Page 84 of Sweet Venom

There. I said it.

She shook her head slowly, her long black hair blowing in the wind. She wiped away a tear from my cheek—one I hadn’t even noticed.

I cried?

I don’t remember the last time I cried.

“You do deserve sweetness,” she said gently. “And you sure as hell deserve me, my love. I know it. Your father knows it. Your aunts and uncles know it. You just have to believe it.”

Believe?

How do I do that?

I haven’t believed in anything good. Not ever.

Until her.

Until Mom found me.

And still, some things are too far out of reach.

Some dreams just weren’t meant to be dreamt by someone like me.

I swallowed hard, fighting back the emotion rising in my chest.

Even with the life she leads and the things she’s done, Mom is still good. Too good.

And me? I’m too dark. Too stained.

Full of things that rot people from the inside out.

I couldn’t let that touch them.

When the silence stretched too long, she sighed.

“Come on, Azariel,” she said, standing and offering her hand. “Let’s go inside before you get sick. It’s too cold out here.”

I stared at her gloved hand for a long moment, then finally took it.

I would always take it.

Even if I didn’t deserve it.

She saved me.

And I’m grateful.

We walked back to the house in silence. My mind was still a fucked-up mess. But one thing stayed clear.

She loved me.

Not by blood, but by heart.

And that—more than anything—hurt.

Because I didn’t know how to love her back.

Not the way she deserved.

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