Did he hate her now? That was it, wasn’t it? He hated her. It was the only explanation.
Addie, you’re acting like an idiot. Of course he doesn’t hate you, why would he hate you? That was a really nice message, and he’s just being a dick.
Or he hadn’t seen the message, which is what she’d told herself for a while. But surely he had to have seen it by now.
She sat back in front of her computer. They’d arrived home late the day before yesterday. She’d spent all day yesterday playing catch-up.
She still had a lot of work to do, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate. Her focus was all over the place. Addie decided to go check on Monroe. She was still worried about her middle sister. She seemed so lost.
And Addie didn’t think she’d left the house yet. Which was very unusual for Monroe. She was hardly ever home. If she wasn’t working, she was out with friends. She was the social butterfly amongst them.
Walking to her bedroom, she knocked on the door, and it shifted slightly.
“Come in,” Monroe called out.
Addie walked in to find Monroe actually up and dressed, which was better than yesterday. She was sitting at her vanity and putting on her makeup.
“Are you going out?”
“Yeah, I thought I’d go to work and talk to Mike, see if I can get back to work. It’s time to get back into the swing of things, don’t you think?”
Addie nodded and forced herself to smile. Was she the only one who felt like their lives had been changed forever by what had happened?
Surely Monroe had to feel a bit that way. After all, she’d been married, and then her husband got murdered. No one knew why yet. They still hadn’t found Limpy.
At least there hadn’t been any problems at the airport. She’d been so nervous as they’d sat there waiting, even though they’d had Butch and Ink with them.
She’d been grateful to get on the plane, but it had also seemed bittersweet. Because she knew the likelihood of ever returning were slim to none.
Then there had been more nerves when they’d arrived at their house. Addie had worried that someone would be there waiting for them. Her imagination had gone into overdrive, imagining the worst happening.
But when they got home, everything had been how they’d left it. There hadn’t been anyone waiting for them. No one had broken in.
She’d felt weirdly let down and now she wondered if she’d gotten addicted to the adrenaline. Which was kind of ridiculous, because all she’d ever wanted was a quiet, easy life.
Alone.
But was she alone because she wanted to be, or because it was safer to be? Because those were two different things, unfortunately.
“Will you be all right here on your own, babes?” Monroe asked, getting up and walking over to take her hands in hers. “I can stay if you’re feeling anxious.”
“No, no, you need to get out and go back to work and do what you need to do. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m just going to do some work, eat some food.”
Food probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Her stomach had been tied up in knots ever since Cash had left. And she hadn’t been able to force herself to eat anything much.
And what she had eaten, he’d be horrified about.
Was it her imagination, or did disappointment fill Monroe’s face for a second?
Had she been hoping that Addie would say she needed her to stay? Before she could question her sister, Monroe was slipping past her and heading toward the front door.
“Right, babes. I’ll be on my way. If you need anything, let me know.”
Addie nodded and, turning, headed back to her bedroom. She settled in to do some work after looking at her phone one more time.
Was it really so hard just to message her back?
Why wasit so hard to message her back?
