Melody's POV

Since we got home, Mom has locked herself up in her bedroom and will not come out. I have tried to get her out plenty of times, but she is not budging.

Maggie walks out of the kitchen and looks at me. "What happened at the cemetery? Please, don't tell me it's nothing? I know something went down." She leans against the wall, waiting for me to start talking."

"A mother and son ambushed us."

"Oh, no." Maggie covers her mouth. "What did they want?"

"They told us some things that might be true. Based on who the guy looks like, there's a possibility that he's our brother."

"Fuck that." Maggie looks into my blue eyes. "I don't want anything to do with this guy. You're my sibling, no one else."

A smile spreads across my face. "I told the pair to stay away from us. If they don't, the bodyguards will take care of them. While I'm away, I'll ensure they are with you. I don't like the idea that those two are around."

Mom opens the door to her room. She looks at me and holds her arms open. I step into them. "Thanks for telling, Maggie. I don't have it to talk to her about something like this. I know it's a mother's job to tell her child the truth, but what we discovered is something that I wish I could forget."

"Mom," I move her blonde hair from her face. "Can you tell me about this accident?"

"Oh," Mom's face pales. "Let's take this conversation to the kitchen. I prefer to keep an eye on the turkey."

"Okay," Mom's arms don't move from around me as we walk into the kitchen and sit at the dining table.

Maggie puts her arms on the table. "What accident?"

Mom and I sit side by side. She looks at me and says. "The accident that was supposed to kill Melody."

Maggie's mouth drops open. "Why are we hearing about it now?"

Mom takes my hand in hers. "You were three, and soccer was the sport you loved then. I took you to lessons, and we set up a soccer net in the front yard. You kicked the ball too hard and it went over the net. You chased the ball into the driveway, and a car drove straight toward you. Once it hit you, the driver sped off, and we never heard from the person until today." She closes her eyes. "There was so much blood." Her eyes open, and she moves her hand from front to back like she's seeing the blood again.

Tears begin to fall. "Mom, what happened next?"

"I..." Mom starts to choke up. "I thought you were dead. I screamed until someone called an ambulance. There was so much activity that I blocked it all out, because all that mattered was the three-year-old I had in my arms. The one I thought was going to die."

Maggie stands up and wraps her arms around Mom from behind. "Melody's okay, Mom. She's here with us. We need to make that woman pay for what she did."

That woman needs to pay for what she did. How do we get the proof that she was the driver who hurt a child? Can she be arrested for something that happened over twenty years ago?

Mom breaks down at the table. Telling us that it's all her fault that I got hurt.

I hate that she's blaming herself. It's not on her, but that crazy woman who showed up at the gravesite.

"It's not your fault, Mom. You need to stop with it. I'm guessing you haven't thought about it since it happened? I'm fine, there was no permanent injury to me. Except for the scars of the surgery." I lift my shirt to show her. "This is part of me. It shows that I made it through something that a child shouldn't have gone through because of a crazy woman. That's all she is and will ever be. Someone needs to take her son away, and I'm not asking you to do it, Mom. She guides his behaviour."

Mom squeezes my hand. "You're a smart woman. I'm proud of the woman you've become, and I will do my best to get that guy away from his mother. I will also make sure she gets what she deserves for hitting you with the car twenty-two years ago."

"Sorry, I can't be here to see you take her down. At least you will have Maggie backing you up. She will be the one for you to lean on."

The timer goes off, and we all jump because we're not expecting it.

Maggie turns off the oven, puts on gloves, and pulls the turkey out. It's golden in colour.

Mom stands up from the table and moves over to the turkey. "That looks great." She goes through a drawer and pulls out a thermometer. She puts it in the turkey and ensures it's cooked through. We wait for a bit, and then she looks at us. "It's cooked."

"We'll set the table while Maggie brings the dishes to the kitchen table," I say. I put some table runners on the table and grabbed three candles. I put them in the middle of the table and lit them.

Mom puts the cutlery on the table. Her head lifts, and she looks at us. "Damn it. There might be evidence of what happened to Melody. I have to call your Uncle."

"Uncle?" Maggie says. Do we have family that's alive?"

"Yes," she says, taking a step towards my sister. After Melody's accident, the family wanted nothing to do with her. No one came to the hospital to check on her, and after that, we packed our bags and moved away from them. Max is the one who knows everything that's happened with this family."

"Do you think he will help?" I ask her. "I'm guessing you know some of the family secrets to help you get what you want."

"I know a lot of the secrets from that house. Ones that they don't want getting out. Like the fact that your Grandfather has been unfaithful to his wife their entire marriage, and he has a bunch of bastard kids. That guy from the cemetery looks like your father, and he looks like his father, which made me realise that he is your father's half-brother. When I get everything I need, we will prove everything, and that woman gets paid her due." She picks up her phone. "I will be right back." Mom walks out of the room.

Maggie and I put all the dishes onto the table. I grab the carving knife and set it on the table. We sit at the table and wait for Mom to return.

When she walks back into the room, she has a huge smile on her face. "He's going to help me. After I tell him what happened, he wants in and tells me that no woman should claim that your father is there. That's when he wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"That's great." I look at Mom. "Do you want to cut the meat?"

"Sure," she begins to cut the turkey." Once finished, she puts the knife on the table and looks at us. "I'm thankful that my girls are under my roof again and that I get to spend time with Melody before she goes away.

Maggie and I hug Mom, and we stay like that for a couple of minutes before we pull away and sit in our seats.

Maggie looks between Mom and me before saying. "I'm thankful that Melody's talents were also handed out to me." She sticks her tongue out at me. "I can't wait to be on the stage with her. Singing songs that we created. Also, I'm thankful that Mom is the type of mother I want to be when it's my turn. Thank you for letting me tour with Melody when she returns to work."

Mom smiles at her. "That's sweet, what you said, Maggie. Are you trying to butter me up to let you go out on a date with the boy you serenade with that song?"

I start laughing.

Of course, Maggie would do that. Suck up to Mom before asking her something.

"When's the date?" I lean forward and wait for my sister to answer.

Maggie looks at her phone. "Drew wants to take me out tomorrow night. It's a holiday, so we don't have plans, do we?"

"Nah," I smile at her. "Tomorrow is my last night here. I will be flying out on Saturday with the Westbrooks."

"Are you sure about flying out with them?"

"I don't think it's the best idea, but changing my mind at the last minute won't look good towards the Boss."

"You're right." Mom agrees. "It won't look good. It's unprofessional that Mr Westbrook invited you on the plane."

Looking around the table at my family, I say, "I'm thankful for family. Thank you for being there for me during my lowest point and helping me get better every day."

Maggie stands up and rounds the table. Throwing her arms around me, she says. "I love you, Melody. This time away will do you good. I hope the asshole loses everything and ends up at his lowest."

She's good at turning things around and making it about someone else.

My stomach grumbles, and I look at everyone at the table. "I'm starving." We put the food on our plates and start eating.