CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CONFRONTATION
AMBER’S POV
I stand outside the door for a full minute, gathering all my wit before I knock. My heart is thudding in my chest like it’s trying to make a run for it. Part of me wishes it could. The porch light flickers once, the only sound accompanying me is the hum of a passing car’s engine and the distant bark of a neighbor’s dog. I consider turning back. Maybe Jack wouldn’t mind another night of me crashing on his couch. Maybe I can keep pretending none of this is real.
But I can’t.
So, I knock again.
For a few seconds, there’s nothing. Then, the faint shuffle of slippers, and finally, the soft click of the deadbolt turning. The door creaks open, and there she is.
My mother.
Her eyes widen when she sees me, a visible wave of relief washing over h
