"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.