Fallen Crest Family (Fallen Crest High #2)(62)

"Uh." I blinked again, clearing the memories.

"Logan!" My mom shrieked. She tried to bat him away as he kept a restraining hand on one of her arms. James ducked his head into her side. A scratch was on his cheek, some blood already spilled from it. "Get away from me!"

He hissed when she swung down again, but jumped back. She sagged forward, crumbling to the floor before she slapped a hand to the ground and pushed herself back up. Her eyes were wild, her hair was a mess, and the front of her dress was ripped. A tan bustier covered her up, but the dress was in ruins. She started to grab it and rip it off, but I stepped towards her.

She stopped. Her eyes jumped to mine, widened, and her mouth opened.

"Stop."

She did.

As I took another step closer, Mason murmured behind me, "Sam."

I shook my head. He didn't move away, but he didn't stop me. Logan straightened as well. The adults grew still, but James spoke, "I don't think this is the best—"

"Shut up, dad!" Logan barked at him.

There was movement behind me. I sensed it, but I could only stare at my mother. She was alone now, and her hand started to tremble. "Samantha—"

"I said, stop."

She clamped her mouth shut, but stood to her tallest height. Her chin lifted. Her shoulders squared back and the wildness in her eyes calmed down a notch. But she was still mad. I could see it.

I no longer cared. "You took them away from me."

She winced as if I had slapped her. "Honey—"

I held a hand up and she quieted. Then I shook my head. My stomach twisted into knots and the need to throw up was climbing in my throat. I felt it coming, but I couldn't deal with any of that. She made me sick. I'd never get that feeling out of me. My throat felt raw. "You took David away from me."

She grimaced again. Her head turned to the side as if I really had slapped her.

"You threatened Garrett from me?"

She didn't respond.

"Did you?"

She bit her lip. A sob convulsed from her, but she nodded once.

I gripped my stomach. The betrayal was there. I wished that she would've stabbed me. It would've been less painful than what I felt now. When would she stop hurting me?

I pressed on, whispering, "You kept him from me all my life."

"Sam," she choked out.

"Shut up, woman!" Logan surged next to me. "Let her talk."

Mason stepped closer to me. He didn't touch me, though I expected him to, but he was there. I knew he was there, in case I fell.

"You took my little sister from me?" Helen said Analise tried to kill herself, but that wasn't true. That had been the lie concocted to cover it up. She had committed murder.

"Oh god," she whimpered now. Her face crumbled, and she slipped to the floor. A hand held onto the counter, but it didn't help her. She held on, helplessly, as she curled into a ball on top of the tiles.

"Or did I have a little brother?" The question was ripped from me.

Her shoulders shook now and a sob sounded out. It was low and feral. It came from her core, but I didn't care. Not anymore. I knelt at her head, but she had it pressed into her knees. Tears and blood slipped over her skin. I didn't care where the blood had come from. I didn't even care that she was crying.

I whispered to her, "Did I have a little sister or a little brother?" It meant something to me. I needed to know. I had never asked. I had been too scared for too long, and then I had forgotten. "Mom!"

"Both!" she screamed. Her voice was muffled, pressed against her knees.

I stumbled back and fell. I could only stare at her in shock. Both? She was going to have twins?

She sobbed out, "Both! I was going to have twins. That's why there was so much blood loss. That's why I almost died. I wanted to die. I wanted to die…" Her shoulders shook with renewed frenzy as more sobs came from her.

Disgust flared within me.

Then I was being lifted back onto my feet. Mason had reached down and picked me up. He held me in front of him, but I shook my head. I wasn't ready to go so he waited. His hands never left my hips.

"You bitch."

Analise's entire body jerked from a tremor, but she didn't look up. She stayed in her ball and she kept crying.

No one went to help her.

I couldn't look away from her now. The great and almighty Analise was at my feet, literally. I'd been so scared of her for so long, then I had been angry at how selfish she was, but now I remembered so much more. She would never change. She had never been a mother to me. She never would.

There'd been so many questions swirling in me. How much had she paid David to stay away from me? No, how much had James paid. My mother had no money. She had nothing except for James and me, but she didn't have me anymore. I was done with her. But my little brother and sister. She had taken them from me. I gasped as the vomit almost came up. It was at the top of my throat. It wanted to spew out, but I pushed it down. I wouldn't let her see that reaction from me.

"Come on," Mason whispered in my ear. His hand curled around my arm, and he tugged me back.

I didn't move. I couldn't.

He bent and picked me up. I curled into his chest as he took me out to his car. As he placed me in the seat and clipped the seat belt for me, I couldn't move. I should've, but my insides had been gutted empty. She had done that—she had taken everything inside of me and ripped it all out. There was so much damage inside of me. I was damaged. How could anyone want to be around me? I was my mother's child.