bChapter /bb217 /b

bChapter /bb11/b: bBack /bbto /bbthe /bway bthings /bused to bbe/bb. /b

:.

A

Josie opened the door expecting it to be Christian. Instead, it was Laura. She had this weary look on her bface /bbas /bbif /bshe had been mentally battling something. After a few moments of silenceb, /bJosie spoke bfirst/b.

i“/iiIs /iithere /isomething you need iMrs. /iiTaylor/i?

b51 /b

Hearing Josie call her ‘Mrs. Taylor‘ made Laura’s heart ache deeply. When she first met her long lost daughter, Josie was overjoyed. Her eyes were filled with so much love and admiration. She remembered how Josie beamed knowing it was Laura she actually looked like.

“It’s so iamazing/ii! /iI ispent /iiyears /iiwondering /iiwhat /iidistant /iifamily /iimember /iiI /ilooked like! Turns iout/ii…/iiI /iilook /ijust like imy /iimom/ii!!/ib” /b

But Laura…although she wasn’t necessarily mean to Josie….she was cold and distant. Too afraid that if she showed her biological daughter any affection; it would jeopardize the rtion she had with her adoptive daughter.

Now…there was no more love, no more admiration, no more beaming. Josie looked at her bas /bbif /bshe were a stranger in the street; and that was when she wasn’t looking at her with pure disgust.

i“/iiI /iiwas /iijust /iichecking /iion /iiyou/i. I inoticed /iiyou /iiwere /iiback /iihome/i.i” /i

Josie looked at Laura with a nk expression.

i“/ibiI’m /i/bimoving /iiout/ii. /iiI’m /iijust /iihere /iito /iicollect /iimy /iithings/i.”

Laura’s eyes widen! Moving out! To where!!! Laura looked frantically past Josie and saw her fully packed suitcase.

i“/iJosieb! /biLet’s /inot be irash/ii!! /iYou don’t ihave /ito do ithis/i!i” /i

Josie looked at Laura almostughing; did she truly not get what was going on?

i“/iMrs. iTaylor-/ibi” /i/b

“iI’m /iyour imother/ii!!/i”

Laura yelled out in a panicked frustration. She’d told herself that the whole “Mr. & iMrs./i” thing was just Josie’s way of being dramatic. Wanting to hurt their feelings some; but eventually she would go back to calling them all by their formals. But now…now she was leaving?

b“/bbAs /bI was isaying /iMrs. iTaylor/i…It’s not healthy ifor /ime to be here. I have to leave.”

Josie turned around and grabbed her suitcase and bookbag; walking past Laura. As she made her way downstairs, Laura followed yelling hysterically.

b17:58 /bbThu/bb, /bbSep /bb25 /b

:

“Josie!!! Stop ithis/ii!!! /iiWhy /iiare /iiyou /iacting ithis /iiway/ii!!! /iiWhy /iiare /iiyou /ibeing so got damn idramatic/ii!!!/ii” /i

Josie stopped walking; by now, everyone heard themotion and made their way downstairs.

i“/iJesus iChrist/i…what ithe /iihell /iiis /iigoing /ion nowi? /iiIs /iit going to be isomething /ievery itime /ishees homebi?/i/bbi” /i/b

Jamie fussed as he made his way to the foyer. Vanessa walked behind him slowly; too afraid to get close bin /bbcase /bJosie pped her again. Laura ignored both children, keeping her focus on Josie.

i“/iiJosie/i…biI /i/bihave /ibeen itrying /iito /iibe /iireasonable /iiwith /iiyou/ii. /iiI /iiunderstand /iyou iwere /iilocked /iiup /ifor iseveral /iyears. iBut /ithis has gone on ifar /iienough/ii! /iiWhy /iican’t /iiyou /iijust /iilet /iiit /iigo/i!i” /i

Josie stared as Laura with pure disgust in her eyes, causing Laura to slightly shudder. In an eerily calm voice, Josie responded.

“iWhat /iiexactly /iiare /iiyou /iiasking /ime ito /i‘ilet /iigo/ii?/ii” /i

Laura was taken aback; she hadn’t expected that to be Josie’s rebuttal. fndaac Latest content published on Find_Novel(./fndaac

“W–iWell/ii…/iiwhat /iiI /iimeant/ii…/iiI /iiwas /iionly /iiasking /iiif /iiwe /iicould /iijust /iigo /iiback /iito way /iithings /iiwere/i. iYou /iishould /iiknow/ii…/iithis /iwas hard ion /iall of ius/ibi./i/b”

By now, Christian hade into the foyer as well as Harold. Before Josie could say anything, Vanessa immediately ran next to Laura crying.

Of bcourse/b. It must be i‘/ipoor Nessiei‘ /itime.

“Josiei…/iiI /iknow ieverything /iis imy /iifault/ii!! /iiBut /iiplease /iidon’t /iitake /iiit /iiout /iion /iimom /ior ithe /iifamily/ii! /ibIf /byou ihave /iito /iihate /iianyone/i… ihate me/i!! I ideserve /iiit/ii!! /iiMaybe /iI ishould /iijust /iileave /iithe /iifam-/i”

Right on bcue/b, everyone ran to Vanessa’s defense. Jamie of course being the first to speak.

i“/iiWhy /iiare /iiyou /iidoing /iithis /iiJosie/i!! iNessie /iihas /iibeen /iinothing /iibut /iikind /iiyou/ii! /iiWhy /iibully /iher like ithis/i!!!”

Then Harold.

“Honestly….I’ve tried to ibe /iipatient /iiwith /iiyou /ibut enough iis /ienoughi! /iiWhy /imust you take ithis /iout on Vanessa! None of ithis /iis her fault!!!”

The scene was so absurd Josie began tough hysterically. Harold’s eyes darkened.

i“/iJust what ithe /ihell is so funnyi!/i”

Josie smiled sardonically.

b“/biIf /iit’s not iVanessa’s /iifault/ii…/iithen /iiby /iiall /imeans iMr. /iiTaylor/i…point to iwhose /ifault it iis/ii?/i”

17:58 Thu, bSep /bb25 /b

:

Before Harold could say anything, Jamie spoke up…always the protector.

“iWhat /iido /iyou mean IF not iNess/i! iHow /iiwould /iianything /ibe her ifau-/i”

A

b51 /b

“iDid /iishe /inot hit a ipedestrian /iat a icrosswalk /iikilling /iiher /iiinstantly /ibecause she iwas /iidriving /iiwhile /iintoxicatedi? /iOr have you all been ilying /iso imuch /iithese /iipast /iifour /iiyears /iithat /iiyou /iireally /iiconvinced /iiyourselves /iI was the one ithat /iidid /ibiit/i/bbi?/i/bbi” /i/b

Jamie’s eyes widen as his face became ashen. It was true, in a way…the Taylors almost forgot it was in fact Vanessa that caused the ident.

i“/iiThat /iiwas /iian /iiident/ii! /iShe didn’t-”

i“/iiThen /iiwhy /iididn’t /iishe /iipay /ifor iit/ii?/i”

Laura and Harlod’s faces began to harden. Josie cut her eyes over to Laura.

bi“/i/bbiIs /i/biTHIS /iiwhat /iiyou /iiwant /ime to go iback /iito/i? iWatching /iiall /ibof /biyou /iifawn /iiover /iiVanessa /iiand /iigang /iiup /ion ime /ievery time ishe /isheds a tear iI /iihad /iinothing /iito /iido /iiwith/ii?/ib” /b

Laura’s eyes were filled with guilt…Josie had a point…she never said anything to Vanessa and yet somehow she got all of the me. Trying to calm the situation; she lighten her voice.

i“/iiJosie/i…I ionly /iimet /iifor /ius ito /igo iback /iito /iibeing /iia /iihappy /iifamily/ii./i”

Josie stared at Laura with a puzzled expression.

i“/iiWhen /iidid /iiyou /iiall /iSTOP ibeing /iia /iihappy /iifamily/i? iIn /iithe /iifour /iiyears /iI iwas /iiin /iiprison/i…you all imanaged /iijust /iifine/ii. /iiNew /iidécor/ii, /iifamily /iiphotos/ibi, /i/bivacations/ii, /iiholidays/i, ibirthdays/i…iwhat /iiexactly /iidid you /iiNOT /iido/i?b” /b

bLaura /band Harold began to look at Josie frantically. They weren’t used to hearing her call out their hypocrisyb. /b

“And despite imy /iitaking /iithe /iifall /ifor iyour /iiirresponsible /iidaughter/i…not iONCE /iidid /iiany /iof iyou /iivisit/ii. /iUnless biof /i/bcourse iyou /icount the itime /iiVanessa /imade sure iI /iiknew /iiyou lied /ito me iabout /iimy /iigrandmother/ii./ii” /i

Vanessa’s bface /bwent ashenb; /bshe knew her dad and brother were still upset about her doing that. She immediately intervened.

“Josie!! iThat’s /inot iwhat /iiI /iiwanted /ito do! iI /iijust /iiwanted /iyou to know she passed! iI /iknew it was something you wouldn’t want ito /ifind out once iyou /igot ihome/ii!/ii” /i

Jamie immediately spoke up again.

“You seeb! /biTrying /ito turn what Ness did into something ugly when she was just looking out for you! Look…I get that-”

“Oh Josie…It’s sad really…your igrandmother /iipractically /iidied /iin filth. Dad threw her in one of ithose /icheap inursing /iihomes/i…iawe/i…byou /bididn’t /ireally ithink /iihe /iiwould /itake care of her? Oh that’s so cute.”

17:58 Thu, Sep b25 /b

Josie recited the words that Vanessa said to her that day; causing Vanessa to panic.

“iThat’s /ia ilie/ii!!! /iI inever-/i”

451

b51 /b

Just then, Josie pulled out a recorder ying back the conversation she had with Vanessa the day she told her about her nana’s passing. The words were verbatim. Josie stopped the recording with an eerie smile.

i“/iiDid /iiyou /iiknow /iithat /iievery /iisingle /icall is irecorded /iiin /iiprison/i? Even the iin/ii–/iiperson /iiconversations /iiyou /iihave /iithrough /iithe /iiphone /iand ibooth/ii. /iiAnd /iiif /iiyou’re /iian /iiinmate/ii, /iiyou /iican /iirequest /iithose /iiconversations/i.b” /b

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