Chapter 59

Moving to the rear of the car, the women crowd around, and I hear Elena trying to regather herself. Trying to slip a facade she has worn for too long back on. Clearing her throat, she moves to take one of the blankets her mother rushes out with.

Opening the rear door, Sondra grabs her vodka bottle, and I pick her up, moving to the front of the car. Only when I do, Elena’s entire pack is on their knees, baring their necks to Sondra. Sondra smiles and then shivers, Elena moves to wrap the blanket around her, and I start climbing the hill.

However, when we reach the top, Sondra speaks. “I was wrong about you,” she tells me, making me glance down at her.

“Now I know you’re dying. You just admitted you’re wrong about something,” I tell her, and she chuckles softly. I sit on the ground, and I prop Sondra between my legs so she can lean against me. Elena sitting beside me.

“You’re nothing like your father, I used to think you would be just like him, having grown up in his image, but now I see you were just another of his victims,” Sondra tells me, and I swallow.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t save her; I couldn’t save any of them. If only I had the courage to do what I did to Floyd back then, we may be having a different conversation. Maybe none at all.” She muses.

“You couldn’t have predicted the outcome of being with your mate, Sondra,” Elena whispers.

“You’re right, but I could have stopped it before he took more lives. I had plenty of opportunities. I just didn’t take them. Same as your fathers, I could have ended them, but I didn’t. Instead, I convinced myself I would be the same as them if I did. Instead, I was the same because I sat back and did nothing.” she sighs. Elena shakes her head, but Sondra reaches out and grips her hand.

You’re both who you are in spite of your father’s. Defeated them, conquered the trauma instead of

yet to be

I’ve seen it,” Sondra tells her, and

left despite loving him because he was toxic. You didn’t use your boys as an excuse to stay. You used them as your excuse to leave. So I know you will do the right thing by them if you’re willing to break your own heart for them.” Sondra

over her shoulder at me. “I mean no offense by that. I’m not just referencing you, but her father, she could have gone back and asked for forgiveness,

did, but it’s okay,” I

do. No, he would just beat her down until there was nothing left but a compliant shell of a woman. Therefore you are not the same. Elena is not beneath you. She is your equal. That is people’s biggest mistake

only when I grew older that

Do you think she would hold the same answers, dear? She put all her time and energy into you kids, hoping you didn’t make the same mistakes, hoping he would be the man he said he was. It was only when he didn’t keep his end of the deal that she realized she was lying to herself. Just like me with Floyd,” Sondra tells her. She lifts the bottle to her

have thought you were so depressing drunk? Give me that.” Elena tells her,

what is that,

fired my tractor up with this shit,” Sondra tells her, taking the

for love,” Sondra says. Elena’s brows furrow, and

sounds funny now, but that is what I did. I sacrificed life for a love that wasn’t really love, just some twisted version of what I perceived

step behind him, becoming and morphing into his shadow while mine faded away. So

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