Chapter 69

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

ZAIN

The room is silent after Ashley walks out. No one speaks. No one moves. No one, that is, except me. I drop my silverware to the plate with a clatter, and lean back on my seat.

"Nice to see some things never change." My words are delivered in an amused drawl that is at complete odds with the anger coursing through my veins. "Sondra, you're still a fucking bitch. You know high school ended years ago, right?"

"Zain." Mom's voice is a soft warning.

My attention swings to her. "I love you, Mom, but stay the fuck out of this. I know it's hard, but you have to deal with the fact I'm not a twenty-year-old kid anymore. I'm thirty-four. A grown man, who has been living under a system that you will never understand. I'm not a naive kid, and I do not need you or anyone else to monitor what I'm doing."

"Son." My dad speaks up, which I knew he would. He will never allow anyone to treat his wife with anything but respect.

"No. You have all just made my wife uncomfortable. This is the woman I've chosen , and you are all treating her like shit."

I ignore the little voice in my head informing me that I'm treating her much worse. I know I am. But I have my reasons, and it doesn't mean I'm going to let anyone else do it.

"If you can't accept my choice, then I'll go get her and we'll leave. The interview can be held at my place instead."

"Zain, please. You're overreacting. No one is trying to make Ashley feel unwelcome. It's just … difficult. You have to understand that while you might find it easy to forgive her, we can't," Dad says into the charged silence that falls after my words.

"You knew damn well what would happen if Sondra was here." My attention swings back to the blonde. "Why the fuck are you here anyway? For someone so concerned about me, I didn't hear from you the entire time I was inside. Why now? What do you want?"

"I don't want anything, other than for you to be happy. When I saw her in town, I knew she was going to cause trouble. And she is. Look at the damage she's caused here. You married her, Zain. Married! You've been out of prison for four days, and you've married the girl who put you there. Why? Why would you do something like that? I'm worried about your mental health. Since you came home, you've been running around like a crazy person. You've barely been home, or spent time with your family. You've chosen her over the people who love you. Are you out of your mind?"

"What I choose to do with my time is none of your fucking business."

"It is when I see it hurting my aunt Heather. You weren't here, Zain. You didn't have to deal with the fallout from what happened after your arrest. But I was. I'm the one who's been here every day. I'm the one who took care of your parents when they couldn't leave their home because of the paparazzi hiding outside looking for stories and photographs. You're not the one who had to watch your mom crying whenever someone reported on the monster who killed two people in their bed. I was . So don't you fucking dare tell me it's none of my business."

"Children, please." Mom slaps a hand to the tabletop, making all the dishes rattle. "Enough! I will not have this. I will not . If you cannot behave, then leave. Both of you!" She stands up and walks out of the room.

"I hope the pair of you are happy." Dad follows her.

"Fucking ecstatic," I mutter.

"She was so happy when she was told you were being released. She waited for you to call." Sondra's voice has lost its sharpness. "I sat here and watched as she jumped on her cell every time it rang. I had to watch the disappointment when the person on the other end wasn't you. You're not the only person Ashley's testimony destroyed, Zain. And you're more of a monster than the newshounds claimed you were if you can't see that."

She stands up. "I hope you're happy, cousin. I hope everything works out the way you want. But don't expect me to welcome your new bride with open arms. Not when I had to live through the devastation she caused."

She follows my parents out of the room, and I'm left in the dining room alone, with the echo of her words repeating themselves in my head.

I stand and look down at the table. Most of the plates are empty, except Ashley's … because she didn't eat a fucking thing. I wa lk around, picking up the plates and stacking them into a pile, then carry them through to the kitchen, before returning to the dining room for the rest of the dishes. It takes me a couple of trips but eventually I have the table empty, and everything rinsed and stacked ready to go into the dishwasher.

The entire time, my mind replays the argument with Sondra in my head.

Did I miss the signs of how my mom felt? I don't think so. But do I know her as well as I used to? How much has she changed while I've been gone? Did I really have the right to dump Ashley on her without any notice?

Rubbing the back of my neck with one hand, I figure out which door hides the dishwasher and fill it up, then turn it on.

I don't see anyone as I walk through the house and up the stairs. I can't even hear anyone talking. Once I reach my bedroom, I stop.

Ashley will be inside. If she didn't run away while we were all in the dining room. My gut says she hasn't, but there's still an unwanted surge of relief when I open the door and see the huddled figure in the center of the bed.

I open the dresser and take out clean clothes, then walk over to the closet to collect the bedding I put in there. With everything balanced in my arms, I go into the bathroom.

Shower, and hopefully some sleep. Tomorrow I have to put the next part of the plan into action, and I'm going to need my wits about me to make sure it happens the way I need it to.