Sometimes, their fights grew physical. And at some point, all their fights ended up that way.
“You have to be very careful, Camila,” her mom said, turning to look at her with a grim expression. “Men can often be other than what they pretend to be. I was taken in by your father the same way, and this Adrien doesn’t sound much different from what he is. He’s dangerous, Camila. I always hoped you would never meet a man like that and have to go through what I went through, which is why I’m always after you to be careful when you meet guys.”
Camila bit down on her lip. She couldn’t say she regretted not listening to her mother this time. Going to Samuel’s place might have been the catalyst to her whole association with Adrien, but it also led to her having Samuel and Brianna in her life, and that was something she didn’t think she would ever forget.
“This time is going to be different,” Camila said with confidence.
“How can you be so sure?” her mom countered.
“Because I’m not alone,” she pointed out. “For one, I have you. For another, I have Samuel, and even if it’s his own brother, he won’t let him hurt me. No one will die in this.”
Her mom looked unsure, but Camila couldn’t blame her. After all, in her last fight with Camila’s father, her mom had killed him.
At that time, Camilla had been hiding in her room under the bed, like she always did when her parents went at it. Her mom consistently pushed her into her room, even when she didn’t like it, to protect her from the arguments. Camila couldn’t say what happened, but she’d been under the bed for a long time, eyes squeezed closed, hands over her ears. She hadn't moved even when things went silent, because she usually waited until her mom came for her before she moved.
She had waited, even as she heard sirens, until some cops had walked into the bedroom to get her out. She refused to move from under the bed, though, calling for her mom, until the police just had to release her mom for a moment to get Camila out. In the end, she had to watch as her mother was handcuffed and put in a police car.
Her mom was sent to prison, and she stayed with their neighbors for a bit, before being carted from foster home to foster home for a few years, until her mom came out and they reunited.
Of course, people talked. She was known as the daughter of a murderer, because people conveniently forgot about her abusive father. She’d known her mom killed him to protect them both. Her mom had always shielded her, or she didn’t doubt she would have gotten hit by her father a few times, too. She couldn’t fault her for any of it.
So when her mom came out of prison during her college years, when she was mostly independent from any foster home, she took her mom in so they could leave together, and they had stayed that way ever since. Prison had changed her a lot, but she was still the strong, caring mother Camila remembered, if a bit more paranoid and broody on occasions.
“If it really does come to that,” her mom said. “I’ll take care of it.”
Camila frowned at that phrasing. “What do you mean, ‘you’ll take care of it’?”
“Exactly what it means. What happened to your father… was completely intentional, Camila, because I knew he wanted to hurt you. Even if I went to jail for it, I at least made sure you were looked after. I wouldn’t mind going another stretch if it means protecting my baby girl again.”
Camila bit down on her lip, blinking back tears. Yeah. Her mom had changed from what she’d been like before she’d gone to prison— drinking too much in particular was one of the things she did now that was so different—but in other ways she was still the same as always.
Seeing Camila’s expression, her mom sighed and gently patted her head, stroking her hair.
“Honey, I’ve already been there. If this really goes too far, I don’t mind doing it again to save you. I’m old, and I have the experience, if I go to prison again, I won’t mind. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to stand by as you’re hurt, so it’s really saving the both of us.”
“It’s fine, Mom,” she managed to say through the sudden itchiness in her throat, trying to reassure her mom. “Things will be fine this time, okay? I’m being careful, and Samuel and the cops are being careful. There’s no reason for you to go to prison because of me. Everything will be fine.”
The words were as much for her mom as for herself, and she leaned over until she rested her head on her mom’s shoulder. Her mom ran gentle fingers through her hair as they both looked at the TV, but neither of them saw what was on it.