“So this is where you’ve been hiding.” Her words were coated in disdain. “I went looking for you first.”
“Here I am,” said Scarlett, spreading her hands wide before letting them drop back to her sides.
“You must feel pretty proud of yourself.”
She seated herself across from Laylani. “Why’d you do it? My mother, my father, me. Why’d you want us all dead?”
Laylani stared at her for a long moment. “How’d you know about…?” Then she let out an angry sigh, realizing she’d given something away.
How’d you know about Sabina?That was what she’d been about to say. The evidence already proved she’d acted against Scarlett and Jules.
It surprised Scarlett how much the admission satisfied her. The journal, the gut feeling—none of it had been absolute confirmation until now. Now that she knew the truth for sure and Laylani’s arrest was imminent, a strange sense of calm came over her.
“That’s right. You’ve won,” said Nori.“She’ll lose everything now.”
“Would you believe I did it for love?” Laylani’s eyes were dull, absent of the usual haughty confidence, and her shoulders were slumped. This version of her was new to Scarlett.
“For love? That doesn’t make sense.”
She shrugged half-heartedly. “Imagine you met Brayden today but he’d already married someone else. What would you do?”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes. Was Laylani trying to say Jules was her Brayden? She couldn’t believe it. She’d never seen anything that looked like her love for Brayden between her dad and Laylani. “We’d never be in that situation.” At least according to James, a marriage couldn’t have come between them, but she wasn’t about to explain Clair de Lune’s North Star law to Laylani.
Laylani shook her head. “But you can imagine, can’t you? If he’d gotten married while you were with Alastair, and then you woke up one day and realized he should’ve been with you, what would you have done?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I loved him, and my sister helped me get him because she believed it was better for Soleil. Back then she hoped Jules might be swayed if Sabina wasn’t in his ear whispering about her ridiculous, magic-worshipping beliefs. Your mother was his greatesthandicap, Scarlett. I got rid of her for him, and he became prime minister because ofme.”
Scarlett closed off the part of her that wanted to rage at this woman. “You killed my mum because she stood between you and my dad, but what about Dad? Why’d you let him die?”
Laylani brought her cuffed hands to her face, brushing a tear off her cheek. “I loved him more than anything, and all I wanted was for him to love me back. I thought he did for a time, but then he made it clear he didn’t want arealmarriage anymore. Why do you think I came here today, Scarlett?” She lifted her joined hands together once more, gesturing to the house.
Scarlett flashed back to Elestine’s comment about humiliation, and then to the dinner at the Twig and Vine when Laylani alluded to an affair. What she’d guessed that night but hadn’t wanted to acknowledge came rearing into her consciousness again.
“My dad loved Elestine.”
“Your dad definitely fucked Elestine,” said Laylani, her nostrils flaring. “They were at it for over ayear.Can you hear that, Edward?” she yelled at the back of the house.
The guards moved toward her, and she put her hand up.
“Back the fuck up. I’ll be quiet,” she said in a more level tone.
The two guards did not back up, but they didn’t come closer.
“What the fuck, Dad?” muttered Scarlett, too quiet for Laylani to hear. She turned her back on her stepmother.
Elestine and Jules had gotten together while she’d been dating Elestine’sson. All the times her dad had pushed her toward Alastair—had Elestine been telling him to do it? That wasfucking weird if so. It was weird either way. She closed her eyes, massaging her temples as she tried to grapple with what it all meant. Then an image of her father between Elestine’s legs appeared in her mind, making her nauseous. She made a sound of disgust. Pushing the image out, she replaced her disgust with her old friend, anger.
Anger she wouldn’t let Laylani transpose onto Elestine. Because while what Elestine had done was wrong—and gross to imagine—it was nothing compared to Laylani’s crimes. The delusional bitch had killed both her parents.
Scarlett turned around to face Laylani, scowling at her.
“You don’t have anything to say?” asked Laylani, her voice quiet but laced with poison. “Can’t your little rule-follower heart understand? I did everything for Jules, and he shit all over me. I gave him a child. A boy. He married me for it, but he still made you his heir. You’ll probably end up abdicating and moving to Clair de Lune. Beaufort should’ve been his heir all along.” Her head drooped. “What a waste.”
Scarlett stared at her stepmother, stunned by the venom she spewed. Had she baby-trapped Jules? Either way, Beni didn’t deserve this any more than Scarlett. She’d make sure he was never Laylani’s pawn again.
“What is there to say? Nothing comes to mind except that I look forward to watching your trial.”
