Maxine’s heart ached as she held Jessica close. “From now on, I’m your mom,” she whispered. “No matter what you call me, I’ll protect you. Always. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Jessica buried her face in Maxine’s shoulder. “Okay…”
After a long pause, she murmured, so softly it nearly vanished: “Mom.”
Maxine’s tears fell freely, contagious until both cried to exhaustion. Only when Jessica finally slept did Maxine carry her to bed.
After tucking Jessica in, Maxine splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom.
Staring at her reflection, resolve hardened in her eyes. ‘Even if I cancel my plans abroad… even if I have to take Gabriel down with me–1 won’t back down a single step‘
Just then, Maxine’s phone rang. Sebastian’s name flashed on the screen.
A humorless smile curled her lips. ‘Predictable, she thought, answering with icy calm. “What?”
A weighted silence. “I heard about today… Brian was wrong today. Don’t hold it against him.”
“I don’t. Brian’s young–there’s time to teach him better.” Maxine’s voice sharpened. “But adults? Their mistakes aren’t accidents. They’re choices.”
Maxine scoffed, “Did you put those words in his head?”
Sebastian’s grip tightened audibly on the phone. “Maxine. Do you really think I’d do that?”
Maxine said flatly, “I don’t care what you do. Just make sure you teach Brian properly. If you let those ‘thoughtless words‘ today define who he becomes, that’s on you.”
Sebastian gritted his teeth. “Maxine, Brian is our son. He’d never-”
“Then why call Jessica a bastard? Kids don’t invent that language!” Maxine’s control snapped before she reined it in.
“Enough. We don’t need to keep circling this. You handle Brian. I’ll handle myself. End of story.” Before he could reply, Maxine hung up.
Remembering her meeting with Valerie tonight, Maxine hurried to her study and frantically began sorting through what evidence she had for the sexual assault case.
Truthfully, the files in her hands–photo albums of Ivanna and Nathan, their marriage certificate–were practically useless. Without Nathan’s identity or a clear link to Gabriel’s motives, they told her nothing.
But Maxine kept shuffling papers anyway. A nagging voice in her gut insisted: ‘Valerie might know something. Anything!
Maxine flipped through the album, pausing abruptly on the second page.
There was a teenage Nathan posing in front of a mansion. Maxine recognized him instantly–not just by the boyish features, but by the words in the photo’s corner: Nathan Smith, 2010.
The setting alone screamed luxury–manicured gardens, ornate architecture. “That’s weird, Maxine thought, tracing the faded edges. ‘He lived like this once. What happened?‘
1/1
