It’s something my secret admirer would—
A gasp sticks in my esophagus.
Of course.The puzzle box.
It was always him. He’d been taunting me with his presence the entire time we were in New York.
He must’ve thought I was stupid for not figuring out his identity sooner.
But what he told me in the shower…the way he kissed me.
No, Lana. You don’t treat someone you care about like this—slipping out of the house like a thief in the night.
Fury mixes with heartbreak until I can’t separate the two. Things were simpler when he was only the villain. But now I’m addicted…infected with whatever this ailment is.
I deserve more.
Upset with myself, I hurl the box, the thud echoing my scream.
I stalk toward the door, needing to clear my head before meeting the girls at the café.
But before I cross the threshold, I hesitate and turn back.
I retrieve the box and clutch it to my chest.
Despite everything, my fingers still itch to solve it.
Half an hour later, I’m sitting in Arcana & Bloom, stirring my tea and staring morosely into the cup.
“Something’s off with her,” Aria whispers. “Ginseng. Give her some. Grandma says it heals everything.”
“I’ll slip some in next time,” Scarlett replies. “Ugh. Look at that hair. Total chaos. And that mismatched sweater…”
“Oh geez,” I mutter, looking up.
Two guilty smiles.
“Men problems?” Scarlett teases.
“No, no—manproblems,” Aria corrects, eyes gleaming. “Hot, literal serial-killer man problems. I mean, I haven’t seen your husband, but I bet that’s what he is.”
I snort despite myself. “You’re both nuts.”
A heavy exhale slips out of me. I need to confide in someone or I’ll go mad.
“What would you do if you found out your husband wasn’t who you thought he was?”
“Depends on what the secret is,” Arias muses. “Is it bad news? Other than, you know, killing people and stuff. As a medical professional, I don’t condone that stuff. And don’t tell me. I have a bad poker face, and the cops will see through it.”
“Aria,” Scarlett warns. “Stop being so nosy.”
“Not nosy—just living vicariously. I like the scary books!”
My lips twitch.
“He was,” I sigh, “somebody I thought was long gone.”
“Someone you loved?” Scarlett asks.
