The Absolution of Aidan(55)
“Hello.” Christ. Her pitch is so high, fake, and sugary sweet I’m about to go deaf.
“Hello, Alexis.” God, how I despise this woman. If she has one tiny morsel of love in her bogus, phony body, she will step up now. Prove that she isn’t the female version of Lucifer himself. Hateful, bitter bitch.
“Aidan. What are you calling me for? Did something happen?” Her voice becomes low, soft-spoken, and unsteady, as if she’s on the verge of breaking, crying even.
“Not necessarily. For everyone’s sake, especially your grandson’s, you better pray to god nothing does happen.” She gasps loudly into the phone.
“Are you telling me you have a son?” I recognize the struggle in her voice right away. One I have rarely heard. I haven’t lived with this woman for years. Alexis Drexler has many sides to her. The bitchy and insincere, deceptive one has always been the one that rears its ugly head the most. This side of her, though, I’ve never heard. She sounds pained. A part of me wants to pour acid inside of her pain. Watch her unravel right before me, the way she destroyed any kind of happiness I should have had while growing up in her household. None of that shit matters anymore. The need to find Ryan outweighs anything from my past or anything she has to say. I want answers so I can move on to build a sturdy, stable home where my child knows he’s one of the only reasons why I fucking breathe.
“Are you telling me you don’t know I have a son, Alexis?” Then I hear it, for the first time in my life, I actually hear this woman, who gave birth to me then threw me out like the piece of shit human she always claimed me to be, cry. I’m struck stupid. I’ve not once seen or heard her cry. Always hiding behind her mask of perfection. Living and breathing the money, the power that she has shoved up her ass.
Bracing my free hand on the brick wall in front of me, I lower my head to the ground while keeping the phone to my ear. This could be another trick of hers. One to try and make me think she has nothing to do with the threats against my son. I let her have her fit. My concern for her no longer matters. She hesitates in between her sobs, incoherent noises coming out of her mouth.
Finally, she stops. I hear her sigh deeply before she begins to speak. I’m this close to telling her to hurry the fuck up when what she says leaves me weak in the goddamn knees. Makes my chest tighten to the point I have to catch my breath in order to even hear her.
“I was never good enough for you to call me your mother. I won’t ever be. I can apologize until the day I die for the way I treated you. The repulsive things I said, the despicable way I treated you. It’s time you know the truth, Aidan. The truth about everything. I’ll come home. But can you answer one question for me, please?” I hear the shakiness in her tone, the terror rolling through the phone line.
“What?” I’m not giving her any more than that one simple word. She’s right. She doesn’t deserve me. I’m the one who’s deserving. My child deserves it. I owe this bitch nothing. I owe everything to the woman I love, her very existence in my life over the past few weeks of showing me she cares. Of making me believe I deserve to be loved without her even trying. Without her even telling me I do.
“Are you happy, Aidan?” What the fuck? I don’t know what I thought she was going to ask me, but that sure as hell wasn’t it. She wants to know if I’m happy?
“I didn’t call you to talk about my happiness, Alexis. My life is none of your business. I haven’t been your concern for a long time. You’re right. You will never be my mother. I called you because your son has threatened the lives of my son and the woman I love. The one who could never do wrong in your eyes. The perfect prodigy of the piece of shit you married. So you answer this. Did you have anything to do with that?” Her breathing becomes winded. I hear her gasping for air. She’s outright balling now.
“No, Aidan, I swear to you I know nothing about that. Just… let me come to you. I promise I will explain everything.” I close my eyes. Fuck. I want to believe her. I teeter back and forth, choosing my last words wisely before I hang up on her. “All right, Alexis. Come to me. You text me when and where to pick you up. One more thing, you have no idea who you’ve fucked with here. Unlike you, I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt my child, which includes you. ”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DEIDRE
I cannot count the times I’ve hit pause then repeat in my mind all night long about Ryan going missing. It’s like listening to my favorite song, only this isn’t a song. It’s much worse, really. It’s beyond unfathomable. Beyond reality. To be frank, I’m sick of it. Sick of these people in this world who think they can control you for their own sick pleasure of pure evil.