Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You don't know shit,” he said gruffly.
“No. No, I don’t. But what I do know is she loves you. I don’t know what happened and I’m not going to say aloud who she is. But she is hurting and so are you.” My heart broke for him as I watched his face contort. I didn’t know what had happened to Daimon, but I wanted to fix it, to make it better for him, to ease his pain and take it all away.
“Never meet with her again,” he spat out.
“I’m not going to promise that,” I said calmly.
“Addie, she has nothing to do with us or me. So do me the favor and avoid her calls.”
“No. I like her and I know she likes me.”
“You don't even know her,” he snarled.
“No, but the woman I met today seems like a good person and I'm not going to write her off because you want me to,” I fired back.
“Yeah, an alcoholic who was cast away by my father. She never once came to get me. Not once came to see how I was,” he said roughly.
“Did you ever think your father may have a hand in that?” I said, trying to calm him down.
“She could have taken me with her,” he bit out.
“I'm sure there was a reason why. Daimon, she loves you completely.”
“Do you have any idea how it feels to see her drunk all the time,” he said as he threw off his coat and began pacing the living room. “Every fucking time I snuck around to go see her, she was drunk. Lost in her own little world, not once thinking about me and what her leaving had done!” he shouted.
“Daimon…”
“My father said he loved her, but then she got old and was useless. He threw her aside and got himself a younger woman. The one you thought was my mother. Not once did he ever tell me where my mother was. I had to find out by myself.” he began, beating his chest.
I stood transfixed as Daimon, the strong, dominate male who ruled my life with an iron fist, the one who tormented me all throughout high school, began to fall apart in front of me.
“Daimon,” I breathed.
“She left me!” he cried out. “She left me there to fend for myself!”
“If she did, she did it to survive.”
“Yeah, what a life she leads now, one bottle at a time. Do you know how many times I found her unconscious in her hotel room? I got so fed up of having her in my life that I cut her out. That’s what I want you to do. I want you to cut her out. You are to never see her again,” he pointed at me warning me.
“You don't control me. I am going to do what I think is best for you and for her,” I fired back.
“Damn it, Addie! You want me to say it? Is that it? She’s my mother, an alcoholic who takes pills to survive. I don’t want her to taint you, just like you don’t want your shit to taint me,” he barked.
Daimon’s breathing was labored as he held his ground. His hands were by his waist as he glared at me, his wondrous eyes, a watery blue. His words were a threat, but his eyes begged me to listen. I relented and walked to him. I stood before him as I reached out my hand and held his face. He lowered his head as silent tears fell onto my palm. I reached out with my other hand and pulled him in. He came willingly into my arms. We both collapsed onto the ground as I held him. Hearing his soft cries only made it more agonizing. I held him until he stopped. His pain was so real and heart wrenching that I couldn’t help but want to hold him closer still. I pulled him in as tightly as I could, but Daimon pushed me away. He stood up and turned his back to me.
“Don’t you dare pull away from me, not now,” I snapped. “It’s okay to hurt, Daimon. You’re not a machine.”
“I’m going upstairs,” he said quietly.
“Daimon, it doesn’t make you any less of a man if you cry. It’s your mother. Of course it’s going to hurt. Her leaving caused you pain.” But Daimon ignored me as he continued up the stairs. “Can’t you at least trust me and let me in? I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Daimon disappeared upstairs in our bedroom. “Why can’t you just let me in?” I shouted out in frustration.
I eventually walked into the bedroom. The lights were off as Daimon lay on the bed. I closed the door leaving Drako outside. Slowly walking around the bed, I undid the small knot that held my silk robe together, which hid my simple white slip. My skin peppered with goose bumps as my nerves got the better of me. Daimon lay with his eyes closed. He had changed into his regular long lounge pants and nothing else. I eased myself slowly down onto the bed.