<b>Chapter 121 </b>
Mason
A call came in before I could call my mom. It was the
voice.
I was on my feet immediately, wondering
he same number that sent the message. Immediately, the call connected, and I heard Zoe’s
Someone was holding her. “Where are you? What did you mean you ran away from home?”
phone. Can youe over, Mason?” She asked.
“This is not something that can be discussed over the
“Where are you now?” I already picked up my car keys. It’s just a few minutes past 10 pm, notte enough to be kept at home.
“I’m at Lydia’s friend’s home.”
Lydia’s friend? I searched my memory, wondering who amongst Lydia’s friends would take Zoe in. “Lydia has no friends,” I told her.
“She does. He was there at the hospital, Marcus.”
My pace quickened. Zoe was with that jerk? Why? “Why? How? You are alone with <b>a </b>man?”
“Rx, no need to get worked up.” There was a pause, and then she continued, “I had no choice, and he was kind enough to take me in.<i>” </i>She
said.
“What are you even saying?”
“Come over, let’s talk. I’ll send you the address.” She ended the call. She texted me the address, and I drove down like a madman.
When I got there, Marcus opened the door for me. “Hey man,” I tried to sound nice, knowing fully well that I do not like this man, but Zoe was here with him, and she sounded fine. Of all people to seek help from, why did it have to be this Jerk?
“Come in.” He opened the door wide enough for me to step in.
“Where is Zoe?”
He pointed to the side and told me to follow him.
“I’m here.” Zoe came into view. She wore pajamas. I threw a nce at Marcus. Why was she in a male pajama? No, that was the wrong question. Why didn’t he take her back home?
There was <i>no </i>way they both had… my eyes widened at that thought. “It’s not what you think,” Zoe said as though she knew what went through my mind.
I sat on a couch with Zoe sitting beside me. “I’ll be upstairs, call me if you need anything,” Marcus said, and without sparing me another nce, he disappeared into the room.
Now it was Zoe and I left. <b>I </b>crossed my hand over my chest and leaned backwards.
“Care to exin how you ended up here? In a man’s house and in his pajamas. Is he the reason why you ran away from home? You can’t possibly <i>be </i>seeing him, right?” It didn’t make sense to me. How was Marcus stuck between the most important women in my life?
She shuffled augh. “What are you thinking?” She asked. “Marcus actually helped me. You should be grateful. I had nowhere else to go, and it was getting dark. He recognised me and took me in his car.”
“Why didn’t he take you home, or my penthouse if he doesn’t have alternative ns?” I can’t shake the feeling that Marcus may <b>not </b><b>be </b><b>the </b>person he presents himself to be.
<b>1849</b><b>, </b>WEJ, 13 Aug (1-
<b>Chapter </b>121
<b>“</b><b>That </b><b>is </b><b>because </b><b>I </b>asked him not to” She sat straight, rubbing her hands on her pajamas. I raised a brow, “And <b>why </b>would you ask <b>that</b>?” | moved out of <b>my </b>chair, staring at her face, not wanting to miss any of her reactions.
“That’s because,” she inhaled sharply, fiddling with her hand, “I ran away from home, why would I ask him to take me back to a ce I <b>was </b>running from?”
I am confused. I saw her at home two days ago, and today she imed to have run away. Seeing the confused look on my <i>face</i>, she went on to exin.
“Mom has actually been keeping me grounded.” She said, I furrowed my brows, without waiting for me to ask questions, she went ahead to say. “Since the time I came back from the hospital after the transnt, my freedom and movement have been restricted.”
I knew Mom wasn’t in favour of Zoe giving a kidney to Mnie, but that has saved Mnie’s life, and Mnie is my child. it didn’t make sense for Mom to do this. “You don’t believe me?” Zoe’s voice sounds pained.
“I’m trying to, but as much as I think about it, there’s no reason for her to do that. Mnie is her granddaughter,” the love she showered on Julia’s fake pregnancy, was enough to know how much she’d feel on Mnie.
“I know she doesn’t like Lydia, but she wouldn’t go that far.”
“You still don’t know her, that woman, she’s worse than she seems,” Zoe said, through gritted teeth, she bit on her lower lip.
“That woman is your mom, Zoe, show some respect.” She scoffs and crosses her hands over her chest. I have never seen her like this. Looking so fierce and angry, “you think she has no reason to lock me in? Well, she does.”
She inhales sharply, “and what might that be?”
“She hates Lydia,” Zoe replied. “And she has done worse.” A look of seriousness blossomed behind her gaze. Her look sharpened, “I’ve been wanting to speak to you about what happened five years ago, to tell the truth and finally let go of this burden I’ve been with for the past years.” Her eyes reddened.
She pushed her hair back and continued, “She knows I want to speak to you about it and locked me inside.”
Confusion etched on my face, and I searched my memory for any significant event that happened five years ago. It finally clicked after a few seconds. That was when Lydia and I divorced after her affair with Jared, my stepfather.
What truth could Zoe be referring to? That’s a settled part of my life and not really a memory I love visiting.
“I still don’t understand why Mom would <i>do </i>that.” Maybe mom cares about me after all, knowing how much bringing back such a discussion would hurt me, she was trying to shield me.
Zoe shook her head, “Everything was a lie. Mom lied, and that’s why she is stopping me from telling you.”
I squinted, lunging forward. Zoe blinked the tears in her eyes away. “What do you
mean?”
“Lydia didn’t kill Jared,” she paused and closed her eyes, tears rolled down her face, “I did.” She said, opening her eyes. Her hands are linked together in front of her, and her chest is heaving and falling.
“What <i>do </i>you mean? Why would <i>you </i>kill him<i>?</i><i>” </i>
“Because…” she bit on her lower lip, and for a second, I was scared she’d draw blood from it. “He was sexually assaulting me,” her words came out as a whisper, but I heard them.
Maybe I heard wrong. Zoe began to shake; she pped <i>her </i>hands over <i>her </i>face. I stood and walked over to sit close to her. I wrapped <b>one </b>hand over her shoulders, pulling her close <i>to </i>me. “What do you mean?”
<b>18:49 </b><b>Wed</b>, 13 Aug
Chapter <b>121 </b>
When <b>she </b>finally steadied her breath, she raised her head. I held her jaw, turned her face towards me, and wiped the tears in her <b>eyes</b>.
“Jared<b>, </b>our stepfather, has been sexually assaulting me. It began one year after his marriage to Mom. I was still too timid, afraid to tell anyone. But Mom knew. She didn’t do anything because she didn’t want to ruin her marriage and…” She broke into another sob.
I felt my chest tighten, anger rose to my throat, desperately hoping this was a bad dream, that I wasn’t holding my sister who was crying about being sexually assaulted in the house we lived in together, and I had no idea.
“Lydia. She was the only one who ever stood up for me.” Sob, “that day, I decided to fight Jared back. But he was too powerful, Lydia walked in on us and tried to…” she inhaled sharply, her words breaking into another sob, “she tried to help me, but Jared was too strong, <b>and </b>while he was hurting Lydia, I…”
I fist my palm, my breath turned ragged, my head was spinning, I could already tell what happened, I shook my head, my hand around Zoe’s back fell to the side, my eyes turned blurry, “I shot him. I killed him. Lydia did nothing but tried to help me, and because mom hated her, she pinned the me on her, just to kick her out of your life.”
“Lydia never had an affair with Jared. If anything, she is nothing but a liar. I couldn’t defend her when Mom lied against her. I couldn’t…”
No, no, no, no, no.
I facepalmed myself, tears burned my cheeks as they rolled down.
“What have I done!!?”
AD
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