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“He showed you what he wanted you to see,” I said. I went to him and wrapped my arm around his waist. He held me tight and kissed me.

“When I think of how close he got to hurting you. What Corrine did. Mina, it was all because of me. I’ll never forgive myself for any of it.”

I kissed him again. “We’re both to blame. I should have come to you from the beginning. Told you what Corrine said after that very first meeting.”

“You did tell me. And I denied it. I thought I could handle it alone like I did the last time. Handle her.”

“You didn’t know what either of them was capable of. Lock, both Eli and Corrine were mentally ill. I regret I didn’t recognize it sooner. I thought Eli was my friend too.”

“The things Corrine said when she had me in her apartment,” he said. “She would have killed you, Mina. She had it twisted in her head that I belonged to her. That we were destined to be together. She went through my phone. She read all my texts. To you. To Eli. To everyone. All my emails too. She thought it was fate that brought us back together. She said she saw you on the news. The press conference I wanted you to do. She knew you were my wife. She thought it was a sign. There you were asking for information from anyone who’d met some creep off WhisprMatch.”

It gave me a chill to think of it. She used what she learned on Lock’s phone to convince me he’d really turned against me. She knew about our struggle to have a baby. She knew about my conflicts with Piper. I regretted every second that I had doubted my husband. The burden of that guilt was mine to bear for a very long time. And on that first day when I sat across from her with Roy, she knew exactly what went through my head and my heart when she told us about her red ribbon. A search of her computer by the cops revealed she’d used AI to draft those realistic divorce papers.

“That last night,” he said. “She said she was going to take me home. To our home. She said you were leaving me and that she and I could live together. I remember walking out of her apartment like some zombie. I woke up in the back of her car. I heard your screams. I thought I’d lost you.”

If Lock hadn’t come to and rushed to my rescue… I’d be dead. “I still can’t get the image of her jumping off that bluff out of my head. Maybe if I’d have moved quicker. Grabbed her. There was help for her. Hope for her.”

Lock smoothed the hair out of my face. “Now you’re doing the same thing I am. The what-ifs.”

“She thought she killed you,” I said. “So did I. She couldn’t live with it. She was so mixed up, Lock. Eli exploited that when he was with her. It really was like she was a grenade with the pin pulled out and he threw her in your lap.”

“I don’t know what to do now,” he said. “The press from this is going to hurt Bennett’s Place. We’re already losing some big donors who don’t want the drama.”

“It’ll pass,” I said. “It’s still a worthy cause. Eli doesn’t define or negate all the work you’ve done.”

I paused. I’d been thinking about this subject all night. “I don’t want to go back,” I said.

Lock frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t think I want to work for Mark anymore. I know Corrine manipulated him too. But he was so quick to judge me. There was never a second when he considered giving me the benefit of the doubt. It was like he relished every lie Corrine told him about me. I don’t want to be around him.”

“He won’t be there forever. It’s your work,” he said.

“It’s my job. I couldn’t help Corrine. But maybe I could help someone else. You didn’t hurt her, Lock. No matter what Eli tried to make you think. But Eli did hurt her. That woman was an abuse survivor. There are others like her who need someone to believe them. Someone to advocate for them. Help them find a way out. Bennett’s Place has done so much good for so many young men. Maybe there’s room in the foundation for an extension of that to help women in need.”

Lock smiled. “You’re amazing. You should hate Corrine. You should be glad she’s dead after what she did to you. To us. And all you can think of is how you could have saved her.”

“It’s not so amazing. It’s what you’ve dedicated your life to. For Bennett. It’s your calling. And I think… I think it’s mine too.”

The doorbell rang. We weren’t expecting anyone. I was still wearing a robe. Lock looked out the window and frowned.

“It’s Dennison.”

Lock answered the door and showed him into the study. Dennison was in plain clothes, a Lions sweatshirt and jeans.

“Sorry to just pop in,” he said. “But you have a right to know what I’ve learned. You’re part of this.”

“I think we could all use some coffee,” I said. While Lock and Roy talked for a moment, I brought the pot out with three mugs. Roy thanked me and took a scalding sip.

“I’ve spent a few hours talking to Corrine’s family. Her brother and sister came down to claim her remains. They were able to fill in some details I wanted to share with you.”

I knew this wouldn’t be easy news to hear.

“They said she was always troubled, from the time she was a teenager. The home wasn’t safe. The dad was a mean drunk. He used to beat up their mother, then, when the children got old enough, he turned his rage on them. They were investigated by CPS multiple times, but their father always managed to weasel out of consequences. As Corrine grew up, she had a string of bad relationships. One of which led to an addiction to narcotics. She had a near-fatal overdose when she was sixteen. She got sober for a while, then started stealing from their parents. Her mother kicked her out. Her father had a stroke not long after. That ended up being the best thing that ever happened to Corrine and her siblings. Her mom tried to take care of him at home, but she passed away. Corrine dropped out of high school. They lost track of her for a few years.”

Lock shook his head. “She sounds like Preston. He had a similar story when he made his way into my life.”

“She sounds a lot like you, Lock,” I said, my heart breaking for her.