Page 118

“And I will do more than that if you don’t get your ass off this porch!” I snapped, stepping fully into the doorway, my chest heaving. “You don’t know what happened to him! You don’t know where he is or what he went through! So do not stand on the doorstep of the home he built and act like you were ever on his level!”

Chalis glared at me, his fists clenching at his sides.

“He was ten times the man you will ever be!” I kept going. “You had your chance with me, Chalis. You threw it in the trash. Caspian had nothing to do with why I left you, but you’ve been jealous of him every single day since. And you need to understand something right now. I don’t care if fifty years pass, you could never replace him! Not in this house, not in my heart, and damn sure not in my son’s life!”

Chalis parted his mouth to fire back. “Bitch, you think—”

His voice was instantly cut off.

A violent, guttural gasp tore out of his lungs.

Chalis’s eyes bulged in absolute panic as both hands flew to his throat. His fingers clawed at his neck like something invisible had wrapped around his windpipe and was squeezing the air straight out of him. His knees buckled, forcing him down into a half-crouch on the stone porch while harsh, strangled wheezes tore from his chest.

At the same time, the temperature dropped so fast that goosebumps rose along my arms. A wave of unnatural cold swept across the porch, sharp enough to cut through my clothes, and the heavy iron light fixtures mounted beside the front door gave a sudden metallic shudder against the brick.

“Chalis?” I stepped back, my anger momentarily derailed by the sheer violence of his choking.

Before he could pull in a full breath, a loud BANG cracked from the driveway, followed immediately by the sharp hiss of escaping steam.

We both turned our heads toward the sound.

A thick plume of acrid black smoke was billowing violently from beneath the hood of Chalis’s brand-new black sedan.

I blinked, completely stunned.

Chalis’s hands dropped from his throat, his raspy breathing returning in ragged gasps as he stared down the porch steps.

“What the fuck?!” he roared.

He stumbled down the stone stairs, tripping over his own sneakers before catching his balance on the walkway. The front grille of his car gave another loud POP, and a bright lick of orange flame erupted through the radiator seam, licking up against the paint.

“My car!” Chalis screamed, his voice cracking into high-pitched panic. “My brand-new shit!”

I walked to the edge of the porch, crossing my arms as the heat from the engine bay rolled across the manicured lawn. “Well, look at that.”

Chalis spun around, looking at me like I had thrown a Molotov cocktail at his windshield.

“Lakelyn! Get some water! Do something!”

“With what? A garden hose against an electrical fire?” I shouted over the crackle of the flames. “Are you crazy?! Get away from that vehicle before the gas tank catches!”

He rushed toward the driver’s side door, frantically trying to reach for the handle, but a sudden shower of sparks shot through the wheel well, forcing him to leap backward onto the grass.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Chalis danced around the lawn in complete hysterics, slapping his pockets until he pulled out his phone with trembling hands. “I just paid the registration on this mothafucka yesterday!”

“Then dial 911 and get your flaming metal off my driveway!” I yelled down at him. “And when the tow truck gets here, make sure you leave with it!”

“You crazy as hell!” he hollered back, tears of frustration welling in his eyes as he pressed the phone to his ear.

“Goodbye, Chalis!”

I turned on my heel, marched back inside, and slammed the heavy front door hard enough to rattle the glass panels. I threw the deadbolt into place, then leaned back against the solid wood, trying to slow the frantic pounding in my chest.

For a few seconds, the foyer was completely still.

Then the massive crystal chandelier overhead flickered twice.

A low electrical hum vibrated through the walls, subtle but deep enough to make me lift my head. The lights dimmed for half a second before returning to their warm, steady glow, leaving the foyer looking perfectly normal again.