Текст книги "Never Give Up"

Автор книги: Heidi Lis

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

THE NEXT FEW days were pretty much the same, although I had the office running like a well-oiled machine. Trevor is off and running, finally able to concentrate only on his job duties. In doing so, it has taken a lot of pressures off Matt and Micah. With me running the front, everyone’s morale seems to be on the upswing. Every day I’ve feel more comfortable in my role at Taylor Securities, finally letting Micah, and I relax for a change. I had no idea all the cool things our company has to offer and what different types of security we provided to our clients. It’s impressive and a big change from dentistry.

Today, is a day I’m dreading. Micah had to be in the office early for an appointment with a client. I told him I’d rather come in later when the office opened. We’ve been riding together every day, but I just needed some time to myself, because today will be hard enough for me. I have yet to tell him, and I’m not sure if I even should, at this point. Some reminders are just too painful.

Taking my time walking into the office my cell rings, digging in my purse, I find it and press call without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello.”

“Hey, El.” A voice I flatly did not expect to hear hits me until I realize what this day holds for me. Why am I surprised to hear his voice? Of course, he’d reach out to me.

“Hey Nick, it’s nice to hear your voice.” I stop walking and slide against the wall, I’m left breathless just hearing the voice that has been my calming force for so long.

“Just wanted to say I’m sorry for the way I acted, I’ve been going back and forth with myself if I should even call you today. I guess,” his voice trails off but I can hear his deep breathing. “I’m just thinking about you.”

I have to sniffle, as a big lump forms in my throat.

“That is so sweet of you, and I appreciate it. I’m lost here.” I hate to admit it, but when my hands start to shake, I’m overcome with the urge to run and find a place to hide for a while.

“Does he know?”

“No.” My sigh comes out with a half hazard laugh. “I’ve yet to tell him. Not sure any good would come of it.”

“Elsa, I have no answer for that. To be honest, when it comes to him I couldn’t give a shit. For you, I’m wrecked. I know how hard this day has been for you. Even after all this time.”

Wiping away a torturous tear, I head straight for the bathroom. Undoubtedly at the same time, Micah walks out from his office with a very tall, voluptuous, blonde beauty. His smile from ear to ear is the first thing I happen to notice. Secondly, the way her hand is gently resting on his shoulder, in a way that implies she’s familiar with him, does not sit well with me. He’s yet to notice me, so I rush to the bathroom, hopefully going unnoticed.

“Shit,” I whisper.

Hiding out in the bathroom won’t help me one bit, but it buys me time to gets my wits about me. I spend a few minutes convincing Nick I’m okay, and I’ll chat with him soon. That satisfies him, so I’m off to start my day.

Rounding the corner to sit at the desk, I see Micah chatting with the same blonde, still smiling ear to ear only now he’s put distance between them. He’s behind the desk, and she’s enthusiastically leaning over it, exposing her chest. My immediate reaction is to gag, but instead I walk up putting my arms around him, staking my claim. Work or no work, she needs to realize he’s not available.

That does the trick because her eyes narrow, shooting daggers straight at my smiling, perky face.

“Hey babe, I was wondering where you were?” Micah sweetly says turning to give me an affectionate hug. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was trying to send a message to his overly eager client, too. Either way, it works for me. I’m the one who he has his arms wrapped around tightly.

“Micah, you never said you had a lady friend.” With an eyebrow arched, she questions him in a less than warm tone.

What? Who the hell says lady friend now days?

“Well.” Micah shifts his weight a few times looking extremely out of his comfort zone. “It never came up because Elsa is my personal life, and is none of your business. We only discuss business Carla.”

He says matter of fact, and I have to say, he handled her perfectly.

“Oh, don’t play cool because she’s standing here.” She says way to condescending for my liking.

I’m not sure if she’s trying to get a rise out of me more or him, but I swear I can see her daggers coming out.

Her grin mischievous. “We both know differently.”

Her first attempt did not draw a reaction, so she just had to try again. Only this time she’s tapping her red nails on her lower lip.

Coughing or choking, I’m not sure which, but Micah had to take a minute to respond.

“Excuse me?” He’s face reddens when I pat his back trying calm him before he goes off on his client. It would seem she views her working relationship quite differently than Micah does.

“Micah, seriously forget it. Let’s talk installation dates?” She’s dismissing her inappropriate comments, with a subtle shrug of her shoulder and an eye roll to boot. My mouth is hanging open. I stare at her wondering what the hell? I slowly slip around Micah, distracting myself by filing the latest papers on my desk.

“Okay, let’s keep our conversations strictly business and we’ll get along just fine.” Micah says matter of fact.

Not sure if she can notice, but she just dodged a bullet, if not from me, definitely from Micah. He shrugs off his anger looking for dates to install her new security system.

“Whatever.” She says with an annoyed sigh.

AN HOUR LATER, I get a phone call from my mother wanting to see me. Odd, since I’ve not spoken to either of my parents since that dreadful day. I realize why she’s calling, and I decide it’s a battle I don’t want to have with her today, so I agreed to meet her over lunch.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Micah asks me again for the tenth time.

“I’m sure, let me find out what she wants. I’ll call you later.”

He knows my mood is off today and that something is bothering me. He’s annoyed because I won’t talk about it with him. To be honest, I just want to forget it. Unfortunately, Nick’s phone call does nothing to help me forget, even though his heart was in the right place. Can’t fault the guy, he has a big heart.

“Mom, where are you?” I call out entering the house. It’s so quiet, it’s downright eerie.

Walking to the kitchen the first thing I see is their mail spread out on the table. But, no mom! No noise. It’s as if she’s not even here. Getting myself a glass of sweet tea, I’m sitting at the table looking at a magazine, wondering if I can find ideas for my new home. I could surprise Micah with a few great decorating ideas.

An envelope slips from the magazine, falling to the floor, I almost missed it, but what catches my attention is the odd shaped envelope. It appears to have some photo’s inside. Picking it up, I notice the name scripted on the front. “That’s just plain odd,” I mutter with a sigh. The name on the return address is from a Carla Mitchell.

Wait a minute, that’s the name of the dragon lady drooling all over Micah, earlier today. The same woman who was rude as hell to me on the phone the other day? It’s too much of a coincidence not to be the same person, is the only thing I can think. Totally intrigued, I tear it open, without another thought. not even thinking anything of it. My mom’s not here to ask, so why not?

Upon opening the envelope, I see a letter and a few pictures. How bizarre would it be if this is the same Carla Mitchell? Wanting to see if she is in the photos I inspect them carefully. Okay, I see a black lab puppy sitting with a little boy. Cute. Looking at the next few it’s more of the little boy but not one of Carla Mitchell. Huh! Not thinking anything I read the letter.

Dearest Cindy,

Just wanted to send you a few pictures so you can see how he’s growing. It’s amazing how fast time goes. Just got settled into our new home, I’m a bit of a nervous nelly, so I called a security company to install the security alarms for us. Dan is gone all the time for work, and I get lonely and a bit scared at night. Will send more pictures when I can.

Love,

Carla

Well, that answers that question, this is the same Carla. I now know she’s a lonely housewife looking to get my boyfriend to give her some wanted attention. Too bad for her, I will rain on her parade…soon if need be. What is weird is the fact she knows my mom. Were they old friends, or what?

Just then, my mom comes down the stairs looking a bit worse for wear. Wow, I can’t help thinking I’ve never seen her look so distraught before.

“Mom, are you okay?” I damn near jump out of my chair to give her a hug when she motions with her hands to stay seated.

“Hey sweetie, I’m not feeling the best. Better now that you’re here, though.”

Her eyes trail to the mail on the table. Her face freezes as she eyes the letter and picture in my hands.

“Wh…what are you doing with my mail?”

Looking at my hands, and slightly embarrassed she caught me with her mail, I let out a slight laugh.

“This is so weird, but your friend here is a client of Micah’s. I met her today and let’s just say she’s taken with my boyfriend.”

“What?” Her shaking hand lingers over her mouth as every bit of color drains from her face.

“How do you know her?” I had to ask, this was just weird not to know.

“Um…I’ve known her for a few years. I didn’t know she contacted Micah, guess I had no idea he ran a security company.”

Yeah, I spend the next half hour filling her in on all the new things happening with me. Starting with the fact I’m now living with Micah. She spent the half hour looking like a deer caught in a headlight. I’m not sure she even heard half of it, but it was one of the most uncomfortable talks ever. We’ve not had a close relationship over the years and right now she seems very interested. Whatever!

“Mom, what did you want when you called?”

“I wanted to apologize and wanted to…tell you something, but now I’m not sure.” The way her words trail off I continue to look at her, wondering what the hell I missed. She’s just not acting right. I hope she's not sick and afraid to tell me.

“Okay, well if that’s it, I need to get back to work.”

“Elsa, I know what today is… how are you?” Okay, now I realize she’s not sick this visit was more of a fishing expedition.

Oh God, I just knew this was coming.

“Mom, I’m fine. It’s over, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Three years ago today you weren’t. This happens to be the day I thought we lost you…for good.”

Not the time or the place and I’m not in the mood for a stroll down memory lane. I’ve had one reminder with Nick’s phone call, and now my mom. She takes Carla’s letter and photos from me and stuffs them in her purse. I make a mental note to talk to Micah about this lady.

Wasted lunch trip, I head back to the office without even bothering to call Micah. I’ll see him soon enough, this just gives me a few more minutes to listen to music while driving back to the office. Upon getting out of my car, I don’t even get my door closed, and Micah comes storming towards me.

Holding his hands up, he’s visibly upset. “Elsa, no more messing around. Tell me what’s bothering you and what the hell lunch was about?”

Well, no time like the present.

“Okay.” Biting my lip, I’m frantically searching for next words carefully. “Three years ago today, my parents found me unresponsive. I ended up in the ER and was watched over for a few days.”

“What the hell?” He definitely was not expecting that I’m sure. To lighten the moment I let out a hint of a laugh.

“Listen, it’s not what you think. Everyone thinks I tried to end my life, but that is not true. I took some pills to get rid of a migraine, only I took my dad’s pills from his cabinet. I took the wrong ones and nearly overdosed.”

“Baby, please tell me you didn’t…” I can see it in his eyes, and I hate it. This is the one reason I never wanted to tell him.

“No, Micah, and don’t look at me like that. My migraine was so bad I accidentally picked the wrong bottle. I knew my dad had some powerful pain medications for his back. Honestly, I picked up the wrong bottle. I read the dosage wrong and took more than I should have.”

It happened so fast, he grabbed me, instantly crushing me in his arms, asking me if I’m telling him the truth. I tell him the whole story of how my parents and even Nick did not believe me. They seriously thought things got too hard, and I wanted to end my suffering. Not true, but how many times can you continue to say the same things only to have no one believe you.

What started out as a quick discussion ended up being a four hour long ordeal in Micah’s office while Matt and Trevor covered the phones and clients. Most of the time, I spent crying, trying to convince Micah how much of a mistake it was. A costly mistake but a mistake nonetheless. Pity was the last thing I wanted, especially from him. I got that from Nick and my parents for a long time afterward and if he dares to pity me, I might lose it all together.

Sitting on the small couch in his office, I decide to change the subject.

“Hey, did you know Carla Mitchell is a friend of my mother’s?”

Micah does a double take. “What? Um, hell no.”

“Yeah, I saw a letter and pictures she sent my mom. What a coincidence.”

“Weird, I was thinking of turning her back over to Matt to handle for the installation.” What a relief.

“Good idea.”

It sounded good until Matt laughed and explained it was a big enough job it would take Micah and Trevor’s help to get the job done. I swear Matt loved to see his brother squirm, he made sure to point out once she laid her eyes on Micah, it was lights out for Matt. He held her attention up until that point. Trevor, the poor soul, made it known how sad it was that none of the ladies were ever hot after him.

I gladly told him he could have Carla if he wanted. They all laughed, thought it was funny. I, on the other hand, was serious.

CARLA MITCHELL’S INSTALLATION day was today, and it was an all-day install at that. All three of the guys were busy getting it finished making sure it met her time schedule. Poor Trevor spent his day going back and forth from the office to her house troubleshooting with replacement parts. It took him several trips back and forth throughout the day. Now, it was after hours, so I agreed to take the last few items they needed to her address.

I did not want to see this lady, but the job needed to get done. I wanted to get home with Micah. It’s a Friday night, and we had a quiet evening planned for the two of us. Driving up to her address I could see our company truck out front. Matt happened to be outside the front door, messing with a camera he was installing. Having no idea where Micah could be, I startled Matt when I walked up with the two boxes of wires they needed to finish up the job. Instead of being happy to see me his face shows the exact opposite. Not at all comforting.

“Where the hell is Trevor?” His eyes are searching behind me, expecting Trevor to show his face.

“Um… back at the office waiting for you to finish up. I told him I’d bring these over instead. Why, what’s wrong?” Holding the boxes, I don’t see the issue with me being here.

Lowering his face, he sighs. “Nothing, it’s been a really long day. Why don’t you leave the boxes and head back and tell Trevor we need him.”

“Okay, where’s Micah?” Looking around the bushes for some reason, thinking he’s somewhere outside I ask Matt. It’s dark out, so it’s difficult to focus.

“Um… he’s inside finishing things up.” He says without looking me in the eyes.

The way he’s fumbling with his words raises red flags. My insecurities start to boil, and the only thing I want, is to find Micah and let him know I’m here. It’s been hours since I’ve heard from him. Suddenly hearing loud voices coming from inside I snap my head back thinking how odd it was that someone would be raising their voice at all.

My eyes swiftly shift back to Matt only to find him covering his face with his hands, lightly cussing to himself.

“Listen El, let us finish up so we can get done with this install. He can explain later, when he sees you.” He looks wiped out, like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“No, don’t think so,” I say with a sneer. “I want to see him now.”

Instead of waiting for his answer, I walk right into the house calling out Micah’s name. No need to wait long, I instantly see him holding a child as he’s in deep conversation with…Carla Mitchell. How wonderful and completely bizarre.

“What’s going on?” I say louder than necessary.

Micah stiffens. “Elsa, what are you doing here?” Saying he was surprised to see me is an understatement. I believe the word uncomfortable is how I would describe him at the moment.

Really? “Um…my job. I brought the last few boxes you needed and left Trevor back at the office. Now, is there a reason she’s raising her voice, and you are holding her son?” I point from Micah to Carla.

Micah shrugs his shoulder. “He was fussy, came to me, so I picked him up. For some reason he got quiet when I held him, so I’m taking advantage of the time now that her son is quiet to explain. She was talking loud because he was fussy.”

Glancing from Micah back to Carla, I feeling like I’ve entered the twilight zone. She’s holding the manual looking frazzled and asking him questions. Not giving me a second thought. Micah looks so uncomfortable, I would laugh if I wasn’t so upset. I keep telling myself it’s silly, but for some strange reason, I don’t feel like I want to kill him. I know deep down he would never cheat on me, and my insurance is knowing Matt would never allow it to happen. An added benefit of Micah working with his brother, I guess.

Walking over to Micah, without a second thought, I hold out my arms and the little boy comes willingly. I never bothered to ask Carla if it was alright to do so. She doesn’t seem bothered that I did that. She just continues with her many questions, holding Micah’s undivided attention. Either she doesn’t have a clue how to use her new system, or she’s using it as an excuse to keep Micah longer than necessary. Well, guess what, I’m not leaving until he does, so she might want to take notes.

The little boy is really quite sweet and seems more than comfortable in my arms. At first it was odd, but after a few minutes I swayed him back and forth and before long, he drifted off to sleep. So many different emotions flutter in my head and my heart.

Carla lets out a ‘huh.’ “I’m amazed, he was so fussy. Once Micah held him, he completely stopped, and now you put him to sleep. I might need to borrow you both at night, he keeps me up to the wee hours of the morning.” Yeah, I bet she would like Micah here at night with her.

Poor baby, he’s totally fine right now. Maybe it’s his mother.

“How do you know Cindy Winters?” I blurt it out, not even thinking if it was proper or not.

“What?” She tries to act surprised, but the look she’s giving me tells me she almost expected the question. Odd!

“Well, she’s an old friend,” she nervously plays with her shirt sleeves. “Why do you ask?” Her mouth keeps moving, but her eyes won’t acknowledge me.

She’s not a good liar.

“I’m her daughter.” I say it slowly.

“Oh…I see.” It’s all she says, continuing to keep her hands busy. Turning her attention back to Micah she decides she suddenly understands how to use the new system and that her husband should be home tomorrow night. He would be in touch if they needed any further instructions or questions. With that, she eagerly wants to dismiss us.

She takes her sleeping son from my arms and he stirs. Upon opening his eyes, I notice how beautifully blue they are. He’s so unbelievably breathtaking. A look of terror washes over his face as he wails. Loudly. Matt walks in with an odd expression on his face. He gives Micah a nod before letting Carla know he’s finished. With a crying son, she pushes us out the door, wanting to put her son to bed.

“Good Lord, that was weird.” I can’t help saying.

“Yep, sure was.” Matt can’t help chuckling.

Wrapping his hand around my shoulder, Micah whispers in my ear. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Matt drove the truck and Micah came home with me. The rest of the night, Micah’s quiet, and it leaves me with an unsettled feeling. Something doesn’t seem right. In fact, the night ends on a quiet note. I let it go…for now.

Saturday morning, I’m barely awake and feel cold. It’s obvious I’m alone in bed. No wake up kiss or anything. Stumbling from our bedroom, I hear Micah having a conversation. Apparently, he’s on the phone. Keeping his voice hushed, he sounds tense. I find it odd and unsettling, especially with his odd behavior last night. Walking closer to the living room, my stomach flutters anxiously when I notice Micah hunched over sitting on the couch.

“No man, what if he’s wrong?” Stretching his head back, he rubs the back of his neck. Yep, he’s tense.

“Hell if I know, he’s the one that needs to make sure before I go telling her a word.”

I must have made a noise because Micah turns his head feigning a fake smile. Rolling my eyes, I give him a look like really?

“Got to go.” He says switching off his phone.

“Hey babe, how long you been up?” He fails miserably in his attempt to cover up his conversation.

“Don’t you mean how much did I actually hear?” I correct him.

“Shit,” he lets out an angry sigh. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”

“What are you trying to avoid?” I ask, not moving an inch.

Holding out his hand, his fingers move and welcomes me. “Come here.”

Sitting, I’m forced to listen to a very sordid story and I’m in total disbelief. I can’t begin to comprehend what he’s saying. Tyler, the man Matt hired to help him, was either a miracle worker or he was just plain nuts. My mind’s spinning, and I’m not sure what to think. I soon realize there is only one place I can go to get the answers I need. It’s the last place I want to get them.

Driving to my parents, I’m silently shaking my head that any of this holds much truth. All this time, how can this be? Could they have known all of this time? Why? It makes no sense.

I walk right in without even knocking, I’m shouting my parents’ names, as I sprint through the house looking for them. Micah hasn’t said a word since we left our house, a part of me wanted to come alone to get my answers, but I needed him here. This concerns him as well.

“Mother!”

“Dad!”

No answer.

“Jesus Christ, where are they?” I shout again a few more times, this time I go straight to their room. Knowing my mother, I know where she most likely keeps things. Her private things, she stores in her closet in a box way in the back. Funny how I seem to do the exact same thing.

Finding the black velvet box, I’m afraid to open it. I’m afraid what I’ll find. My hands shake as I slide the box between my legs. Taking a breath, I look over my shoulder to Micah, who slowly sinks to his knees behind me.

My hands shake, my breath halts. “Well, let’s see if there are any secrets in here.”

I only get a faint head nod from him. His eyes tear up, not knowing what I might uncover. Cautiously lifting the lid, it has blue tissue paper covering it. It seems my mother keeps her things neatly stored.

Moving the tissue back, I notice the stack of envelopes, and my heart plummets. I’m hesitantly moving the tissue back careful not to rip it. Sure enough, I see the name I feared I would find. Sometimes, it hurts even more to be right. At the moment I wanted to be wrong. But I was disappointed once again, knowing what I may uncover makes my heart skip a beat or two.

“Carla Mitchell,” I say thumbing through every last one. “They are all from Carla Mitchell.” I’m in total disbelief.

I say it, but don’t even look back at Micah, because he knows it as well. We both realize what I’m about to uncover.

I look at the dates on the envelopes, praying they don’t date back to around four years ago, but to my astonishment they do. Somber filled tears stream down my cheeks. The letters are in order from newest to oldest. I slowly read the dates, feeling sick. I feel betrayed and downright lied to. At the bottom of the box is a thicker letter that catches my immediate attention. It reads Contract.

What the hell?

Holding the letter so Micah can get a better look, he reads the words, wondering what they mean. I don’t wait, I open the damn thing. Scanning the document it looks legal, it has names, dates and oh my God!

NO!

NO!

NO!

How could they?

My fingers freeze and I’m holding this piece of paper in an iron grip. Seething mad, idle threats escape my lips as I read the details word for hurtful word. Said minor Elsa Winters is willingly giving said child to Mark and Carla Mitchell for adoption. Reading further, I’m morbidly stricken to find out my parents got compensation for the adoption. I’m definitely going to throw up. I’m frantically trying to comprehend that they took payment for my child. The document is notarized, but no mention of a lawyer or Catholic Charities is ever mentioned. Hell, I’m not sure this thing is even legal. As I toss the papers to the floor, Micah is quick to pick them up reading them. He’s not saying one word and the fact he is dead silent terrifies me. I’d rather have him screaming or throwing my mom’s shoes. That way I’d know what he was thinking or feeling right now.

Rocking from side to side, my tears slide faster, when I hear the first sob escape Micah’s throat. How is it even possible? My parents lied to me all this time, never saying one word to me. They’ve been getting letters and pictures of a child they never wanted a thing to do with from day one. They treated me so poorly, and what’s worse is they made MONEY off of me!

Nauseated and weak I say, “They got paid twenty-five thousand dollars for my son. How the hell could they?” Dropping the last page I can’t help feeling numb.

“I’ve got no clue, but I will find out answers. They will explain themselves.” Rubbing my shoulders, Micah lets out an uneasy sigh. “While digging in your past Tyler found the name Carla Mitchell. He never found a trace that led back to Catholic Charities anywhere. I just wanted to make sure before I said a word to you.” He slowly lays his head on my back, and I understand why he would want to make sure before he said a word to me. He’d never want to upset me unless he absolutely had to.

Micah explained that he found this out right before her scheduled install appointment. It’s the reason he never asked her to find a new security company. He needed to make sure it was indeed this Carla Mitchell, who had our son. The same Carla Mitchell, who was so called friends with my parents.

What a small fucking world.

We hear a noise coming from downstairs, we go meet my parents in the kitchen their hands full of groceries.

“Well hello,” my mom says before her eyes go wide. “Oh, Micah you're here, too?”

“That I am.” He says with obvious distaste.

I’m holding my mother’s box containing the letters and photos. As her eyes focus on the box, she drops her bags of groceries. My dad curses, looking at the broken spaghetti sauce, not at what I’m holding in my hands. Taking a minute to try and regain her composure, my mother cautiously raises her eyes to see me glaring back at her. Without words, I’m mentally asking my mom how she could do this. To me, her daughter. Turning back to look at Micah, his arms are crossed, and I swear his are pressed together so tightly, they are turning white.

“Well, I see we need to talk.” My dad finally acknowledges my angry stare, now that my focus is centered on him.

“I’m all ears,” I say trembling.

“What do you know?” He asks all rational and reasonable like.

“Enough, why don’t you start from the beginning?” Both Micah and I say for a lack of better words. My dad realizes he not only needs to answer to me, he needs to answer to Micah, as well.

“Let's go and sit in the living room.” My dad says as he ushers his hand to lead the way.

My parents are on the couch looking uncomfortable. Micah, and I sit in the newly upholstered loveseat. It’s the perfect place to sit since it’s directly across from them. My leg bounces so violently, Micah has to put his hand on my knee to contain it. I never put the box down, I just hold it.

“We wanted to tell you, your mother and I. It just got too hard, and we were so disappointed in you.” My dad says with such lack of authority, he’s totally withdrawn. His words are shallow and empty.

My mom sits, crying and fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Her eyes are everywhere but on me. My dad continues to tell his story of how my aunt Peggy had a friend of a friend who was desperate to adopt a child, the only problem was the agencies said it could take years to find a suitable child. My aunt, to my utter shock, facilitated this partnership with my parents. It was never even legal. The Mitchell’s had a criminal record, so they never stood a chance at getting a child through the legal channels. Some sort of felony fraud crime that would have stopped any chance they ever had of adopting a child.

My parents overlooked that important, fine detail. I think they felt overjoyed finding a solution to my problem, no their problem. Much to their surprise Carla insisted on sending pictures and letters, letting my parents know how grateful she and her husband were.

“The money. Why the money?” I can’t wrap my head around the fact they profited from it.

“We felt they should have to pay something, and decided we could set it aside for you, Elsa. We just didn’t know how to give it to you without an explanation as to where it came from. To be honest, we thought it would be wiser to make sure he went to college, instead. The Mitchell’s don’t know this, but it’s another reason we liked being in contact with them. It’s a way to make sure we know he’s doing okay and then someday, we could help pay for his education.” My mom’s lost her mind. She’s smiling like this is good news!

“Are you serious right now?” I’m damn near left speechless, hearing this so called plan they had.

Micah’s coming unglued, the moans escaping his throat are more of a growl. “How the hell could you sell my kid and never tell Elsa any of it? You treated her so badly, yet you took the money? What kind of sick people do that?”