"You’ve seen it now, Auntie. Jeremiah already has someone he loves. The wish you had for me to marry him, I can’t carry that out anymore."
"This… this… how could this be…"
Naomi stood frozen, unable to accept that all her heartfelt hopes had led to this.
Just as I turned to leave, Jeremiah called.
I deliberately turned on the speakerphone, and his vicious voice burst through.
“Lainey, are you a bitch or what? I just tried to sleep with you and you refused, then you go whining to my mom? What the hell is wrong with you?”
I lifted the phone and met Naomi’s eyes.
In silence, I told her: that it wasn’t that I refused, it was because this was who Jeremiah truly was.
Naomi’s face went cold with disappointment. Her voice trembled with rage as she snapped, “Jeremiah, that’s enough! All those years of raising you, what were they even for?”
“Mom, go ahead, take her side. Who's your real child, huh? Lainey is just some filthy slut who's been with God knows how many men. A whore with a kid. Why the hell are you defending her?”
“Whatever. I’ve said enough. Just stop helping her. She needs to be knocked down a peg. Maybe then she’ll remember who her savior really is.”