Chapter 8 - Madison’s Mask Finally Cracked
Six months after the sentencing, I received a letter from Madison.
It was the first and only time she tried to contact me.
In it, she didn’t apologize.
She blamed me.
She said I had always been jealous of her. That I had “stolen” Ethan from her (even though she had never even met him before we got married). That I had “made up” the pregnancy to get attention. That I deserved what happened.
At the bottom, in messy handwriting, she had written:
“You ruined my life. I hope you’re happy.”
I burned the letter in the kitchen sink.
Ethan found me standing over the ashes.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I think I finally understand something,” I said. “Madison was never going to change. My parents were never going to choose me. They made their choice a long time ago. I was just too scared to accept it.”
Ethan pulled me into his arms.
“You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
I closed my eyes and let myself believe him.
May you like
Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t waiting for my family to love me.
I already had someone who did.
