The Unbreakable (Ghost #3)

Chapter 19

Lia

Mother?!

Is she fucking kidding me?!

I can't believe it. I don't believe it.

"The fuck you mean, 'my mother'?" I seethe.

"It's just like I said, Amelia. I'm your mother. My name is Annalise Devereux. I gave birth to you eighteen years ago." The woman in front of me calmly explains, staring me straight in the eye as if she's willing me to believe her.

But it's just so outrageous.

"SO WHAT?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" I blow up, shooting up from my seat. I stand in front of the people who suddenly decided to destroy my life.

"I'm here to have my baby back." Annalise cries out and that's when I see how broken she is. Despite the expensive clothes she's wearing, there's this sadness and pain in her eyes that I'm only seeing now.

"Why now?" I sob. "Why not when I was with that son of a bitch Alexander? Why not when he abandoned me? Why not when I was homeless?! Why not when I was hurt?! WHY NOT WHEN I WAS ALL ALONE?! WHY NOT THEN?!?!" I yell with tears running down my face.

"I couldn't. – She exhales shakily – I couldn't. It could be dangerous to you."

"Dangerous?" Blake asks, pulling me back to him. As soon as I sit on the couch, he immediately puts his hand under my hoodie and rubs my back soothingly. He takes my hand in his, pressing a kiss to my knuckles before laying them both in his lap.

"Yes. Oh dear, this is so hard to explain." Annalise rubs her face tiredly.

"Well, try." I growl.

"Okay. When I met Alexander, I was married and I already had my three sons, Aiden, Ashton and Adrian. – she gestures at the guys standing by the window – But my husband was..." She trails off.

"A monster." Aiden finishes with a scowl. "Abusive son of a bitch."

"Yeah. And then I met Alexander. He was different, kind-hearted and gentle. I fell in love. But I couldn't divorce my husband, he wouldn't let me. And I couldn't just leave my sons behind with that man."

"But you could leave me." I scoff, curling up beside Blake, hugging his arm. He's my only anchor to reality, the only person I can rely on. I'm depending on his calmness to stay sane right now.

"After I got pregnant, my husband demanded that I abort the child. He knew it wasn't his. But I'd never hurt my baby. Once it was too late for abortion, my husband started taking out his frustration on me for not following his order. I did everything I could to not let this affect you, believe me, I did. Then he told me that if I give birth to you, he'll kill you. So I left you with Alexander and gave him enough money for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life so he could keep you hidden. I did it to protect you." I listen attentively to her explanation.

"If she gave him so much money, why did he go to those loan sharks?" Blake whispers into my ear, catching onto the same thing I did.

"What loan sharks?" Aiden clearly hears my man, unfolding his arms from his chest and taking a step towards us.

"It's nothing." I shake my head, still unsure about what I just heard.

"No, it's not nothing. What is it?" Ashton pushes, staring at me.

I turn to Annalise. "Your dear Alexander built up a huge debt with some shady people and tried to pin it on me. – I raise a mocking brow at her – Then came to me to take my inheritance to pay it back. Speaking of which, I still have no idea where it came from." I scowl, wordlessly demanding an explanation.