“Maggie.”
She jumped and turned, internally groaning at the sight of her aunt. Was Lilith at the town meeting, or had she come specifically for her? Either way, she didn’t want any part of a conversation with the woman.
“I need to go find Ethan.” She tried to step around her aunt.
“I know you were at my house.”
Maggie froze, her breath catching in her throat.
She turned back to her aunt slowly. “What?”
“I have cameras. And when Ethan’s little visit felt a bit…unusual, I decided to check those cameras.”
Oh, Jesus. “I was just looking for something of mine.” It was a weak excuse, but she had nothing else. An apology was on the tip of her tongue when her aunt spoke again.
“I could press charges for trespassing.”
And immediately, the apology withered away. At her aunt’s voice. At the way she posed the words like a threat. “Why don’t you?”
Lilith’s lips thinned, and she stepped closer. “Because the day your mother died, you becamemyresponsibility. And my burden. So your mistakes reflect poorly on me.”
Uh, so this wasn’t about her, it was about Lilith. Per usual. “I’m not your responsibility anymore.Oryour burden. You’re off the hook. And I’m sure if my mother had known she was going to die, she would have done everything possible to find alternative care for me.”
“You think she would have found someone else to take you in?” Lilith laughed, the sound almost manic, like the idea of someone wanting Maggie was comical. “You really think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”
“I do. I think I’m beautiful and smart and worthy of love, but that took a lot of work with my therapist, undoing years of emotional abuse you put me through.”
“Maybe it’s time you learned the truth then.”
She shouldn’t ask. She knew she shouldn’t. A voice in her head said—screamed—for her to turn around and walk away, before her aunt threw the grenade that would hurt. But she didn’t. She remained exactly where she was and asked, “The truth about what?”
“It wasn’t an accident.” Lilith stepped closer. “Your mother took drugs, went down to the river, and killed herself. To get away fromyou.”
Maggie flinched. “You’re lying.”
“No, dear. I did my own research. You killed my sister. You took her from me because you were exhausting and demanding and you dragged her into an ugly place. Then you expectedlove. From me. From men like Ethan, who are heroes. He’ll see youfor what you are soon enough, and he’ll leave you too. Just wait and see.”
Maggie’s heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to claw out of her chest. Leave her body and run from her aunt and this moment.
She shouldn’t care what the woman said. The words were designed to damage. To inflict as much pain as possible. And they had. Somehow, her aunt always knew how to hurt her.
Lilith walked away, but her words stayed, repeating in Maggie’s head.
Was it true? Had there been drugs in her mother’s system?
The stuff about alcohol and accidental drowning had never made sense. But she wasn’t sure if this made more sense.
Something vibrated in her hand. It took her a second to register that it was her phone.
Ethan.
She couldn’t talk to him right now. She needed a second to pull herself together.
It stopped ringing and a text came through.
Ethan: Where are you? The guys are heading to The Pancake Bar to grab dinner before going back to base to continue our search.
Maggie: I’ll meet you there.
