Free Bad Blood by Mary Monroe

this long, though. I’ve never been involved with an unmarried man and had to sneak around to be with him.”
    â€œI know, sweetheart. I’m just glad you hung in there. I promise you won’t regret it.”
    â€œI’m sure I won’t, either. And I can assure you that if you break up with me, I won’t cause you the same problems she has caused you.”
    â€œI know you won’t, baby.”
    â€œDid she honestly think you were still going to marry her and have children with her after you found out about her crazy family?”
    â€œApparently she did. Darla, I have to get off the phone. I don’t think I can stand any more stress, so I need to let my family know what’s going on. And I need to let them know today. ”

Chapter 10
    Seth
    â€œM ENTAL ILLNESS RUNS IN R ACHEL’S FAMILY? A IYEEE !” I couldn’t remember the last time I had heard my mother scream. “Son, please tell us you’re joking! She didn’t even tell you before you asked her to marry you? How could Rachel be so deceitful? That girl ought to be ashamed of herself! I knew she was too good to be true!” Mother hollered.
    It was a hell of a subject for me to bring up in the middle of our dinner table conversation that evening during the first week of August. But I had to do it. The sooner my folks found out about Rachel, the easier it would be for me to get them to see everything from my perspective and dismiss Rachel for the fraud she was. I was glad that I was alone with Mother and Father.
    â€œDo you mean to tell us that she didn’t even bother to tell you about these nutcases until you met them last year?” Father boomed. The look of horror on his face was even more profound than the look on Mother’s. “Mercy me! I’ve always thought in the back of my mind that that girl had something to hide.”
    â€œWhat made you think that?” I asked him.
    â€œUh, I can’t really put my finger on anything specific, other than her shifty eyes. . . .”
    â€œI never noticed her shifty eyes, but I saw only what I wanted to see, I guess,” I said.
    â€œHow come you’re just now telling us about Rachel’s family?” Mother asked.
    â€œI wanted to tell you sooner, but I honestly thought that I’d be okay with it over time. But I’m not.” I sniffed. “On top of the mental illness issue, her folks are about as countrified and ignorant as can be! I was terrified the whole time I was in Alabama. You would think that those people just arrived in this country on a boat! They even eat possums.”
    â€œThey sound like a bunch of savages, and Rachel was the ringleader,” Father snarled. “Our family has worked too long and hard to get where we are to end up letting Rachel bring us down. I’m glad you’re going to get rid of her.”
    â€œSeth, you poor thing you. You’ve been carrying this heavy load all by yourself!” Mother began to shake so hard, I ran to her and put my arms around her shoulders.
    â€œMother, calm down. We don’t want you to have another heart attack!” I yelled.
    Father was about to rise and come to Mother’s aid, too, but she waved him back to his seat and me back to mine. “I’m all right,” she assured us, fanning her face with her napkin. She grabbed the wineglass next to her plate and put it up to her lips. She drank until she had drained every drop. As soon as I returned to my seat, she asked, “Is that the real reason you moved back home, baby?”
    â€œYes. But I’m going to ease out of the relationship slowly and gently. She’s about to go back to Alabama to check on her sick mother. When she returns . . . well, I’ll decide how to break it off with her completely.”
    â€œSon, don’t you worry. We know how anxious you are to get married and to start your family. With all you’ve got going for you, you’ll meet