The Son Who Returned to Expose Their Shame novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: Mother and Daughter

My mother's silver Mercedes was parked in Gran's yard, right on top of the azalea Bryce had already killed.

Callie pulled her car in behind it and didn't get out.

"I can't," she said. "If she sees me with you, I'm done."

"Then stay here."

I got out.

My mother was standing on the porch steps in a pale blue dress, pearls, a straw clutch under her arm.

Gran was standing in the doorway with the screen door propped on her hip.

Neither of them had moved in a while. I could tell.

The lady next door was on her own porch with a watering can and no plants near her.

Across the street, a man was washing a car that was already clean.

"Roark," my mother said. "Good. Now we can be civil."

"We were being civil," Gran said. "You were just being it at me."

My mother didn't look at her.

She'd stopped looking at Gran five years ago, at the courthouse, when Gran stood up in the gallery and called her a liar in front of the judge.

"I'll be quick," my mother said to me. "Your father told me what you did in his lobby. That was cruel, Roark."

"I asked a question."

"You asked it in front of his employees."

"He answered it."

She smoothed her dress.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to bring you home."

Gran laughed. It was not a nice laugh.

My mother went on.

"Your room is the way you left it. I'll have it aired out. You'll have a place at the company. Not with Bryce, but a place. And your name goes back in the will, beside your sister's. Equal shares."

"For what?"

"For the drive."

The man across the street turned his hose off.

"I don't know what it is," she said. "I don't need to. Whatever it is, it's family business, and it belongs in a family drawer. You give it to me. You stay away from the party. And on Sunday we start over."

← Chapter 4 · All chapters · Chapter 6 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend