It’s the second time he’s said that about me. “Keep my head buried in the sand?” A ragged cry escapes me before I can stop it. “I knew you were up to something. I just didn’t know what it was.” I’m not ready for him to know Aubrey is involved because I’m not sure how he will react to that. I’m just praying he doesn’t recognize her in that picture he just showed me.
He lets out a shocked bark of laughter. “Holy shit. All this because you thought I was ‘up to something.’ How fucking ridiculous. And what were you going to do? Divorce me? Because that’s not happening.”
“You can’t stop me from divorcing you! I don’t care what dirty work you’ve done for my dad or Silas! I’ve learned enough to know I don’t want to be married to you anymore.”
He shakes his head and softens his features. “What do you think you learned today? You heard Margaret and me talk about something that happened a decade ago. That I did what your father asked to protect your brother. And will you tell someone what I did? Will you tell them what Silas did?” I flinch at his words. “You can leave me but you’ll be leaving with a lot less than you came to this marriage with, thanks to the prenup you signed. And I can guarantee you, your dad will be on my side of this instead of yours, since I’m one of the only people who could send his prodigal son to prison.”
I’m shaking when he takes a step forward. His right hand takes my left. “And where are you going to go, Camille? Back home to Corbeau? All I’m trying to do is to get out from under your dad. Same thing I’ve been trying to do for years. Just like we talked about. You assumed the worst of me so everything you saw and heard was twisted in a way to make it true. We still want the same things. For your dad to be out of our lives. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
I’m starting to doubt myself, but I try to remember he’s a master at this. “No, you’re twisting this around.”
“I’m not twisting anything. You assigned your own thoughts and feelings to my actions. You made it about you, not me.”
What is happening? He’s trying to make me feel guilty and it’s seriously working.
I don’t know what to believe, and that’s the worst part.
He moves another step closer. “I’ve already put plans in place that will change everything. Free us both from the noose your dad put around my neck all those years ago. We can figure this out. Find a way to make things work again. I know how much you don’t want people talking about you. About us. About your family. You just need to trust me like you used to. Trust me like I trust you. It kills me your faith in me has fallen so low. All I’ve ever wanted was to take care of you. To give you the life you deserve.”
He’s turning this on me, making me the bad guy.
Am I the bad guy?
I realize I’m letting him control this conversation like I always do. He’s good at working people…his clients, the jury, anyone he encounters.
“I’m leaving.” I start moving to the kitchen door.
He’s one step behind me. “Who is helping you? Who is this woman?”
I spin around and see that he’s got that picture back up on his phone. “Who sent you that picture? What were you trying to catch me doing?”
His face turns red. He absolutely hates that I spied on him. That I know everything he did here today but he doesn’t know what I did, who I’ve got helping me. I’m sure his mind is racing as it goes through the day minute by minute so he can determine just how much I know.
Ben stares at the picture then glances back in the direction of his office then to me. I start for the door again but he grabs my arm. He’s pulling me out of the kitchen and across the foyer until we’re back in his office. We’re beside his desk, where I see a picture of Aubrey Price in the open file. He lets go of me so he can pick up the image of her. When he’s got both pictures side by side, it’s clear who is helping me today.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” His eyes bore into me. “Of all people, why is Aubrey Price pretending to be you?”
Oh shit. The vein in his forehead is bulging.
I don’t answer. I don’t open my mouth.
“You have no idea what you’ve done.” He flings both the printed picture and his phone on his desk. “This shit is on you now.” Ben takes a step away. He’s backing away from me. “You can answer to your dad about why you pulled her into this.”
And this scares me more than anything else.
I don’t waste time trying to figure out what he means, I bolt for the door and run back to where the Honda is parked.
Once I’m inside the car, I let out a scream. My hands are shaking and I feel like I’m going to throw up again. Tears are streaming down my face.
What have I done?
I grab the plastic bag from the back seat and pull out the prepaid phoneI bought from Target, powering it on. I figured there might be a time I’d need a phone and wouldn’t have one since Aubrey would have mine. I make a call I don’t really want to make, but I don’t feel like I have any other choice. My brother answers on the second ring.
“Hello.”
“Si, it’s me. Cam.”
He hesitates a moment then says, “Whose number is this?”
