MALCOM HEART
Karima stared at me; her jaw dropped. I doubt she even knew her mouth was hanging open.
What did she think? That I wouldn’t notice she’d been paying Mom a visit? She’d tried hard to hide it, but nothing gets past me unless I didn’t care enough to look.
“Malcom,” she started, brushing her hair to the side like someone bracing for a court verdict. “I swear, I wanted to tell you but...”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t visit her. I just don’t want you paying her bills, that’s all.” I cut in.
Keeping it that way was enough. There were truths Karima should never know. Not about Mom. Not about the secrets that weighed on me every time I looked at her.
It wasn’t like I could stop her completely. She’d always been close to Mom, even when Dad was more present at home. Mom was never the
