Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 62

CHAPTER 37-2

There it is.” I said and she frowned slightly.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing ever changes.” I said.

“Paige…” She said.

“You came here to apologize.” I said.

“I did.” She said.

“But you still can’t admit Charlotte did anything wrong.” I said and Victoria hesitated.

“She’s made mistakes.” Victoria said.

“So have I.” I said.

“She has a good heart.” She said and I smiled sadly.

“Does she?” I asked.

“She’s your sister.” Victoria said.

“And I’m her sister. I lost count of how many times she lied about me.” I said as the apartment fell

silent again and Victoria looked down at the floor.

“I know the two of you never got along.” She said.

“It wasn’t that we didn’t get along. She hurt me over and over again, and every single time

somebody found an excuse for her.” I said keeping my voice calm. Victoria closed her eyes briefly.

“She’s family.” Victoria said.

“So am I.” I said.

Neither of us spoke. The truth hung quietly between us. For the first time, I realized exactly why the conversation felt so familiar. Nothing had changed. My mother genuinely regretted losing me.

She regretted the distance. She regretted the silence. But she still couldn’t bring herself to admit

the biggest truth of all. Charlotte had been allowed to treat me however she wanted because

nobody had ever stopped her.

Even now, my mother was still protecting her. I felt something inside me settle. Not anger but

acceptance.

“I think I understand now.” I said and Victoria looked up hopefully.

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“You do?” She asked.

Lunderstand why we keep having the same conversation.” I said as tears gathered in her eyes.

“I want us to fix this.” She said.

“So do I. But we can’t fix something if we’re pretending it wasn’t broken.” I said as my voice

remained soft.

“I am trying.” She said.

“I know.” I said.

I walked to the front door and gently opened it. She stared at the doorway before looking back at

“I think it’s time for you to go home.” I said and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Paige…” She said.

“I love you, Mom. I always will. But until everyone starts being honest about what happened, nothing is ever going to change.” I said as her breathing caught. I swallowed the tightness in my throat so she stood slowly.

For a moment I thought she might argue but instead, she simply nodded.

“I hope one day you’ll forgive us.” She said.

“I hope one day you’ll give me something real to forgive.” I said.

Victoria stepped into the hallway, and I quietly closed the door behind her.

I remained standing there for several minutes before finally locking it.

From the apartment window, I watched her climb into her car. She didn’t start the engine immediately.

Instead, she lowered her head onto the steering wheel, and even from this distance I could see her shoulders shaking as she cried.

Part of me wanted to run downstairs. Part of me wanted to hug her. Instead, I stayed exactly where I was. Some wounds needed honesty before they could begin to heal.

The following morning, I walked downstairs expecting another ordinary day at Lawson Customs.

The workshop felt strangely dark. I frowned before reaching for the light switch. Nothing happened. I tried another switch. Still nothing.

Confused, I stepped outside and noticed every building on the street had power except mine.

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