“That’s what they told you!” Sissy’s hand moved protectively over her belly. “But that’s not what happened. Richard loved Sarah. He tried to help her. And when she died—” Her voice broke. “When she died, you all took everything from him. His home. His freedom. His future.”
“So he sent you here.” Pieces clicked into place in Caleb’s mind. “To gather information. To sabotage us. To get revenge.”
Sissy didn’t deny it.
And the truth made anger boil inside him.
chapter
fifty-four
Caleb took a deep breath,trying to keep his anger and betrayal at bay before it overwhelmed him.
Sissy’s face remained defiant, but something flickered in her eyes. Fear, maybe. Or guilt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to us.” Caleb shook his head, his voice barely restrained.
“You can’t prove anything,” Sissy snapped.
“Why?” Millie asked, her voice cracking despite her calm exterior. “Why would you help the man who killed Caleb’s sister? Why would you come here and sabotage a shelter meant to help women like us?”
“Women like you?” Sissy’s voice rose, sharp and bitter. “You don’t know anything about me. About what I’ve been through. About what Richard’s been through.”
“Then tell us,” Millie said. “How did you even meet him?”
“We met at a grief support group in Charlottesville. I’d just lost my brother in an auto accident. He was there mourning Sarah. We bonded over our grief.”
It was the perfect place for Richard to pick up a vulnerable woman.
Caleb despised the man even more now.
For a long moment, Sissy said nothing. Her hands gripped the back of the chair so hard her knuckles turned white.
Then tears began to well in her eyes. “You all think you know the truth. But you don’t. You only know Sarah’s version of the story. The version she fed to everyone before she died.”
“Sarah was the victim,” Caleb said, his voice so low it was almost a growl.
“Was she?” Sissy looked up, tears streaming down her face now. “Or was she a manipulative woman who drove Richard to the breaking point and then played the victim when he finally fought back?”
Naomi gasped from the doorway. “How dare you?—”
“Richard told me everything.” Sissy’s voice shook. “About how Sarah was unstable. How she’d threaten to hurt herself and blame him. How she turned his own family against him. How she was going to take everything from him.”
Caleb crossed his arms. “That’s not what happened.”
“That’sexactlywhat happened!” Sissy’s voice cracked. “And when she died—when it was ruled a homicide—you all made sure he went to prison for it. You took his property. His freedom.Everything.”
“Because he murdered her!” Naomi’s voice was shrill with disbelief.
Sissy shook her head. “He loved her. He loves me. He’s not the monster you think he is. I’m just here so he can finally have justice. This place doesn’t deserve to succeed! Not after everything Sarah did to Richard.”
“Sissy.” Millie kept her voice gentle. “Has Richard ever hurt you?”
“No. Never.” But Sissy’s hand moved unconsciously to her ribs, and Caleb saw the wince that followed.
Some of his anger faded.
Millie stepped closer. “Are you sure about that?”
