Page 80 of Playing With Secrets
“Ava, you and I were never in love. We used each other on and off since high school. There was never going to be a future with you, so don’t change the reality of it all.”
“That’s your take on this situation, but it was never that way for me.”
I take a drink. “I’ve held up my end of the bargain for years. The world still sees us as the doomed on-and-off-again couple, so it won’t be devastating when we end it for good.”
“We agreed the last time we talked about this that you and I don’t have to be married like I originally hoped. It will kill my father, but in the end, I still get everything I want.”
“Like always, this is all about you.”
Ava hooks me with a glare, showing me she’s not fucking around. “The pregnancy has never been excluded. It’s the one thing your mother demands. I didn’t understand that clearly until this last visit, but that's her main desire.”
“Oh, Ava, don’t play me as an imbecile. The idea of this baby was your doing all along. There’s no way my mother was behind it. She walked out on her own sons to live a life with a kingpin mobster.”
“It was your mother’s idea,” Ava says through gritted teeth.
“Your logic isn’t adding up. And it’s starting to aggravate the fuck out of me.” I stand with my muscles tight and rigid.
Something in her eyes flashes with built-up hostility. The Ava I’ve known since she started blackmailing me in college cracks away and falls to the ground. The one who’s killing me with her eyes now is the Ava I knew before this predicament occurred.
She marches over to me and shoves her finger into my chest. “You need to hear me out. My trip to France wasn’t for my pleasure. I was summoned there by your lunatic mother. She hasn’t done that since Helena had Jack, so I knew it was serious.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you stay quiet, I’ll come clean with you about how this all came together over the years because I see now you don’t get it.”
“You’ve lost me. What are you saying?”
“This was never my idea. Do you think I want to be tied to you? The guy that’s made a fool out of me over and over.”
Ava’s eyes spin with a lifetime of loathing. “Hell, no. It’s been humiliating, but your mom likes doing that to anyone who ruffles her feathers.”
“I’m not convinced that you didn’t come up with this scheme. You’ve been after me for as long as I can remember.”
“That’s not true. I want a man who loves me and to have a child with him. I thought eventually I could change your mother’s mind, but she’s just gotten worse over the years.”
My world spins and my heart rate speeds up. I’m so lost right now. I’m trying to hang on to any semblance of reality, but I don’t think there’s any hope in that.
“Again, Ava. What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”
“I’ve been under your mother’s thumb all this time. Yes, it was a detail I hoped to keep from you because, at least before this, I had a shred of dignity. But now you’ve left me no choice. We’re running out of time.”
“What are you saying?”
“The woman who birthed you has her panties in a wad because she believes we’re toying with her intelligence.”
“You’ve always acted like she’s your friend. That makes me believe you’re part of this fucked up request.”
“Sure, I get along with her because it’s easier on me if I do, but she’s the one running the show. Not me. I’ve tried to hold her off from this crazy baby idea just as much as you have, but she’s not going for it.” There’s not a hint of deception in Ava’s eyes.
This really was my mother’s idea.
I jerk back and study Ava. The blood in my veins drains and leaves me empty.
All this time, I thought Ava found my mother to use her against me and to pay me back for Helena. Never in a million years did I think it was the other way around.
I sit bent over my legs and rest on my arms, staring at the floor. This is so much worse than I thought.
With this new awareness, I realize my mother’s in control. When I thought it was Ava, I had a fighting chance. With my mom, I’m more than fucked.
