Chapter 33

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So, I feel like this chapter is short. But here it is anyway.

I was anxious the entire ride. I stared out the window mostly and thought about the conversation from the day before. I couldn't believe that Vincent had gone to visit my mother. I was still in shock that he wanted me to see her, but I know that he only wants to help, and I trust him. If he thinks it's a good idea, then I guess it's worth a try.

I took a deep breath as I walked into the small diner, I was flooded with emotions- fear, anger, sadness, and even joy. Yes, joy. Despite all the things that my mother did to me, she was still my mother and a part of me was glad to see her.

When I looked to the back, I recognized her immediately; it was like looking into a mirror. As I walked closer, I noticed her expression change from shock to horror. It really hurt to see her look at me that way, I was hoping that she'd at least be a little glad to see me after all this time.

"You're...pregnant," she said, I couldn't tell if she was asking or making a statement, but she sounded scared. She looked me in the eye and smiled briefly before the tears started to well up. "Please...whatever happens, please don't make the same mistakes that I did."

MISTAKE?! I thought to myself. She thought that stabbing me in the back with a knife was a MISTAKE?! And why the hell would I do that to my child! I was downright offended that she would even say that.

"You call stabbing my daught-" my dad started to say angrily, but Vincent put his arm out in front of him and shook his head.

"Yes and no," my mother answered. "A mistake is like an accident, and what I did was....not an accident. It was one thing though that I regret and I don't think that I'll ever be able to forgive myself."

I looked at her and I tried to understand, I tried but I just couldn't understand it. "But why did you do it ," I asked.

She got very nervous. "Please believe me when I say that I NEVER hated you. You were so perfect and you meant the world to me. But there were times when I thought that you were the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I thought that you were a mistake. And I thought that I hated you."

"I don't-" I started, but Vincent cut me off.

"Let her explain," he said calmly.

She continued, "It's complicated. I had my own problems and they were nothing to do with you."

All of a sudden, she froze. She held her head with her hands and her eyes were wide open; almost as soon as she did it, she regained her composure. I looked at her in shock and then I realized why Vincent said we had things in common.

"I'm sorr-" she started to apologize.

The next thing I knew, I had thrown my arms around her. I didn't even notice that I had done it until I felt her arms around me- embracing me. In all my life, this was this the first time that my mother had ever hugged me, and it felt real.

We finally ordered some food- Vincent paid for my mother's.

"Mom," I said, looking up from my plate, "I still don't understand why you did what you did or what you meant when you said not to make the same mistakes."

She sat up straight and looked at me nervously. "Shortly after you were born, I developed postpartum depression. The mistake that I made was not telling anyone. I put on a façade. I pretended that I was fine. But I wasn't. I thought that if anyone knew what I was really going through that they might have thought I was unfit to be a mother. They would have been right. But I cared about you. I loved you. And I couldn't bear the thought of losing another child."

My dad looked as if he had just remembered something he had forgotten long ago. My mother noticed my confusion and started to explain what she had meant.

"And soon after that, I... I....was..."

I noticed her eyes getting bigger and I could see the same fear in her eyes that I've had in my own. Apparently, postpartum was not the only thing that caused everything.

"It's alright," I told her. I could tell that it was causing her too much pain to talk about. "You can tell me later if you want. You don't even have to then if you dont want to."

"Thank you," she said trying to put herself back together. My mom looked at me with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry that you've inherited the same things as me. I'm just afraid...."

"You're afraid that she might develop the same mindset as you after she gives birth," Vincent continued calmly, to which my mom just nodded. "Well she won't," Suddenly his voice was a little harder and very serious. "She has learned not to keep things bottled inside. She has people that she KNOWS she can talk to and will support her and help her. She admits that she needs help and she is learning to cope and calm down when things happen."

By now, Vincent was holding my hand. He faced me and smiled at me reassuringly.

"And if she chooses, she has someone that has been through this to talk to," my dad said, he sounded reluctant and unsure about it though. But you could tell that he was trying to be forgiving.

I looked at my mom again, she was a little shaken up. "And you have someone to talk to now that understands you," I said. Then I thought about something. "You- you don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

She shook her head silently.

"Then-" I took a deep breath before I finished what I was going to say, "How about you come with us?"

She looked at me in shock. So did Vincent and my dad. I was also surprised by what I had just said. Did I really just invite the woman that tried to kill me years ago to come home with me? I thought. Then I mentally shook my head. No. No, she's not that same person. She's my mom. And I have a good feeling about this.

Tears filled her eyes again, "Are you su-"

"Yes," I confirmed. "I want you to come home with us. I want to start over."

I could see her trying to say thank you, but she was speechless. None of us could believe it. But, I really had a good feeling about this. This was going to be a new start for all of us.

BRAD'S POV

We were all getting ready to leave the diner when I looked at Rosette.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Rosette. Privately." I said. "You two can go ahead and wait in the truck."

They nodded, Arielle looked confused but she turned around and left with Vincent. I turned back to Rosette with a serious expression and sat back down in front of her.

"You and I both know what happened in the past," I started. "I had no clue what you were going through or how you treated Arielle and I wasn't there to protect her. But now I know. And even after all you've said tonight, I still don't think I'll ever be able to fully trust you."

She looked at me and sighed. "What are you trying to say," she asked me. "You've always had a lot to say before getting to the point."

Suddenly, I reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closer to me.

"My point is- now that I know what you've done- what you are capable of- you will never be alone with Arielle. I will ALWAYS be there, I will watch you like a hawk. And if you slip up- if you give me one reason to believe that you might hurt her, then you won't have to worry about going back to prison. Because I will make sure that you never have the chance to hurt her again. EVER." I warned her and released her wrist.

When I let her go, she pulled her arm close to her and I could see how red it was where I had grabbed her. She looked at me in terror. Arielle may want to have a relationship with her mother, but I wanted nothing to do with her.

Sooooo, what do you think. I actually kind of enjoyed writing this chapter. I don't know why. What are your thoughts on Rosette? Do you think that she's honestly changed? Or do you think that she's still the same as she was before? Also, her other daughter, do you want to know more about her? I was thinking about putting her in the sequal and she'd be important.


















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