Page 85 of Puck with Karma
Abby
“I can’t believe you would do this to me,” I yell at my mother.
I did black out for a minute but recovered quickly. And then, I lost my ever loving mind on all of them.
Now, as I am watching my mother and realize how conniving she is, I recognize that I never truly understood how far she would go for money and status. Me marrying Wesley would give her more clout at the country club. He may not have as much money as my parents, but his last name is more valuable.
“And you,” I point at my father. “I always thought you were different. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you were too busy making money to realize how uncared for your children felt…”
“Abigail.” His voice sounds gruff. He is not used to me raising my voice at him, or in general for that matter. “That’s enough.”
Tears spill out of my eyes in an instant. They’re not taking me seriously at all. I turn to look at Wesley.
“I’m so sorry they’re doing this to you.” I lick at my lips and wipe my nose on the sleeve of my shirt, much to my mother’s chagrin.
“Abby.” He sounds incredibly sad. He knows I won’t go along with this craziness.
“I have money,” I tell him. “I will invest in your company, even if I have to put everything I have in it. You’ll be okay.”
I then turn to look at my mother.
“I can’t believe you wouldn’t sign off on Grandma Trudy’s house. Shame on you,” I point at her. “What goes around comes around. And one day, you will be at someone’s mercy like Wes and his grandma are today.”
My parents are now looking at me like they’ve never seen me before in their lives. Although, I have to say that there might be a little bit of pride in my father’s eyes, while my mother looks completely horrified.
“Abigail Bennett,” she snaps at me. “You have lost your damn mind. I can’t believe you’d embarrass me like this. The press release has gone out!”
“I’ve lost my mind? Me?” I laugh, but I don’t find the situation humorous in the least. “You’re trying to manipulate people’s lives, force Wesley to marry me just so that he can have financial security for himself and his grandmother. How much more devious can you be?”
She rolls her eyes. “Devious.”
I don’t stop though, because I have so much more to say.
“I probably should’ve known you’d pull something like this at some point.”
I stick my hands in my hair and pull. This is becoming a very bad habit of mine. I don’t pull hard enough to remove my extensions, but I have this visceral need to get rid of them. I have no idea where this is coming from. My hair has been my pride for a long time. But, in this moment, I just hate everything about it.
“You’ve always done everything in your power to alienate your children.” A sob escapes my chest. “I have no relationship with my brothers because of you. It’s always been your way, or the highway.” I wipe my nose again with my sleeve. “I think it’s time I chose the highway, too.”
“What are you saying, Abigail?” She sounds cold and angry. This is when she will shut me out, just like she did with Brandon.
“I’m saying that I’d rather not be around you if all you see when you look at me is status and dollar signs.”
I look at Wesley again.
“You have my number. I am serious about investing in your company. Send me everything you have.”
“Abby, I…” There’s some hope in his eyes. “You don’t know what this means to me.”
“I do, Wes, I really do.”
I start walking out of the room when my father’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“I thought you and Wesley were in love.”
I drop my head, staring at the ground, sadness overtaking every fiber of my body. I hate talking about love anymore.
“I’m in love with someone else. Me and Wesley decided to take a break before I left for Minnesota.” I sound a lot calmer now. “We didn’t want to make it public just yet. We didn’t think it was anyone’s business. But… there you go.”
