avelina could only look down at her mother. Her dark hair sprawled around her as a peaceful aura emitted from her shut eyes and parted lips. She had a deep cut on the side of her head that would possibly end up needing stitches, but her stressful wrinkles that were begging to form on her forehead were easing away. Her frown lines were softening.

Avelina wanted to believe that her mother couldn't have been happy. That everything had to be some misunderstanding and the woman laying down looking as calm and peaceful as ever was the real her. She had to be. Not the woman that kidnapped her own daughter moments after she gave birth. Not the woman who pointed a gun at her only baby girl.

She was masterful at detecting bullshit, but she was just as good at pretending that it wasn't bullshit. It was quite ironic the way her mind worked to protect her heart.

A tear fell from her eyes as she looked at the woman. She began to wonder how different her life would've been if she had a normal life. If her mother was there to hold her hand every time she crossed the street. If her father ignored her as she showed him what she learned in science class while he watched his favorite team's soccer game. If her older brother would steal all her toys and decapitated all her dolls. If she'd gotten in trouble for not doing her chores. If she'd wake up to breakfast on Sunday's. Her childhood was robbed from an early age. After grandma, she never even had a place to call home.