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“Yes, of course.”
She’s already disappeared into the growing crowd, seemingly not wanting to spend a minute longer with Talia.
Talia merely glances at me. “See, Diana? You’re not the only one with a reputation.”
A darkness spreads over her, or maybe it’s just a cloud covering the moon shining above us. Either way, that makes me feel more content.
Despite my skepticism of Talia, she wasn’t around when I was here before. She had nothing to do with what happened to me. Surprisingly, she’s the one I trust the most.
“Do you want me to show you the house?” she asks.
I stare up at the dark window where Remy’s room is and say nothing of the fact that I’ve already been inside.
The curtains shift as we approach the front door, hinting that someone is watching us. I startle when I notice a wrinkled face peering back at me.
Talia squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry, that’s just Maribel. She’s one of my housekeepers. Her granddaughter Lucy works for us.” Maribel looks unhappy to see me, staring out the window like a ghost.
Perhaps Lucy is who I heard Remy talking with the evening I spent here.
We pause inside the entrance, and Talia pushes the door open. The shifting light momentarily blinds me when I step inside, and I lose my balance before catching myself on Talia’s arm.
“Take your time,” she whispers as I compose myself. And I wonder if my disability is that obvious.
I hood my eyes, focusing on the pretty wallpaper, and by the time I lift my eyes, the room comes into focus. Nothing has changed.
My gaze is fixed on the large photo on the wall. A photo of a man with a thick dark mustache. “This is all yours?”
She nods. “Mine and Remy’s. This was my family home; my parents gave it to me when I started college.”
Remy… Just the name sends my heart racing. He wouldn’t even look at me at Rollerland. For six months, I’ve been consumed with thoughts of Tommy…but every night, sleepless and filled with shadows, it was Remy I was dreaming of.
“Tommy lives here, too.”
I don’t react to that, even as a wave of emotion overcomes me. Tommy’s lips, his hands running softly over my hips. How badly he used to want me. I refuse to forgive him. Remy never whispered promises to me. Remy was always honest.
My heart nearly stopped as I watched him bury me.
My vision starts to blur again, a speck of sweat forms on my brow, and Talia watches curiously. She grins at me, dark devilish eyes that would have Mama rolling in her wet grave.
“Are you okay, Diana?” Her voice comes out distorted.
I take a deep breath, coming back into myself, and realize it was just a vivid memory—although, suddenly, everything looks rather vivid.
I grab the ornate railing, trying to take control of my vision, appreciating all the small details of what makes this house so stunning.
What’s happening to me?
“So where is Tommy’s room?” I regret asking it the moment the question leaves my lips. Why do I care?
Her lips quirk into a smile. “He’s in the basement. My room is the master upstairs, and perhaps you already know where Remy’s room is?”
A tiny bit of comfort comes from the knowledge that at least they don’t share a bedroom.
She walks in front of me and runs her hands over my shoulders. Then, she runs her hands down my arms, taking each of mine in hers. I can’t deny that I like the way she touches me. It’s been so long since I’ve allowed anyone to touch me. In fact, I swore the next person who did wouldn’t live to see another sunrise.
It should be weird having Tommy’s girlfriend touching me like this, but something tells me that she’s more than just a girlfriend… She and I are playing such a dangerous game.
She stares right into my eyes as if searching for something. I’m not sure what she’d find if she truly looked. The light I once carried has faded to black. I try my hardest every day to conceal that darkness from everyone else.
