“Logan,” Chloe whispers, and I hold up a finger as I lead us back out the door. “I have to talk to you. Let’s go in there.” She nods to the master bedroom, and I scowl over at her for even thinking about it.
She holds up a hand. “I promise, I’ll behave.”
“Fine. But make it quick. I need to call Skyla.” I lead her into my bedroom, the bedroom Skyla and I share in theory. I head over to the bed and plop down before staring up at her, bracing myself for the lies.
“Logan.” She drops to her knees, those dark cisterns she sees the world through quickly filling with tears. She reaches up and clasps her hand to mine. “You have to believe what I’m about to tell you. This isn’t some existential identity crisis. Logan, I am not Chloe Bishop—not deep inside where it counts. It’s me,Skyla.”
A moment of silence stops up the air.
I shake my head at this woman on her knees.
“I don’t know what the heck you’re up to, but I’m functioning on little to no sleep. I’m tired, hungry, and cranky. Whatever your point is, get to it quickly. I’m not entirely sure I care who you identify as today, Chloe. So if you have something else to tell me, say it or get out so I can catch some shut-eye.”
“Oh, Logan.” She drops her face into her hands a moment. “The night of my birthday party—at Ellis’ house? My party, as in me,Skyla. You left to take some of Laken’s things to Coop’s place, but the rain picked up and you stopped by Whitehorse. Remember?” There’s a desperation in her voice, I’ll admit I’m surprised to hear.
My eyes widen a notch.
Would Chloe have known this? Why not? She could have followed me.
Figures. Now that she’s not with Gage, she’s running her own scams. And I’m not liking this one at all.
“Yes.” I take a deep breath. “So what?”
“So while you were getting knocked into Eversor, Gage was busy murdering me.”
“Murdering you?” I blink back. “And who are you again?”
Like a cheetah Chloe pounces over me and pins me to the mattress.
“Listen to me, Logan,” she breathes the words right over my face. “I am not going around the block with you. The night of my birthday party at Ellis’ house, Gage kissed me. He pressed his mouth to mine and held me prisoner there until he snuffed the life out of me. He smothered me with his twisted love, and once my soul floated out of my body, Rory was there to step right in. Any version of me you’ve seen trampling around this island, it isn’t the Skyla Messenger you know. She’s a fraud and a thief. And Gage deserves to be strung up by his balls for what he’s done to everyone on this planet, including you, me, and our children.”
A roar comes from me as I bounce to my feet and end up halfway across the room.
“What in the hell?” I pant as I try to take in everything she just filled me in on.
“That’s right.” Chloe pops up by my side. “I begged my mother for another chance, and she granted me one possession. Chloe was willing—well, not at first, but that’s beside the point. Dudley helped move things along. Now I’m the primary soul in her body. She’s still inside this earthly frame. I can hear her. But it’s my actions and thoughts that rule the wicked roost.” She cringes. “Sorry, Chloe.”
I tip my head to the side as I examine this girl before me.
“Skyla?” her name presses out of me with measured grief. “Shit.” I reach up and touch my hand to Chloe’s cheek. “That’s why you’ve been acting so erratically? You sent the kids to Emma’s—you wouldn’t have anything to do with Jaxson…” In a psychotic way, it all makes sense.
“Shesent the kids to Emma’s.Shedoesn’t want anything to do with Jaxson.” She picks up my hand and kisses it with such a tenderness only Skyla could bring. “Did the two of you…?”
My eyes close as the impact of everything that’s happened slaps me in the face.
“It’s okay.” She shakes her head as tears flood her eyes as if it’s not. “It’s still my body.” She gives a little shrug. “Just don’t let it happen again.” A small laugh gurgles from her. “And I know you must have doubts about all this, so I’m going to tell you things that only I would know. I promise this will alleviate any doubts you have, and you will know that it is truly me,Skyla, the woman who loves you, Logan Oliver—my soulmate.”
She pulls me back to the bed and we lie side by side as she looks into my eyes and details everything we’ve ever done together, anything we’ve ever said to one another. She starts right at the beginning. She dives into that tumultuous time at West, and our rocky love story plays out like a sad, tired song. She tells me about our first kiss, our first wedding, our wedding night, and our short-lived honeymoon. She doesn’t miss a beautiful naughty detail.
I close my eyes and let it sink in as my fingers dig into her hair, my thumb caressing her cheek.
“Skyla.” A lone heated tear runs down the side of my face. “I wish I could kill him. I want him dead. Gone. Where in the hell did Demetri put Gage? Because that cannot be him.”
Her lips crimp to the side. “Chloe says it’s him, all right. She also said she appreciates this soft side of you.”
“I’m not sure how to take that,” I say. “I realize I’m looking at Chloe, but it’s as if all I see is you, Skyla.”
“No,” she bleats it out rough.
