Chapter 18 - BONNIE'S LAST DEMAND
I almost refused.
Then I remembered Evelyn Cross’s letter.
I agreed to meet her in a secured conference room at the county detention center.
Bonnie entered in jail clothes without makeup or jewelry.
For the first time since I had known her, she looked ordinary.
She sat down.
“You ruined my son.”
“No. I stopped financing the illusion that he didn’t have to grow up.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You think you’re better than me because you have money?”
“I think I’m better than you because I don’t kidnap children.”
Her mouth tightened.
She leaned forward.
“I took Donovan because Caden was weak. He would have handed the boy back and crawled to you.”
“He should have handed him back.”
“You made my son feel useless.”
“No. You taught him that being supported meant being humiliated.”
For the first time, Bonnie looked uncertain.
I took Evelyn’s letter from my bag and slid a copy across the table.
She stared at the handwriting.
Her face changed.
“You had no right to read that.”
“It was in my house.”
“That house should have been mine.”
There it was.
Not remorse.
Entitlement.
“Evelyn owed me.”
“No,” I said. “You wanted her life. Then you wanted mine.”
Bonnie’s eyes filled with tears, but they did not move me.
“I only wanted security.”
“You had a son who loved you, a grandson who trusted you, a daughter-in-law who paid your bills, and a place in our family. You traded all of that for control.”
I stood.
“You wanted to know whether I’ll ask the prosecutor for mercy?”
She looked up.
“I won’t ask for cruelty. I won’t ask for mercy either. I’ll tell the truth.”
As I walked toward the door, Bonnie called after me.
“Taylor.”
I stopped.
She whispered, “Caden knew about the passport.”
May you like
I turned slowly.
And for one terrible second, I wondered whether everything was about to break again.
