“You knew. You knew my mother was the only family I had. And you knew how much it meant to her to see me walk down the aisle in white. And Piper fucking destroyed it!”
Did he really not understand why my mother was desperate to make money?
Colin’s family had looked down on us from the start. His parents barely tolerated me. And my mother—God, she tried so hard to make me worthy in their eyes. That’s why she went to Piper, thinking maybe this time, things would be different.
I could still hear the officer’s voice in my head: “Your mother tracked those people down to try and get her money back. She didn’t know they were part of an organ trafficking ring. They butchered her and took everything they could use.”
I couldn’t stop crying. Each word came out like a blade. “If it weren’t for Piper and her mother, none of this would’ve happened. All I want is justice for my mom and you want to keep me from that?”
“Enough, Anneliese!” Colin barked, his face suddenly dark. “Piper was scammed too. She lost everything. And you? Instead of showing any compassion, you’ve been running around spreading that she’s your dad’s bastard child. Do you even have a heart?"
"Compassion?" I let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "What about my mom? She died in the most horrific way!"
“She died because she got greedy and made stupid choices,” he scoffed. “Piper had nothing to do with it. Don’t even think about laying a finger on her.”
His voice was frost-edged now. I shook from the inside out.
I gripped the front of my shirt like it would hold my chest together. The floor blurred under the torrent of my tears.
“Colin,” I whispered. “Have you forgotten? When you were kidnapped—who risked everything to save you? Who fought off those men with her bare hands?”
“And what about the day she was in that hospital bed and you knelt at her side and promised you’d never hurt me? That you’d take care of me for the rest of your life?”
His jaw clenched, his expression hardening. “Don’t throw ancient history in my face. I’ve given you and your mom everything for years—food, clothes, status. Whatever debt I had, I paid it off a long time ago.”
Then, as if to twist the knife deeper, he let out a bitter laugh.
“This is about money, isn’t it?”
He flicked the check at me again. It sliced across my cheek, drawing blood.