What A Terrible Way To End The Day

Chapter 11- What a terrible way to end the day.

Tyler's POV

The moment the words left her mouth, I regretted not knowing sooner.

I stared at my mom, waiting for her to explain herself, to tell me something—anything—that would make sense of the fact that she had been keeping such a huge secret from me. My heart pounded in my chest, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

"Why didn't you tell me, Mom?" My voice was tight, frustration seeping into every word. "Why didn't you tell me that he—that worthless excuse of a father—is threatening to take me away if you don't do what he says?"

Mom let out a slow, shaky breath, as if the weight of my words was pressing down on her. "Because, Tyler," she started, her voice barely above a whisper, "he also threatened me not to say anything." She looked away for a moment, her eyes clouded with something I couldn't quite place—fear, sadness, regret. "And I… I didn't have a choice."