“I was never the one,” Lizzie said coolly. “I always thoughtyouwere.”
“Do you believe her?” Ayla asked when I FaceTimed the kids from the parking lot of Lizzie’s hotel. “Maybe she’s just telling you what you want to hear so you’ll leave her alone.”
“That’s possible.” I actually felt a little happy for the first time since Ali died. “But I do believe her.”
“So do I.” Relief etched Adam’s face. “I never could imagine Dad cheating.”
“Right.” Ayla made a face. “Because Dad was such a saint.”
Her scornful reaction worried me. It was almost as if she wanted—needed—for the worst to be true. “Why aren’t you happy, Ayla?” I asked her. “This is good news. It means your dad was, for the most part, who we always thought he was.”
Her lip curled. “You believe this Lizzie person because you want to believe her. Youneedto believe her.”
“What’s your problem?” Adam snapped at his sister. “It’s almost like you’re disappointed Dad didn’t have a side chick.”
“Or maybe I’m the only one here who’s being realistic,” Ayla shot back. “If Dad was so innocent, why didn’t he tell Mom about the secret house?”
She had a point. “I told you that Lizzie begged him not to,” I said. “But he should have told me. I’m not saying Dad was perfect. I’m just saying I believe he didn’t cheat. His coworkers, his college friends, Uncle Nasser, they also don’t believe that Dad would be unfaithful.”
“Whatever,” Ayla said. “I have to go. I have a class.” She disconnected before I even had a chance to say goodbye, leaving me feeling a little deflated. I had FaceTimed the kids expecting them to be as pleased as I was.
“She’s psycho,” Adam said after Ayla was gone. “She’s been so weird since Dad died.”
“We have to be patient with her. We all grieve in our own way.”
“It looks like Ayla’s way of grieving is to believe Dad was an asshole so she can stay mad at him.”
“Maybe that’s what she needs to do right now in order to be able to cope.”
As relieved as I was about Ali, I was now more worried than ever about Ayla. It felt like something else was going on with her. I needed to find out what it was before she spiraled and was beyond help.
“I know why you’re here.” Bill Warren slipped into the coffee shop booth across from me the following afternoon. “Lizzie texted me after she spoke to you, so I wasn’t surprised when you reached out.”
“She did say that you siblings always have each other’s backs.”
“Having Lizzie’s back can be a lot of work.” His words had an edge. Not exactly the demeanor of a loving brother. “You may have noticed that my sister is on the needy side. As her big brother, I’m used to being called in to save the day.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Lizzie was your sister?”
“What was the point of telling you? It had no bearing on anything.”
“Most people would naturally mention something like that.”
“Being in Lizzie’s orbit can be a lot. I don’t make a habit of talking about my sister. Besides, I knew you’d ask me about the North Carolina house and I wanted to stay out of it.”
“Your sister claims that her romantic relationship with my husband ended before he got married.”
“I’m sure that’s true. As far as I knew, they barely had anything to do with each other after you married him.”
Bill Warren might not be a trustworthy person, but hearing him confirm what Lizzie said still made me feel better. “Is your connection to Lizzie the reason Ali got you the job at his firm?”
“Probably. I never asked him directly, but I’m not an idiot. I assumed that’s why he wanted to help me.”
Bill Warren made a show of being open and transparent, but I still felt there was something else behind the facade. More he wasn’t saying.
“Do you still have a job?” I asked.
“I’m on probation pending an investigation. I don’t expect things to go my way.” He shrugged. “I would never have gotten the job in the first place if Ali hadn’t gone to bat for me.”
