Page 71 of His Little Secret in Discretion
“No,” I hissed into the silence, voice breaking. I’d bled myself dry to keep him safe. Worked myself numb. Let men with power chew me up and spit me out, all so he’d never have to crawl back to this. And still… still he went digging. He did the one thing he swore to me he’d never do.
Tears blurred, hot against my lashes, but the rage beneath them burned steadier. Stronger.
“Not again. You don’t get to do this to me. Not after everything.”
He wasn’t going to fucking do this. Not to himself. Not to us. And definitely not to me.
I slammed the cupboard door so hard it rattled the dishes in the sink, the crack of it like a gunshot in the empty apartment. My whole body shook, but the rage held me upright, steadied my hands.
Felix thought he could play me like this. My uncle thought he could slip back into that hole again while I stayed cleaning up behind him, giving sympathy, patience, support, compassion, kindness, warmth like I always fucking did… but this time? I wasn’t going to let it happen again.
I snatched my bag from the counter, keys biting into my palm. My pulse was hammering so hard it was all I could hear.
I didn’t even bother wiping the tears off my face. I let them streak. Let the world see what I’d been holding together.
I’d given him everything. My time, my money, my heart, my sanity. I sold myself to keep him off the streets, to keep him sane,to keep him human, and what did it get me? What the fuck did it get me?!
The cry ripped out of me, raw and ragged, before I could stop it. My vision blurred, my body trembling, but I didn’t let myself collapse.I couldn’t.Not when every second wasted was another second he slipped further away. My bag was in my hands, my feet already carrying me out of the complex. If I didn’t find him now, I’d lose him forever.
But deep down, I knew I’d already lost him long before tonight. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it.
It didn’t take me longer than thirty minutes to find him outside a rundown casino three blocks away, slouched against the brick wall, using the building to practically keep himself upright. His hair was damp with sweat, his shirt untucked, the smell of whiskey clinging to his skin.
The casino lights buzzed overhead, neon humming against the darkness, and somewhere down the block, a group of strangers laughed as if the world hadn’t just split open at my feet.
“Uncle Wes.” My voice cracked around his name. He didn’t even flinch.
“Uncle Wes… Wesley,” I said, firmer.
He finally seemed to come to. He looked up, squinting like the streetlight was too bright. A sad smile slid over his face. “Hey, kid.”
“What… What are you doing here?” I asked.
He shook his head, running a hand down his face.
“Just… having a rough night,” he practically slurred.
I scoffed. “A rough night?!” My voice rose an octave or two, and he blinked at me, as if he couldn’t understand why I wasn’t softening for him the way I always had. Probably wondering why I wasn’t using my sympathy tone with him either.
“You’re in rehab.” My voice was shaking now, and I could hear the edge of hysteria creeping in. “You were supposed to begetting better.”
“Iwas— I… Christ, Iamkid,” he said quickly, stumbling over the words.
“Then where’s the money?” My voice was sharper now. He looked like a deer in headlights, his eyes searching mine as he tried to find the words.
“Maia, I was doing fine, I swear. But I… I needed a break. Just one night to clear my head—”
I cut him off. “Where is the money?”
He gulped softly. “I needed it.”
Hot tears leaked from my eyes as I shook my head. “You needed it,” I seethed, but he couldn’t even look me in the eye. “That was for emergencies, Uncle Wes.”
“I know it's from Felix.”
“Even if it is, that's not the point. I was going to throw it away, but I kept it forus. Not for you to gamble it all away.”
“I was gonna win it back. I-I still can. I just need a little more time, I—”
