Stephanie's POV
My head was a mess, pounding like a drum. The inside of the car felt like it was getting smaller, the air so thick with my own anger you could almost see it. Cane. That man. That stupid, confusing, infuriating man.
"Mama, what are you talking about?" Jolina's voice was tiny, like a little mouse.
Something in me just broke. All the confusion and anger from that meeting boiled over. "Don't you play dumb with me! I know what I'm saying! I can smell it!" The words came out harsher than I wanted it to.
Her little face just fell apart. Her bottom lip started trembling like a leaf, and her eyes got all shiny with tears that just about killed me. She pointed a shaky finger right at my face. "You! You're the one who saw a man! You must have hugged him! It's on you! It's not me!"
And just like that, the world came crashing back down.
Oh, God. What was I doing?
