It said… my mom?
I ran out.
Leo was dressed and ready to go pick up trash.
“Where are you going?”
I thought of Leo as a kid. I didn’t want him to
worry, so I said, “Something came up.”
“In pajamas?”
I realized I wasn’t even dressed.
I changed and came out, but Leo was still there.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No need.”
Leo didn’t answer. He just walked out with me.
It was weird. Usually, it was easy to get a cab.
But there were none today.
Then I heard a honk.
Justin pulled up in a black car.
“Liv, what’s wrong?”
I didn’t care that he was my ex.
“My mom… something happened to my mom.”
Justin didn’t ask questions. He just said, “Get in.”
After we’d been driving for a while, I
remembered.
Leo wasn’t with us.
6
I got home and saw Maisie wrapped around my
dad.
<
I was still shocked.
How was this even allowed on TV?
“What are you doing?”
Maisie didn’t expect me to come home.
She was panicking.
But she was the main character, so she
recovered fast.
Maisie started crying and ran to hug me.
“Liv, you’re here.”
Maisie cried and shook. “You haven’t talked to me, so I thought I’d made you mad. I came to your house to apologize. But then Uncle…
<
Uncle…”
Chapter 2
w upvivyizvi u
Before she could finish, Justin, bless his pea-
brain, totally lost it.
He stormed up to my dad. “I always respected
you, but now you’re hitting on Liv’s friends,
too?”
“Don’t worry, we’re here for you,” he said,
putting his arm around Maisie and shooting me
a meaningful look. “Even if she doesn’t protect you, I will.”
I couldn’t help it.
“You remembered to go to my apartment after dumping a drunk on my doorstep, but you
suddenly forgot when you needed to apologize?
Justin, you’re so far gone! Is your brain actually filled with fart gas?”
I went full–on Leo. “And I suppose my eyes are lying to me. Wasn’t it Maisie practically
humping my dad when I got here? Who are you trying to fool? Not satisfied with stealing my boyfriend, now you wanna be my mom?”
Justin’s IQ, which had been MIA, finally came back.
“Maisie, is that true? What are you trying to do?”
Maisie didn’t answer. She just stared at my dad.
But my dad wasn’t about to spill the beans.
He just said, “I’m letting you off the hook
because you’re younger. Get out.”
Maisie started crying.
She grabbed her bag and ran.
Once it was all over, my mom came home from
grocery shopping.
Her face lit up when she saw me. “Liv, why didn’t you tell me you and Justin were coming? I would’ve cooked something special.”
In the original story, this was where my mom walked in on my dad and Maisie, had a heart attack, and died.
But she was still alive.
Thank God.
LL–INIAe! I–1 ky !
TULIL LU
זיי!
uuu.
“I don’t care about your business. I don’t care if
Maisie’s your mistress or your secret daughter.
But if anyone hurts my mom, I’m coming for them.”
It was dark when Justin dropped me off.
“Liv, I messed up.”
Justin grabbed my hand. “I admit, I got too
close to Maisie for a while, but it was just a
crush. You’re the one I love. Can we… start
over?”
I was speechless.
Not because I was swooning, but because I was
shocked.
Did Justin really have that much nerve?
But the online viewers didn’t get that.
The comments were pouring in.
“That guy is such an ass. I’m gonna puke.”
“Liv, don’t you dare get back with that
douchebag! If you do, I’m done watching.”
“Leo’s been waiting for you downstairs for
seven hours! Go home and make up with your boyfriend.”
