*03/03/2020 - 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏*
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Everybody at Black Hill knows about the lake by the old house. They know never to let an open wound bleed out in the murky waters. Never to take their e...
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Mum looked worse for wear when she opened the front door, Una standing at attention beside her. I ran to Mum's side, peering out of the door and straight into Heather's face.
"Why are you always here? This isn't your house, lady." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Heather narrowed her eyes at me. She was stunning, but all I saw when I looked into her face was Arthur. Strange to think that such a beautiful woman had killed girls from her own town.
"Little, lucky Anna," Heather said. "You understand my husband is the Mayor of this town? I have enough money to buy your immigrant family ten times over. I don't need permission in my own town, unlike a blow-in like you."
I saw red.
"Que te jodan," I hissed, curling and uncurling my hands into fists. I couldn't afford to assault her. I hated to admit it, but we didn't have the money for a lawyer. "Fuck you, and fuck your merry gang of cojones."
"Annalise, that's enough," Una said, stepping between the she-devil and me. "Mrs. Beauchamp is here to drop off Oliver."
I raised an eyebrow. "Then how come I don't see him?"
Una gestured to the silver car parked on the street. As if on cue, Oliver ran out, his little legs pumping up the driveway. He crashed into me and squeezed his arms around me hard. I held him, taking in the warmth of him and tried not to cry. I couldn't break down in front of everybody.
Heather sneered an ugly thing that stretched the lines of her face. As she turned to leave, she spotted Mum. Heather waved at her, her eyes full of malice.
"How lovely, Lur, you've come out on top with your precious children," she said. Her smile shifted into something sadder. "While the rest of us have to live without. Well, good luck tomorrow, Annalise."
Heather's words settled, an uncomfortable weight in my stomach as she drove off in her flashy silver car. Una said goodnight, yawning all the way to the police car she'd parked in our driveway.
Oliver led Mum and me inside, where we locked the door shut and stood with our arms around each other.
"Mama," I whispered, tugging her closer to me. "I missed you."
Mum gripped my shoulders, her eyes sparkling with tears as she checked me for anything wrong.
"I haven't been the best to you," she whispered. I wrapped a hand around her forearm and shook my head. "No, it's true. I held the things that happened with Felix against you, even when I supported you. None of this is your fault, Anna. Those mothers are bitches, but they lost their children. I didn't lose either of mine, and I'll cherish that."
Warmth bloomed in my chest, and I held onto the feeling of love. It felt so good, after the pain of everything that had happened.
"Everything's going so wrong and I don't know what to do," I admitted, glad to have her back on my side.
