How Does It Feel?-2
“Nothing’s going on here.”
Joel frowns and looks at my mother. “Your mother called us on allegations of grooming
and domestic abuse.”
I snort. “My mother?”
The detectives look at eath other like I’m the insane one here.
“You know she’s been in Italy for the past three months.”
Marcus takes in a slow breath and jots something down on his notepad.
“You know she’s an alcoholic, too, right?”
They keep their expressions still. Jake shifts, looking at me with curious eyes. Aiden wants to smile, but he’s holding it back. My mother, however, does not stay quiet.
She smiles sweetly at Joel. “Oh, these kids. They don’t know much.”
Marcus shoots her a questioning glare. “In my two decades on this job, I’ve rarely found
that to be true, Mrs. Matthews.”
I bite down, keeping my eyes on the detectives. “I’m not a child. I’m a legal adult. I have been ever since we stepped foot in Arizona.”
The two men shift, clearly uncomfortable.
“Well, this sounds a bit messy. I’m not entirely sure why we’re here,” Joel mutters.
I give a bitter laugh. “Yeah. A messy life isn’t a crime, though. Is it?”
They look at each other. Marcus sighs. “Look, from what we can tell, there’s no reportable offense here. No signs of abuse. No assault.”
My mother scoffs, stepping closer to the detectives. “He’s fucking my daughter! My husband is fucking my daughter!”
Joel and Marcus turn to Jake, then to me. Joel is the first to speak. “Ma’am, you have a
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How Does It Feel?-2
cheating husband and a messed up relationship with your daughter. There’s really not much we can do.”
Jake shifts uncomfortably but says nothing, of course.
I cross my arms tighter.
Marcus reaches for me, a card in his hand. “I’ll leave you our card. If anything changes, let me know. But right now, there’s just nothing criminal here.”
They leave a few moments later. The door clicks shut behind them, and the silence they
leave in their wake feels too loud.
“You manipulative, heartless bastard!” She screams.
Jake doesn’t flinch. He just sighs.
“I want a divorce!” she shrieks, pointing a shaking finger at him.
Jake doesn’t even look at her. He shrugs. “Of course we’re getting a fucking divorce. But we signed a prenup, Diana. You’re not getting a cent.”
Tears spring to her eyes instantly, and I see the moment she realizes it’s over. She won’t
be able to lounge her time away in Italy anymore. She turns to me and I see a flash of
pain, but it doesn’t look like losing me in this means that much to her.
“How does it feel?” she spits. “To be with a man who married your mother just to trap you
in his house?”
My stomach twists, bile rising in my throat. I’ve always known that to be partly true, so
why is it hurting so much now?
She looks back at Jake with a shake of her head. “That’s disgusting.”
I want to laugh at her, but that would only make her act more the victim. “Get the fuck
out.”
Her eyes widen. She storms off, the front door slamming behind her.
“Is that true?”
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How Does It Feel?-2
I whip around. Zaid is standing halfway down the stairs, arms crossed, eyes pinned to Jake.
Jake doesn’t say anything.
Zaid takes a step down. “I always knew the marriage was for convenience. I thought it was something the board pushed on you. They wanted a respectable image. A family man. But it wasn’t for the company, was it? You married her to be closer to Alina?”
The silence that follows is louder than the screams my mother made.
Jake doesn’t deny it. Doesn’t explain. He just looks at Zaid.
My heart breaks all over again.
I can’t bear it. I run.
