Rhodes lifted his head when I stepped out, fingers paused holding his laces.
A sinfully gorgeous morning peeked out from under the porch, casting warm, cheering sunlight on the tips of my running shoes. A cool, but not bracing, breeze whipped up the trees—challenging them to a dance that stole their leaves and carried them along the muddy path, inviting us to join.
“What are you doing?” he asked, bending back over his sneakers. “Making content for both of your followers?”
I snorted, smothering a giggle. “That’s a good one, but no. I’m out of the influencer game for good,” I confessed. “Including all that SueNation nonsense. Right now, I’m looking forward to the next big thing for me. I’m even thinking of going back—"
Rhodes laced up and jogged off the porch, leaving me and the rest of my sentence hanging there.
“—to school,” I finished.
Taking off, I raced after him—easily falling in step and keeping pace. “Well, that was really fucking rude,” I said mildly. “You’re an ass.”
He tripped. “Excuse me? I’m the ass?!” He whipped around and got in front of me so fast, I collided headfirst into his chest. “You once stuck your phone in my shower while you were live, just to increase your follower count! I had to report the video to get it taken down, because you refused to!”
Anger was coming off him in waves, but all my jangled mind was thinking about was how good he smelled, and how hard his pecs were. This guy was not letting domestic unbliss slow him down.
Get it together, woman! Stop fantasizing while he’s trying to explode your head with his mind!
“That’s awful, obviously,” I said, lingering too close to him for too long. “Absolutely no excuse for violating your privacy that way, but I thought we called a truce last week? That we were—all four of us—were trying to get on better, amicable terms so that we could still be a family for Nari, even after I move out.
“Did I get that wrong? Am I the only one who wants to start over?”
His eyes flashed. Taking hold of my shoulders, he gently—but firmly—moved me out of his personal space. “You did get it wrongif you believed you get to lie to me, cheat on me, neglect our daughter, and then turn around and decide when a truce is called, and I have to get over it.
“Being a good father to Nari doesn’t mean sitting around listening to you prattle on about yourself—as if you ever do anything else. Some days it’ll mean walking away from you. And one day it might even mean not letting Nari have any contact with you.
“Get this through your head, Sue.Iwill tellyouwhen we have a truce.”
He made to turn away. I grasped his chin, turning him gently and firmly back to me.
“I have never, would never, and will never cheat on you, Rhodes Newbury,” I whispered. “Because I know... Seeing you—truly seeing you again after all this time. I know... that it’s always been you.” I rested my palm against his cheek, making his eyes widen. “Now, I want you to look in my eyes, and tell me if I’m lying.”
Rhodes gazed at me. For a split second, I thought his lips parted to reply, but then he pulled away and jogged off, and I decided I imagined it.
I watched him for a second, wondering what the hell I was doing, and why I gave him a hard time about hating the woman he thought I was.
This would all be solved by telling him I’m actually Sarang. The long-lost twin sister that Sue and Omma erased from existence, who’s popping in after illegally disposing of the true Sue’s body—all to ensure Omma doesn’t rip my inheritance from me for the second time, because resentment doesn’t make my hovel livable, or my cheap eats go down easier. And, oh yeah, please keep up the lie and let my mother go on believing Sue’s still alive out there, even though there is absolutely nothing in it for you.
I blew out a rough groan, picking up my feet to start my run. Every ten minutes I got it in my head to come clean to Micah, Alex, and Rhodes, and every eleven minutes I ran through how that conversation would go—and concluded it would be a complete disaster.
The fact is I knew these guys in high school. At least as much as any freshman knows a couple of seniors who don’t acknowledge their existence.
I didn’t know these guys now. I didn’t know how they’d react to the truth of what happened that night. I didn’t know what I could possibly say to convince them I was a safe person to have around their daughter, whenmy own mother didn’t believe I was a safe enough person for Nari to know existed.
Why gamble my chance to get out of my hellish life on a couple of wild cards, when all I had to do was be patient, spend these final days with Omma, and then quietly leave after the funeral?
No,I thought, picking up the pace.It’s just not worth it. Let them think I’m Sue, because this way, we both get what we want. I get a new life, and they get a life free of Sue.
Rhodes ran a few yards out in front of me. Sprinting the cracked and overgrown stone path, he headed straight for the forest—escaping into the trees.
I followed after him. Not to be a nuisance, but because his path was my path. Back in high school, I ran our manmade forest trail night and day. There was something about running that made you feel like you were moving forward, even if you always ended up in the same place.
Catching up to Rhodes, I ran out in front of him, fell back on his right side, crossed to the other, and ran out in front of him again.
Okay, now I was being a nuisance.
Three more times of that, he snapped, “What the hell are you doing!”
