She swallowed.
“I just… Cheryl convinced me that Beverly should know me.
That maybe if Jason and I…”
I took a step closer.
“If you and Jason what?
Got back together?” I spat.
She didn’t answer.
I turned back to Cheryl.
“I am done with you,” I said, my voice was steady now, deadly calm.
“You are never seeing Beverly again.”
Cheryl smiled, and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“My son will never allow that.”
I gave her a cold, hard smile.
“Oh, we’ll see.”
I scooped Beverly into my arms.
She didn’t fight me.
But she was confused.
And that broke me more than anything else.
As I sat in the car, holding my daughter close, I made a promise.
No one, absolutely no one, was going to take my daughter from me.
Not Cheryl.
Not Alexa.
And if Jason wasn’t on my side when he found out?
Then not even him.
I took Bev for ice cream and explained the situation to her.
“Mom?
What happened?
Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, no, honey,” I said, watching her pick at her ice cream.
“Grandma did the wrong thing.
She lied to you and me.
And she was very naughty.
We’re not going to see her again.”
“And Aunty Alexa?” she asked.
“We’re not going to see her either.
She hurt Daddy a long time ago.
And… she’s not a nice person.
And what do I say about people who are not nice?”
“We stay away from them!” she said, smiling because she remembered.
Later, when we got home, neither Cheryl nor Alexa were there.
But Jason was.
“Hi, baby,” he said to Bev, who jumped into his arms.
“Jason, we need to talk.”
We sent Bev to play with her toys while I told him everything.
I showed him the footage as extra proof.
He was pale and silent for a long time.
“She’s never seeing Beverly again.
Never.
I don’t care.”
Cheryl tried to call.
She tried to defend herself.
I blocked her number.
Some people don’t deserve second chances.
And some people don’t deserve to be called family.
