WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND ADULT CONTENT

From the moment my mom laid eyes on Alec, she couldn't stop looking at him. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. She hasn't said a word since leaving the hospital.

"How is your dad?" Alec asks as we pull out of the hospital.

"He's okay. He's alert." I say, exhaling. "He had a heart attack. They are keeping him for observations and we can pick him up in the morning." 

"I'm glad he's okay, babe," he says, smiling at me and squeezing my hand gently. 

"Me, too," I say, and I really was glad. I thought I had lost him. I don't even want to think about that again. 

With the radio on low, the rain drizzling steadily upon the car, we travel down the road of my hometown. It hasn't been long since I left, yet so much has changed. I feel like a foreigner here. The truth is that I'm different. I don't fit in here any longer. Honestly, I don't think I have ever fit in here. 

The tension is palpable as we drive out of town toward my childhood home. It is just a few minutes out of town. Reaching over, putting my hand on Alec's leg, searching for comfort. He lays his hand over mine, and I can feel my mom's eyes boring into the back of my head. 

I know I need to say something to her, and I feel I need to comfort her, although I don't know why. It's not like she was ever there to comfort me for anything. It was always my dad. This woman, who calls herself my mother, who should have mother-like tendencies, is void of all of them. But here I am, feeling as though I owe her something.

Clearing my throat and gathering what courage I can, I break the silence in the car. "So, Mom, how have you been? How's work?"

"Things are fine," she says but says nothing else.

"Anything new going on in town?" I say, trying to make conversation.

"Nope," she says, obviously she doesn't want to talk. 

Alec squeezes my hand and glances my way. 

Giving him a reassuring smile, I glance out the window, expecting to ride the rest of the way to the house in silence.

"Where did the two of you meet?" my mom asks, surprising me with her question. She normally didn't ask questions about my relationships.

I'm uncomfortable with her getting into Alec and I's relationship. Tensing, I answer her vaguely, "Work."

"Ah," she says.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"Nothing. I was just curious," she says. "Your dad said that he talked to you, but he never mentioned a guy, and then you show up here with him." when she says "him," she says it like she is saying a dirty word.

"He has a name, Mom. It's Alec. We've been seeing each other for a while. I'm an adult and I don't have to make the information of my life available to everyone, especially to everyone here." I spit out. Why is it that everything she says always pisses me off? I literally can't have a conversation with her without it ending in an argument. 

My mom dares to laugh. 

I hate this woman so much. She has made my life hell for as long as I can remember. It is like it's her life mission to make my life as miserable as she is. I have never been able to understand why. My dad has always tried to protect me from her. I am missing his presence now, for sure. Trying to calm my nerves because the last thing I want right now is to fight in front of Alec. This is why I didn't want to bring him back here. I knew that this would end up happening. 

I guide him into the driveway waiting for her to get out of the car, thankful that he had kept silent and not spoken up to my outburst. She exits the car and stands outside my door, expecting me to get out.

Does she want to do this right now?

"I'll just be a minute. I'm so sorry for this." I say looking at Alec. I can see that he is upset. I feel bad, but I did warn him about my mother. Fucking devil incarnate. 

Pulling on the door handle, I felt so pissed off that I could rip it right off the door, and prepare myself for this argument with her. I climb out of the car and shut the door so that Alec doesn't hear whatever insults she throws at me. Some will be aimed at him if she's in her normal form tonight. 

I sigh looking at her, rubbing my forehead. "What else mother? What else could you possibly have to say?"

"You are so fucking selfish. You know that?" my mother spits out, her words like venom. I can tell she has been saving this the entire car ride.

"Selfish? I shriek. "Are you serious?" Throwing my hands up in the air. I don't even know why I'm giving her my time. It's always the same shit.

"Yes, selfish. You fucking left and he was sick. You don't even care. You don't care about anyone except yourself. You never have." She points at me. She has been doing more than drinking lately and whatever she has been on is wearing off because she is in total bitch-mode right now. I know better than to even play into this shit.

"Yeah, whatever. You're right. You're always right." I say sarcastically.

"You know Derek is missing you," she says smiling wickedly. I can see her hands are shaking from whatever she is detoxing from.

At this, I hear the car door open. Alec comes around the front of the SUV and stands next to me, but says nothing, although I can see from the look on his face that he's pissed.

"That's great of you, Mom. Real fucking typical." I say, trying to stay calm. She never even liked Derek to my knowledge. She's just throwing daggers; her usual. "Go inside, Mom. I'll bring Dad home in the morning." I turn around to leave, not wanting to argue anymore. It's been a long ass day.

"Yeah, run away. It's what you're good at doing little girl."

I'm done. I'm so fucking done. Alec grabs my hand and tries to stop me, but I pull my hand from his grasp, whipping around to face her.

"Fuck you, Mother. You know damn well why I left. Not that you ever gave a damn. Derek beat the shit out of me nearly every fucking day and you didn't give a fuck. So don't give me your shit about running away. I got out before he killed me." I'm in her face and it's taking everything in me not to hit her.

"Do it," she says, knowing me well enough to know what I want to do.

"You aren't fucking worth it," I say, my tone even, even though there is enough rage within me right now to rip her head right off.

She laughs sadistically. "You are my biggest fucking regret."

"Oh, trust me," I say, turning around to walk back to the car; back to Alec, "you've made me well aware of that my entire life." Choking back tears, from anger and hurt, I squeeze my eyes shut. I will not give her that satisfaction. If I cry now, I won't be able to stop. This day has been too much.

Alec shoots my mom a look that could kill but he says nothing, nor would I want him to. She isn't worth it.

As we back out of the driveway, I wonder why I was fated to have her as a mother and how different my life might have been had I had a different one. Someone who cared about, nurtured, and loved me like a mother was supposed to love their child. This is why I didn't want children. I didn't want to take the risk of damaging a child the way that I was damaged.

Shaking myself from my thoughts as we return to town, I look at Alec. He is all I have, and right now all I want to do is go up to the hotel room and lay in his arms. He must feel me looking at him because he glances my way as we pull in front of the hotel.

"I love you," he says leaning over and kissing me softly.

"Love you, too," I say,  as the valet comes around the front of the car. I leave Alec to deal with that, not really paying much attention, gathering my purse from the backseat. Alec closes the trunk after grabbing our suitcases. Getting out of the car, the valet opens the front door and climbs in the driver's seat before I am the whole way out. The energy shifts. It feels oddly familiar.

"Kelsey," I hear from a bone-chillingly familiar voice. It can't be. My stomach drops and my blood turns to ice. 

Alec is beside me, closing the door as I stand there in stunned silence staring as Derek pulls off with the rental.