For all I know, she could have meant I would be unique in a bad way, and by saying I would have a “thrilling life” she meant I was fucked.
I couldn’t see the light at the end of this tunnel. I couldn’t figure a way out of this one.
My mother stood between the frames of my door and stared at me in utter disbelief. Her eyes were red and wet and her face was blotchy. “Is it true?” she demanded with a thick voice.
I looked down at the white box again. Inside of it was a black USB flash drive. I didn’t know what it was or what was on it. I didn’t even know what she was talking about…but I had a very bad feeling it had something to do with Cane. Why else would she have been so distraught? So heartbroken? The only bad things I’d done were with him.
“Is what true?” I put my focus on her again, but my vision was blurry now. “What are you talking about?
She charged into my room and snatched the flash drive out of the box. She then turned for my laptop and jammed it into the port a little too roughly. In seconds, a video came up, and my heart plummeted.
It revealed the corner of Cane’s office, where the arm of the sofa was. I could only see our head and shoulders. Cane’s face hovered over mine and my moans were loud as our bodies shifted up and back down. He was on top of me, shoulders and upper back working fluidly to form a steady thrust.
I shot up to a stand when Mom slammed a finger down on the space bar to stop the video.
“Where did you get that!” I demanded. “Did Cane send that to you?” No, he wouldn’t. Why would he do something like that? He wasn’t that kind of person!
“Kandy? I—I don’t even know what to say to you! I can’t believe this! What the hell is that I just saw on that tape?”
“Where did you get it?” I barked back.
“That doesn’t matter right now! You were having sex with Cane! Cane! Are you out of your goddamn mind!”
I blinked hard, fighting the wave of emotion. Normally, Mom never backed down. She was persistent and could be harsh and pushy, but when she noticed I was on the verge of tears, something stopped her from blasting me. It was a first, which made the situation all the more excruciating.
She shook her head and then pinched the bridge of her nose, sealing her eyes shut.
“Mom, I— ” I had no words. None at all. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to find out. “Who gave that to you?” Maybe no one had given it to her. Maybe she had been on to us all along. Did she suspect this and have someone spy on us? Or did Kelly tell her something?
Her head shook again and several more tears spilled beneath her sealed eyelids.
“Mom! Tell me how you got it!”
“I don’t know who it was from, Kandy! There was a note with it that said to protect you and to stop him. It was left on the doorstep, but there wasn’t a name!” She waved her hands in the air dismissively. “Does that even matter? I am livid right now, Kandy! Can’t you see that? I don’t even know what to do! He had no right to put his hands on you that way!”
“How didn’t he?” I demanded. “That tape doesn’t show everything. I asked him to do it!”
“It doesn’t matter that you asked!” she shouted back. “Even if you were to ask him for a gun to kill someone or God forbid, yourself, I expect him to say no because we trusted Cane! We trusted him to take care of you! God, and there were so many times when you two were alone together,” she sobbed. “I should have known. Christ! I had this nagging thought in the back of my head, but I figured there was no way in hell he could be so stupid! That you could be so stupid! I can’t even imagine how it started! Did he come onto you? Did he rape you?”
“What?” I screeched. “No! He didn’t rape me! I told Cane what I wanted. I wanted him and he wanted me too! It was mutual! How is that so hard to believe?”
“Did he tell you to say that? He’s a smart man and knows you’re young and easy to manipulate. I should have known a man like him wasn’t as perfect as he seemed. We can take this to court if we need to! Just give me your permission to press charges and I’ll do it immediately!”
Oh my God. This was unbelievable!
“I am not taking Cane to court! He did nothing wrong! I love Cane, Mom!”