Chapter 15
Ariel was sprawled out, face in the dirt, out cold. Samara’s face went white as a sheet as she charged at Joanna, hand raised like she was about to throw a punch.
“What the hell, Joanna?! You hit her?! Get your foot off–she could die!” Samara yelled.
Joanna glanced at her boot near Ariel’s side. “She’s fine. This won’t kill her.”
She’d taken worse beatings as a kid. A girl with no mom always got the short end of the stick. She lived. Ariel would too.
Samara didn’t care. She dropped to her knees, shoving Joanna’s leg away and cradling Ariel, blood streaking her face.
Tears streamed down Samara’s cheeks. “Baby… you okay? Don’t scare me! Someone call a doctor–where’s security?!”
Joanna watched Samara play the “panicked mom” role, even though everyone knew there was no love there. It left a cold pit in her stomach.
‘After eighteen years of being ditched, am I still hoping for a mom’s love?‘ she thought.
Joanna’s thin frame stood out next to Samara, her pale face almost ghostly, like a blade of grass in the moonlight.
Gavin could see she didn’t fit here–everyone was against her.
So he stepped up, tossing his jacket over her shoulders and sneaking his hand into hers, grabbing a couple fingers.
Joanna raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
Gavin’s face went red, his voice low. “I… I got your back, okay? You’re not alone.”
Joanna shrugged it off. “I’m good solo. Always have been.”
To her, lone wolves didn’t need saving.
Gavin’s heart ached. He wanted to pull her into a hug.
Ariel’s drama had the Howell mansion buzzing. People rushed in, easing her onto a stretcher, careful not to jostle her head.
The butler showed up with the family doctor. “Is she okay?! Keep her flat–don’t touch her head!”
Ariel stirred as they strapped her in.
Gavin hadn’t hit her that hard–just enough to draw blood. She’d probably just fainted from the shock.
But when she saw Joanna, she let out a scream that could shatter glass.“You fucking nobody! You got someone to jump me?! Mom, kick her out!”
Samara, tears falling, stared at the blood in Ariel’s hair. She wanted to hug her but held back, scared of hurting her more.
She crouched, grabbing Ariel’s hand. “Sweetie, relax. Mom’s gonna handle this. Just rest, okay? You come first.”
Ariel’s hatred for Joanna burned hot. Ever since Joanna showed up, her dad and brother were all over that loser. Even Gavin, who never gave Ariel a glance, was on Joanna’s side.
‘Why her?‘ she fumed silently. ‘Joanna’s just some small–town nobody from a backwater farm. I’m a Howell–born with a
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Chapter 15
silver spoon, for crying out loud!‘
Her lips shook as they wheeled her away, still spitting venom. “It’s her or me, Mom! If Joanna stays, I’m gone! She attacked me–she’s done!”
Samara’s eyes were red as she turned to Joanna, disgust written all over her face. “Joanna, what did Ariel do to you? Why’d you hurt her? She’s just a kid!
“You hit her head–what if she’s seriously hurt? Can you live with that?”
Gavin, still holding Joanna’s hand, stepped forward, voice cold. “I hit her. If she’s hurt bad, that’s on me. But the way she’s yelling? She’s fine.”
Samara shot Gavin a dirty look, brushing him off, and turned back to Joanna.
She began, “You’re from the sticks, and I never judged you for it. But hurting your sister? She was just trying to help-”
“Help?” Joanna let out a sharp laugh. “Help by talking trash, getting her buddies to jump me, and trying to set me up to get gang–raped?”
Samara’s eyes darted away. “She didn’t mean it–it was just talk. You’re the one who actually hurt her.”
Joanna stepped closer, looming over her. “Here’s what I don’t get. I’m your kid, right? So when they call me a nobody, they’re trashing you too–the mom who had me.
“But you’re standing there like you’re eating it up.”
She tilted her head, voice cutting. “So, what’s your deal? You clueless or just plain stupid?”
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