Read Online Better (Stark Ink Book 2) by Dahlia West - Free Book Online Page B

why are you here? Isn’t it enough that you ruined your own relationship with Zoey? You have to break up her marriage, too? Honestly,” Elaine said as she shook her head. “What would Miriam say?”
    Zoey gasped. “Mom!”
    Dalton probably would have managed to keep his cool if Zoey’s mother hadn’t taken such a cheap shot. “What would she say ? I don’t know, Elaine. I think she’d want to know where you were when Zoey’s husband was smacking her around!”
    Elaine’s jaw dropped. “Well… that’s just an awful thing to say. And you can’t just go around making accusations like that about-”
    “It’s true, Mom,” Zoey replied.
    Elaine turned from Dalton to Zoey. “Well… maybe… maybe it was a mistake.”
    “A mistake?” Dalton asked. “Like he took a swing and Zoey accidentally ran into his fist?”
    She glared at him. “There’s probably an explanation.” She turned to Zoey. “It can’t be as serious as you’re making it. It’s him ,” she ground out. “ He’s putting ideas in your head.”
    Dalton sighed heavily. It was true Zoey had done a hell of a job with the makeup, which may not have turned out to be a good thing. This coupled with her reluctance to tell them how her marriage had really been going all this time was leaving Zoey in a tough situation. He couldn’t help but feel that keeping her parents in the dark about the reality of her situation was directly contributing to their inability to grasp the seriousness of it now. Unfair, but there it was. Zoey’s choice to try and save them the pain had only heaped more of it onto herself. She hadn’t sought the help she needed and now that she wanted it, it wasn’t there.
    “No, Mom,” Zoey argued. “None of this is Dalton’s fault. He didn’t even know. I… we ran into each other last night and I told him. He’s the one worried about me.”
    Elaine scoffed. “Well, this is all just ridiculous, but no surprise now that we know who’s behind it all. You’ll stay here tonight, Zoey. We’ll call Patrick and in the morning he’ll come and get you and the two of you can sort all this out.”
    Zoey shook her head. “No. Absolutely not, Mom.”
    “He’s your husband, Zoey. You have to deal with this.”
    “I am dealing with it.”
    “By staying with him ?” Elaine demanded. “Honestly, Zoey. What on Earth are you thinking ?! That’s unacceptable!”
    Elaine glared at Dalton again, but he didn’t care. He was just as furious. The time to try and spare Zoey the drama was long past. He glared right back at her mother.
    “You’re married! ” Elaine hissed at Zoey.
    “It didn’t feel like it when he hit me,” Zoey replied quietly. “In fact, I haven’t felt married for a long time, Mom.”
    “That’s no excuse. You just need some space and some time to think about things.”
    Zoey opened her mouth to argue, but Dalton cut her off. “Are you hearing her? Are you even listening ? Patrick hit her last night and it wasn’t the first time. There’s no excuse for that , Elaine!”
    Zoey’s mother smirked at him. “You’re no better.”
    “Mom!” Zoey cried.
    Dalton shook his head. “I made mistakes, but I never, ever, laid a hand on her. Come on, Zoey. We’re leaving.”
    “She can stay here,” Elaine insisted.
    Dalton scoffed. “So you can work on her some more? Tell her she needs to go back to him? Tell her she has to choose between one Hell and another? No. No way.”
    “You are not a member of this family, Dalton Stark, and I thank God every day that you never were! You don’t speak for my daughter and I think you’ve overstayed your welcome in my home.”
    “Like I was ever welcome,” he muttered. To Zoey, he said, “You can’t stay here. You know you don’t want to hear this bullshit.” He paused. As much as he hated to admit it, Elaine was right about one thing. He didn’t speak for Zoey and he couldn’t force her to make the choice he wanted. “If you want to go somewhere else, I’ll