“His wife.”
The world swayed under my feet.
Iwasstupid. I had convinced myself that she was his sister. Her last name had been different when I looked Steven up. I figured she had gotten married to someone else, taken their last name, but she must have kept her maiden name.
Hiswife.
Which meant that I was the side piece. I was the girl who ruined her family.Iwas the homewrecker.
“He was married for eight years, knew her for ten,” she went on, her voice distant. “Her name is Stella Voss. Their daughter is four. Her name is Baily.”
Baily.
Baily, their daughter, who had the same genetic condition as me. Was she picked on like I had been? Did her friends teaseher?
I had been the girl Steven had sought out a year after he had Baily.
Itore apart a family. I did.
I slid my hand over my stomach, suddenly feeling sick. “I, um…” I cleared my throat and shook my head. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t be here.” I turned away, only to hit a wall.
I stumbled back a step and looked up, the sun blotted out by a man in a mask.
Everett.
His lips were set, his mask in place, his hands in his pockets, eyes more blue than silver today.
Why had he come? He shouldn’t have been here. Why was he here doing this pathetic grunt work?
“I told him to come,” Evelyn said, joining my side.
“I was hiding a body,” he stated coldly.
My eyes widened in slight panic. What the actual fuck?
“The body can wait,” she responded pointedly. “And anyways, that’s what our cleanup crew is for. This is important.”
He grumbled, glancing to the house. “Payment is due when this is done.”
A threat, but one that caused my whirling stomach to warm and my thudding heart to slow.
“Go,” he told me, finding my eyes again. “That’s an order.”
Irritation flooded under my skin. “I didn’t ask you to be here, I wanted Evelyn.”
“Because you don’t have any friends,” he cooed mockingly.
I narrowed my eyes to slits. “I have friends.”
“Katie isn’t a friend, she’s your publisher. You don’t have any friends, little writer, because you let dear little Steven control every second of your life. You let him manipulate you,” he went on, stepping up, invading my space, my anger growing. “You let him convince you that you were going crazy. You let him pushyou to the point of not wanting anything for yourself. You don’t want. You never want. You don’t allow yourself to want or to feel joy or smile or anything. You don’t allow it because of what you let him do.That’swho you are. Easily manipulated. A fucking sheep.”
I slapped him.
Before I could stop myself. Before I could swallow the anger. Before I could even think, my hand snapped across his cheek, my eyes burning with rage-filled tears. “Fuck you,” I said, pointing a finger at him.
The slap had done nothing but leave a red mark on his face, his pupils growing wide, and I half wondered if he would slap me back. I didn’t think my ass could take anymore of it.
“What Iwant, is for you to leave me alone. What Iwantis for you to get out of my life and nevereverreturn,” I seethed.
