Chapter 146: Emily’s Mother

The next five weeks flew by, and I was busy during that period. We visited Emily, who was an incredible girl with a wonderful sense of humor. One of those times, we attended the private wedding of Joanna, Griffin, Bradrigs, and Legen. I had seen them all around multiple times, especially since I’d been preoccupied with preparing to work remotely in Australia.

Things with my home life were… complicated. We were mostly normal, but there was a definite tension between Donald and me. Although he backed me up and supported me, he made it clear our bond was strained unless we went out and acted like a couple. But there was still a list of everything I needed to pack for a six-month trip, and then a knock came. I opened the door and…

It was something and it hugged the hell out of me. I was contentedly home, and checking the door made me pause to answer it. It was probably a lack of concern on the other person's part.

“Good morning, Mrs. Upru. There is someone at the front door requesting to speak with you. Her name is Carol Chima, and she says she is an old friend of Donald’s. I can send her away if you want,” he said. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“No, it should be okay. I will go meet her,” I said. He hesitated, as if he didn’t want me to meet a stranger alone.

“I don’t think Donald’s friends would have friends who were as demented as the people in my past,” I said softly. Something in his expression hardened, as if he was replaying that awful day we almost lost our lives.

“You can never be too careful,” he said, and I smiled at him.

“Why don’t you call Donald? I will entertain the guest. He should be home soon.” He hesitated at my words but finally gave in and left.

I headed to the front door and opened it. A tall, beautiful woman stood there. She had to be at least six feet tall, even with her heels. She had beautiful eyes and a perfectly sculpted face, and I instantly knew who she was—not because I had seen her before, but because her curly black hair and eyes were identical to Endy’s. She must be her mother. She looked down at me, sneering, and I knew I looked like a mess. My hair was in a messy bun, and I was wearing yoga pants and one of Justin’s t-shirts. Shit, why didn’t I change?

“Ummm, hello,” I offered, my voice coming out much smaller than I intended. She smirked, and I immediately knew she was going to be unpleasant.

“Hi, I must have the wrong house; you’re just a girl,” she said. Her voice was honey-sweet, but her tone was laced with poison.

“I was told Donald lives here. I am his wife.”

My blood ran cold at her words. Donald never mentioned being married before, but if this was Emily’s mother, it made sense.

“Donald isn’t here,” I said, trying to sound unconcerned and smiling.

“Oh, I know. I found out his little plaything was at home, so I decided maybe we should have a little chat.” She pushed past me and into the house.

“This place is beautiful,” she said.

“Donald is on his way home,” I lied; I wasn’t even sure if Jack had reached him.

“Oh good, I’ll still have time to say what I needed to say to you,” she said, plopping down on the couch by the fireplace.

She sounded gracious, but even then, I’d already decided she was a bitch. I sat across from her.

“Can I offer you something to drink?” I asked. This was my home; I wasn’t going to let her make me feel inferior. She studied me, crossing her legs.

“You’re not his type. You’re too short, and your hair is too short. He likes long hair. You’re also way too thin, and he likes women with nice, large breasts and a… well, which you lack. He clearly just used you for sex, and you wouldn’t be the first. I’ve met all the little sex workers he’s hired.” She paused, her words hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Was she insulting me? Had Donald done this before? I was speechless, nausea churning.

“I am the only woman he will ever love because I gave him Emily. No one can match that,” she said bitterly.

I was about to respond when the garage door opened, and two sets of footsteps rushed in.

“Amelia?” It was Donald. He found me before I could respond.

Chapter 146: Emily’s Mother

Justin was on his heels, and I saw the anger flash in his eyes as Carol stood, a seductive smile on her face. I noticed Justin’s eyes reacted exactly as mine did when I first saw her. She was probably the most beautiful woman I’d ever met, physically. She sashayed over to Donald and attempted to put her arms around him, but he gripped her shoulder and held her back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped, her smile vanishing.

“I’ve missed you, baby,” she said with a pout.

“You told me if I wanted to come back, you would always be waiting.” Her words cut like a knife, and I noticed Justin felt them too by how he stiffened. Donald gently pushed her back so she was out of arm’s reach.

“You know fucking well I didn’t say that. I informed you, when you fully abandoned our daughter, that if you ever wanted a role in her life, I wouldn’t keep that from you. You and I never had a chance in hell of being together again; I could never love someone as cold and heartless as you. Someone who doesn’t love my daughter as much as she deserves,” he said, venom dripping from his tone.

I had never heard that tone from him before. Even when upset with me for keeping secrets, he’d never spoken to me so coldly.

She seemed unfazed by his words, except for scowling when he mentioned Emily. How could a woman hate her own child so much? I stood up, and Donald’s eyes landed on me. The warmth and love that filled his cold eyes when he looked at me was so intense that, despite some of her harsh words, I knew it couldn’t be true. She noticed and looked back at me, scowling.

“You’ll get tired of this little whore soon enough and will come crawling back to me because you…” She was cut short as Donald stepped toward her almost violently, gripping her shoulder.

“Firstly, if you ever disrespect my woman, the woman I love, I swear you will regret it. You forget who helped you get where you are today and how quickly, with one phone call, I can absolutely ruin your career,” he hissed. Justin moved around and stood behind me; I knew he was also angry at her words.

Donald released her and stepped back, as if being near her disgusted him.

“Secondly, you better be fucking glad you’re my child’s mother and that I don’t hit women. Because if you insult my woman again, I will make sure the only job you can get is scrubbing toilets in bowling alleys.” His words struck home as she shook slightly. She may be heartless, but she obviously values her work and success.

“And last of all, get the fuck out of my house, or I will personally have one of the guards throw you out,” he spat.

Something about the way he defended me made my heart flutter. She took a step back, blinking rapidly. I guess he shut her up. She turned and stormed to the door and disappeared. He rushed over to me, placing his hands on either side of my face and crashing his lips onto mine, kissing me with an intensity I hadn’t felt from him before. Justin’s hands held my hips securely as I was sandwiched between them. Donald hesitantly broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asked, and I nodded.

At first, I swear I thought I’d be insecure about that woman being here, but after the way he acted, I knew he didn’t want her and had no feelings for her. I looked into his eyes, and there was no regret, no doubt, or anything that made me feel like he was just putting on a show. He meant every word. He pressed his lips to mine again, kissing me repeatedly until I was putty in his hands. I felt Justin’s erection against my back and Donald’s against my stomach as they both began to rub their hands over me. Almost as if to see if I was okay, I giggled into his mouth, making him break the kiss and look down at me.

“I am okay,” I said softly.

“I promise, she was only here a few minutes before you guys got home.”

“I am so fucking glad we were on our way home already when Jack called,” he said, sighing and nuzzling my neck.

“Me too,” I mumbled.