EVERETT'S POV
I was already halfway out the door when she stepped into my path.
“Honestly, mother, this is beginning to look like a pattern and I don't appreciate it.”
It was like she had a talent for bad timing, always appearing at the precise moment my patience was thinnest, my nerves stretched taut enough to snap.
She stood there, framed by the tall archway like an immovable piece of everything that had shaped me and everything I knew I should love, but despised instead.
Maybe because I knew her love wasn't completely genuine. It was a means of control for her, and once I realized, it became easier for me to do what I wanted without her permission or approval.
“Move,” I gritted through clenched teeth, my voice clipped.
“I need to talk to you,” mother replied carefully.
My finger
