"Sarah –"
She promptly burst into tears and I quickly took the plate out of her hands. The plums were all squashed against the plastic wrap, but I couldn't care less about the fucking cake. I reached out and tugged her into my arms, hugging her tight. No matter my devastation, Sarah needed my support.
I closed my eyes as Sarah sobbed into my shirt. Visions of Hannah and Maria swam into my mind, blurring my memories. In the end, a dark-haired, blue-eyed woman remained. And the shattered sadness that clouded her face when I let her walk away.
Chapter 41
Maria - 16 Years Old
FROM THE PRIVATE NOTES OF DR. ANNA MORRIS
“I’m not sure,” Daniel protested.
I hid an eye roll. Given that Daniel’s shoes were inching closer to the open bedroom door without any help from me, was proof that his reluctance was all an act. I didn’t need to beg a guy to hook up with me, but I was rapidly losing patience at his display of fake loyalty.
“C’mon, no one needs to know.” It was a stupid thing to say, considering I made sure everyone in our path got a good look at me leading a slack-jawed Daniel upstairs. The sooner we were discovered before things went further than I wanted to, the better. So I clasped his hand in mine, ensuring our fingers were tightly entwined, giving even the most disinterested bystander zero doubt about what we were about to do. Well, half do. When we’d swept by Lissa, she’d waved her phone at me with a wink.
The scene was set. I just needed that bitch to get here quickly because the loud thump of music mixed with the vodka soda I’d drunk was giving me a headache.
“We don’t have to do anything. We can just talk,” I softly coaxed him, glancing up below my long lashes.
“Okay, well, if it’s just talking…”
This time, I did roll my eyes. I trailed after him as he crossed the threshold and quickly closed the door before he changed his mind.
Show time.
He stood in the middle of the room, his gaze roaming around the space—and continuously falling on the queen bed. I bit back a sigh as I realized I would have to keep taking the lead.
I sat on the bed and crossed my legs in an exaggerated fashion. His eyes flickered down to my bare legs, a pink hue climbing his cheeks. Great, a virgin.
I gave him a coy smile and patted the bed. “Come sit down.” It was a struggle to keep my voice light and seductive—but not too obvious. All I really wanted was to cut to the chase and get to what he obviously came for.
He rubbed his hands down his jeans, his eyes still looking everywhere but at me. “I sh-shouldn’t be here,” he stammered.
I tilted my head, feigning a look of innocence. “Why?”
He licked his lips. “Because I have a girlfriend.”
I gasped, my hand going to my chest. “You do?” I breathed. I shook my head and stood, keeping my hand on my chest. Right above my exposed cleavage. “I had no idea. You’re right, we should go.”
I moved past him, my stride a little slow to give his head time to catch up to his other little head.
“Wait!”
I gave a satisfied Cheshire cat smile before dropping it and whirling. ‘What is it?” My eyes were wide-eyed and innocent.
He swallowed. His hand rubbed his wrist as his eyes traveled the length of my body. I was wearing a dark purple velvet dress with tiny straps and a low square neckline. It ended high enough that if I bent over, my ass would be out. Literally. Because I was only wearing a thong.
“I-I wouldn’t exactly call her my girlfriend,” he lied.
My brow pulled down, my hand playing with the strap of my dress. “Oh? What would you call her?”
He shrugged, his eyes down. “Just a girl I’m fooling around with.”
A familiar pang hit my chest, and the faux-sincere expression slid off my face. Even though he was referring to someone I actively hated, his words dug deep into an insecurity I continuously buried. How many times had I heard those words uttered in differing ways?
“Maria’s easy. I’m just messing around with her.”
