Arianna Relief. Bliss. Pure unfiltered joy. I can’t even begin to come up with all the emotions that
describe how I feel. The terror that was wreaking havoc inside me from the moment Logan left
to run the test until the moment we read those results was ago nizing. Of course I didn’t eat all
day, how could I when my stomach was in such tight knots? Logan and I fell asle ep wrapped
around each other, him practically smothering me, per usual, and it was so fucking welcomed. I
can’t believe that nightmare is behi nd us. This leaves one huge burning question though, who is
the father? Like Ty said, it really could be anyone, knowing my mother. I hope for my Aunt
Marissa’s sake that it’s not Tom’s. She still hasn’t spoken to me. I’ve reached out a few times and
have been met with radio silence. I know she’s not mad at me, per se. She’s grieving, struggling
with one of the worst betrayals a person could suffer through. She’s allowed to not be okay. I
miss her, though. This morning, we woke up early and went straight to the police station where
we filed restraining orders against my mother. Mainly because an hour after the test results
came in, Logan’s phone began blowing up. Calls, voicemails, texts, each one more unhinged
than the next. She sounded psychotic as she beg an to spiral, demanding there was a mistake,
how no man could fill her the way he could. How this is all my fault, and she would make me
pay for this. I knew she was just being desperate and delusional, but Logan was not acc epting it.
The emergency restrai ning order was put
into place based on the text messages alone. We’re on our way home to forget about this mess
when he gets a call from the office. “Hello? Yeah. What? Are you kidding? You’re fucking
kidding,” he groans through the phone, wiping a hand down his face as he l istens to the person
on the other line. “No! Fuck no. Hold him there, do not let him leave.” He hangs up shaking his
head. “FUCK!” I frown, reaching a hand out to rest on his thigh. The muscle instantly relaxes at
my touch, and he looks at me, swallowing d own his irritation as one of his hands covers my
own. “Sorry, Sparrow. I have to go into the office.” I raise one shoulder as we pull up to the
house. “It’s okay. Everything alright?” “Yeah, just a client trying to go rogue before his trial next
week.” Nod ding my head, he gives me an apologetic smile. “Forgive me?” “It’s fine, Logan.” I
laugh. “Go handle work. I have a little more homework to take care of.” “Alright, but tonight
we’re celebrating,” he says as he gets out of the car just to get my door for m e. “Yeah? What are
we celebrating?” I laugh as he cups my face with both of his hands, bending himself over so
we’re nose to nose. “Our new beginning.” I smile at that before he presses his lips to mine. I’ll
never not melt at this man’s touch. His soft li ps pull at mine as my tongue tangles with his. He
pulls away too soon for my liking, which he seems to echo if his frustrated growl is anything to
go by. “I’ll be back in a few hours, max, okay?” “Okay,” I agree, making my way to the front door.
I pause be fore going inside, waving to him. He returns the gesture, turning around before
heading down the driveway. I punch in my code into the keypad and the lock releases with a
whir. I st ep inside the house, closing the door behind me as I drop my purse on the entry table.
I’m kind of
hungry, so I head for the kitchen to get a snack. At least I intended to. My feet pause, an
unsettling feeling causing goosebumps to race down my spine as my head turns. I thought I just
saw...
“Hello, Arianna,” my mother says with a sinister grin. She’s sitting in the formal living room right
off the entryway. Her legs are crossed, stiletto heels on her feet and a red dress that is far too
revealing to be something she wears to work. She lifts t he bottle of vodka in her hand to her
mouth, taking two large gulps while ke eping her eyes on me. “What are you doing here?” My
mom doesn’t respond, pushing herself to her feet before she staggers a few st eps. I look down
at the bottle to notice it’s well over half gone. She’s absolutely shit tanked. “Aren’t you
pregnant? Not sure you should be drinking.” “Fuck offff,” she snarls. “I drank plenty with you,
although, you turned out to be a backstabbing little bitch, so maybe you’re onto something.”
She cackl es, taking another healthy swig as she stares at me, only one eye open as she
continues. “You ruined everythingss, you knows that? That I hate youz. That you costed me the
first love of my life and now the second,” she says with a disbelieving laugh. “Who does that?” I
shake my head at the sad drunk excuse of a mother before me. “I didn’t do anything to you. I’m
sorry you fucked a dude that was such a loser he skipped town the moment responsibility came
knocking. I’m sorry you’re such a whore you can’t stay faithful to one man and lost the only
good one that ever looked your way.” I shrug like there is nothing else to say. She closes the
distance between us faster than I’d have thought possible, her free hand cracking against my
face, whipping my head to the side before snarling. “You don’t know how sorry you should be,
little girl. You’re about to find out, though,” she says with a smile so evil it chills me to the bone.
I barely have time to wince before she lifts up the bottle, smashing it over my head. Bl inding
pain radiates from my head before I feel myself falling. A hard thump to the ground is the last
thing I feel before darkness overtakes me.