Chapter 4

I used to tell myself that children eventually grew up.

Once Noah was older, he would understand how much I had sacrificed for him.

Now I understood there was no arguing with what a mother and her son decided between themselves.

In the end, Noah had become like Marissa.

He believed only what he wanted to believe.

Sticky frosting covered my entire face.

Tyler gave a startled cry and rushed forward with a handkerchief.

"Adrian, I'm sorry. I never thought Noah would do that. I should have watched him. Here, let me wipe it off."

Something had been smeared onto the handkerchief Tyler pressed against my face.

The instant it touched my skin, a stabbing, burning itch tore through me.

Tyler's supposedly gentle hand was using far more force than necessary.

Every pass made the burning worse.

He kept pressing the frosting and whatever was on the cloth into my nose and mouth.

Panic exploded through me as I struggled to breathe.

Instinct made me shove him away.

Something hit the floor with a heavy thud.

With my eyes squeezed shut, I had no idea what had struck what.

All I knew was that the next second, a vicious kick landed square in my groin.

"Adrian, you useless bastard. Tyler was trying to help you. Why did you shove him? Have I been too nice to you lately?"

I staggered backward and fell.

Every desperate breath pulled frosting deeper toward my airway.

I gagged so hard my whole body shook.

When I tried to move, the burning in my eyes made it impossible to see where I was going.

I reached out, trying to find something solid enough to pull myself up.

Small feet, far stronger than they had any right to be, started kicking the lower back I had wrecked through years of caregiving.

"Useless loser. I'll beat you up. You hurt Tyler. I'll beat you."

"Ms. Langley, stop Noah. I'm fine, I didn't hit anything... Ow. My foot suddenly hurts."

Tyler's false, wounded voice floated above me.

"Fine? Adrian is stronger than you think. I saw you hit your foot. What if there's a fracture?

"No. We're going to the hospital."

It sounded as though Marissa helped Tyler to his feet.

They stepped over me in their rush to leave, and someone's shoe came down across my fingers.

A cry escaped me before I jerked my hand away.

Noah spat directly onto my face. "Gross. You pushed Tyler and now you're pretending you're hurt? If anything happens to him, I'll never call you Dad again."

"Exactly. If Tyler is seriously hurt, don't expect to stay in this house."

The front door slammed.

The living room became silent.

Then I heard it.

A faint hiss was coming from the kitchen stove, which hadn't been shut off properly.

Frosting and an unknown chemical still covered my eyes.

I stumbled upright and tried to reach the kitchen so I could stop the leak.

Instead, I tripped over the broken dessert plate and crashed to the floor.

Slowly, the sulfur smell of the leaking gas and the fumes off the unventilated burner overwhelmed me.

Through the haze, I thought I saw my father.

A strange happiness rose inside me. "Dad, did you come to get me? Please take me with you."

He shook his head.

Then he gently placed my phone into my hand. The 911 call had already been connected.