❝ –– perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. and when they do, those few dozen hours, like the salvaged remains of a burned house—the charred clock, the singed photograph, the scorched furniture—must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. and suddenly, they become the bleached bones of a story.
“I’m sick of lying to you. You deserve to know the truth.”
“Wow, do you plan on coming down off your high horse anytime soon, or are you enjoying the view from up there too much?” Delia scoffed, not at all able to believe what she was hearing. “Oh please, don’t you dare sit over there and act like I’m such a tramp when we both know that you were like the furthest thing from a virgin when you were a teen.”
Despite how much Delia desperately wanted to try and explain away the entire pregnancy situation, she knew fully well that if Teddy ever caught wind of her plans, she would do absolutely e v e r y t h i n g in her power to try and stop her. There was no way she was going to allow that to happen. “I’m sure you can’t wait to go running to Dad with all of this, so while the two of you decide on ways to punish me and make my life a living hell for the next however many months, this d i s a p p o i n t m e n t will be waiting in her room.”
“You
do not speak to me that way, Cordelia Burton!”
Teddy yelled, loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
“I am your mother!
Don’t you dare make this about
me, when you know full well that this is entirely your
fault!” Breathing heavily, Teddy tried to quell her r a g e before she did something she’d
regret.
“And that’s right — just you
wait until your father
gets home! If you think this is anything compared to
what he’ll have in store for you, you’re sorely
mistaken. We raised you so that you could go to
college, not an abortion
clinic! Maybe you’ll finally
realize what a mess you’ve made once you see the
look on your dad’s face.