Chapter 23

Judy’s POV

“Irene,” I greeted, thankful that I sounded stronger than I felt. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Oh, I was just getting some stuff for my upcoming wedding,” she said, holding up her shopping bag. She glanced at Nan. “And who’s this?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat; the last thing I wanted was for Irene to be curious about Nan and try to take her too. I knew it wasn’t fair of me to blame Ethan for leaving me on Irene because she’s as much a victim as I am if not more. But I couldn’t help myself. Whenever I look at Irene, I think about how my mate left me for her. I grimaced at the very thought of him touching her the way that he used to touch me. We were so in love at one point; he was my fated mate and we were supposed to be together forever. It was written on the star; it was the Goddess who paired us together.

But she had made a grave mistake. Or maybe it was Ethan who had taken the wrong turn. My chest continued to ache even after I swore, I was over him.

Does one ever truly get over their mate though?

“This is my best friend, Nan,” I told her, motioning for Nan who gave Irene a quizzical look. Nan already knew all about Irene and I didn’t have to explain who she was.

Irene held out her hand to shake Nan’s and Nan only stared at it for a brief moment, a frown marring her perfectly glossed lips. I had to nudge Nan slightly on the arm to snap her out of her stupor because Irene couldn’t know that something was wrong.

Nan hesitantly lifted her hand and placed it in Irene’s.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nan said with a forced smile.

“Hello, Nan,” Irene said cheerfully, not noticing that anything was wrong or weird. “I’m Irene Landry. Gavin Landry’s daughter and Ethan Cash’s fiancé. It’s so very nice to meet you.”

I could see Nan struggling to keep her calm, but she managed just fine and dipped her head in respect.

“And it’s an honor, Miss Landry,” she said with a slight bite in her words.

“What are you girls up to?” She asked, looking between us.

I glanced at Nan who gave me a slight shrug just before looking back at Irene.

“We were just shopping,” I answered.

“It’s kind of a girl’s day,” Nan added.

Something flashed in Irene’s eyes that I couldn’t quite understand.

“Oh, I see,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve never had a girl’s day before. I guess I never really had friends to do that type of thing with.”

I raised my brows; I found it difficult to believe she never had friends. I mean, she was Irene Landry after all.

“You’ve never had friends?” Nan asked, mimicking my thoughts.

Irene shrugged casually, looking a bit troubled.

“Not real ones,” she admitted. “I guess people are just intimidated by me or something. It’s no big deal…”

She bit her lip and stared at the ground. I looked at Nan again; I knew Irene wanted an invite to our shopping spree and I could tell Nan was thinking the same thing because she gave me a slight head shake when I met her eyes.

I grabbed Nan’s arm and turned back to Irene.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Irene. We should be going now,” I told her as I pulled Nan alongside me.

“Oh,” Irene said, sounding disappointed. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you later.”

I nodded and waved over my shoulder and continued dragging Nan down the street, ignoring that Irene’s eyes were burning a hole in the back of my head.

“She’s certainly an interesting character,” Nan murmured as we entered the boutique.

“Certainly,” I agreed.

We spent the evening shopping for Nan and getting Talia a birthday present. Nan settled on a gorgeous ruby bracelet with a heart charm; she got Talia’s name engraved on the charm.

After we went shopping, we went to a restaurant for dinner.

“Thanks for going out with me today,” Nan said as she dropped me back at the house.

I smiled at her.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I told her. “I love hanging out with you.”

She smiled; we hugged, and I left her car to return to my dark and quiet house. It’s been exceptionally quiet since my father was taken. My mother had hardly left her room in the last couple of days. I checked on her this morning, but she didn’t seem to want to talk. If I can’t get her out of her room tomorrow, I’ll probably end up calling her doctor to make a home visit. She couldn’t keep going on like this; it wasn’t good for her. She was wasting away before my eyes, and I was so worried about her.

Nan had a good idea during dinner to maybe go and see my father in prison; perhaps he could give me some insight on how to handle his mate. I wasn’t sure if that was something I was ready for. But after I got out of school the next day, I decided to give it a shot and see if I could speak with my father.

“Sorry, Mam. We were told not to let you enter,” one of the guards at the front entrance of the person said, folding his arms across his chest.

I frowned, staring up at him with confusion on his face.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, confused. “It’s a prison. I’m in the visitor section; I have every right to be here. I need to see my father.”

His frown deepened as he took a look at his clipboard and then he shook his head.

“I have strict instructions to keep Judy Montague away from the prison,” he told me. “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sorry but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

I was about to open my mouth and say something again, but another voice sounded behind me.

“And who exactly gave you those orders? If it was any type of Alpha, I assure you, they did not get the permission of my father before stating such a rule. Is there a reason my friend can’t visit with her own father?” Irene asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“I… uh… Miss Landry,” the guard stammered, bowing his head to Irene. “W…what are you doing here?”

“I happened to be driving by when I saw Judy entering the prison. I followed her to see what she was doing, and I happened to overhear your conversation,” she confessed. “Now I’m going to ask you again… why can’t she visit with her own father?”

I was shocked that Irene was here, and she was helping me. I had a feeling I knew who gave the guards the order; he most likely paid them off too. It was Ethan. Something from the way the guard was looking at her, I could tell he didn’t want to tell her this information either. Everybody now knew she was engaged to him and upsetting Irene was not in this guard's best interest.

He glanced at me and then back at Irene.

“I didn’t know you two were friends,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Of course, she can see her father. I was mistaken.”

He stepped aside, allowing me entrance into the prison.

I looked at Irene who was still staring at the guard. I wanted to say something to her, but the words failed me. Instead, I nodded my head at her and then walked past the guard and into the prison. Another guard walked me into the visitor center where I sat at a table, nervously fiddling with my fingers until the doors swung open and my father walked into the room.

“No touching,” one of the guards on standby instructed me.

I nodded and bit my lip as my father walked towards me. As he came into view, my entire heart fell deep into my stomach. I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw his bruised and bleeding face. He was beaten so badly that he was hardly recognizable.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I looked into his bloodshot eyes.

“Judy…” he croaked; his voice raspy like it pained him to speak. “You came…”

“Oh, Dad…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “I’m so sorry this happened to you…”

He gave me a sad and pained smile as he lowered himself into the seat in front of me. I took my seat as well; I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him. He was no longer the strong and confident man I knew to be my adoptive father… he looked almost weak and broken. He was the shell of the man he used to be and that thought alone destroyed me.

“I never thought I would see you again,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry it took me so long…”

He shook his head, sadness crossing his eyes.

“This isn’t the type of place you should be in, Judy. I don’t blame you for staying away…”

I couldn’t stop the tears from escaping my eyes. They soaked over my cheeks and dripped off my chin. I hated seeing him in this position; I wrapped my arms around my body to hold myself together.

“How’s your mother?” My father asked, snapping my attention back to him.

“Not good, Dad…” I whispered. “That’s mainly why I’m here. She’s not happy. I think she has gone depressed and I’m not sure what to do… I was hoping that maybe you could help me?”