The muscles in my legs ache and my lungs burn as I push myself to run faster around the lake. To forget about Amelia not answering the door to us, I threw myself into helping Tris and Harm with finding Frankie.
I finally found him last night and it’s just a case of appealing in front of a judge to ask for permission for them to visit him while we get the ball rolling on their adoption, or at least that’s what Kayla—a lawyer from my firm—has told me.
I spent the morning making calls for a favor to get us an emergency appeal in front of a judge. It’s set up for tomorrow so I’m hoping Tris figures out his childcare situation.
“Tomorrow? Wow. That’s quick.”
“It’s just an appeal for you to be able to visit him and I can’t promise the results will be in your favor, but this will look good for the adoption records. It’ll show that you’re serious.”
“Crap, the kids.”
“Can your mom not look after them?”
“She’s in Japan with Edward and Harm’s mom is in Florida with friends until tomorrow night.”
My feet pound on the ground and I pull in shallow breaths as I run through the wooded area back toward my house.
Nearing the patio, I slow down to a jog, stretching off before walking over to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water.
I walk into the living room, finding Maya curled up on the sofa watching a movie, and I steal a handful of popcorn
“Hey!”
I shrug. “What? It is mine.”
“Yeah, but you’ve just stuck your sweaty hands in my bowl! Now it’s all contaminated!”
I raise a brow and swish my hands through it.
She places it on the sofa beside her with a scoff. “You’re disgusting!”
I place another handful in my mouth and walk toward the hallway more than ready to take a shower. Maya was right: I’m a sweaty mess.
“Oh, Nate, someone came to the house for you.”
I stop in my tracks. “Who?”
She shrugs and turns around in her seat, her arms crossed over the back of the sofa. “A woman.”
My muscles tighten up at the thought that it might’ve been Amelia and I missed her, but then Maya would’ve known it was Amelia, wouldn’t she? “And you didn’t get a name?” I ask casually.
“She didn’t give me one. After I told her you went out for a run she couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”
Frustrated, I ask, “Well what did she look like?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I didn’t get a good look at her but I know she had brown hair and was old… like you.”
I ignore her backhanded comment. “So it wasn’t anyone you’ve met before?”
She shakes her head and I know it definitely wasn’t Amelia, her words dousing my hope.
“Alright, thanks.” I try and think of who I know that’s a brunette but it’s fruitless because it could’ve been anyone. If it’s important, they’ll call or come back.
I peel off my sneakers, socks, and t-shirt before stepping into the shower I’ve let warm up. The water feels amazing on my muscles and I know I need to get out before I get too relaxed to make dinner and watch a movie with Maya.
An hour later, I’m in a food coma on the sofa watching one of Maya’s sappy movie choices—again—while fighting to keep my eyes open. I mustn't have fought for long because the next thing I know I’m being awoken with a phone call telling me the court time has been brought forward by three hours which gives me exactly two hours to get ready, pick up Tris and Harm, and make our way to the courthouse.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately call Tris, telling him to be ready for me to pick them up. It’s a good thing I prepared him for this eventuality because Harm’s mom has come back from her trip early so she’ll be on her way before taking them to the studio.
Assured everyone will be ready in time, I throw on a charcoal-gray suit with a white shirt and navy-blue tie before scribbling Maya a note to apologize for working on my week off. I throw a few bills on top of the note on the kitchen island and tell her to actually get out of the house and do something, although I know she has friends coming over tomorrow—which I’m dreading.
I make one last check that I have all the papers I’ve accumulated over the space of the last few days and open the garage door.
Whatever the outcome today, I know we’re on the right path for this child to end up with Tris and Harm. I couldn’t think of better people for him to end up with.
The plane lands and my stomach dips. Coming back here feels like I’ve just walked along the street on a sunny day and it’s all of a sudden started to rain—an impending storm brewing.
I follow the flow of people as they walk off the plane and through the tunnel, toward the main part of the bustling airport. Keeping my head down, I pull my carry-on bag along with me and take a cab back to my apartment.
The whole drive there I feel like I’m being watched, a feeling I haven’t missed in the slightest since I’ve been away at my parents’. I don’t bother to look around when I get out of the cab as it pulls up to my apartment block because I know she’s there.
I can feel her eyes trailing over me, the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I head inside the building. Wrinkling my nose up at the smell of urine and dirt that hits me in the face like a three-hundred-pound gorilla as I open the main door, I try to walk as fast as I can up to my apartment, my eyes burning from the stench.
Pushing inside, I slam the door behind me before I close my eyes and take a breath of clean air. But when I open them and look around, I know instinctively that someone has been here.
To any normal person they wouldn’t notice it, but I see how a few of my vinyl records aren’t in the right place or in the right order. I see the bedroom door that’s open a crack when I made sure to close it. But the biggest tell of all is the large window that isn’t fully closed.
Someone broke in.
It has to be her because no one else would have come in here and not taken anything. What is it she’s searching for? I don’t have anything that she could want.
Pushing off the door, I walk farther inside, leaving my bag and searching the whole place. I know she’s not in here now, but what if she’s planted something? What if this is the end of her grand scheme that she’s been toying with for these last few months?
My cell pings, and when I pull it out, I read the text from my mom.
Mom: Did you get back okay?
Amelia: Yeah. I’ve just come home but… she’s been here, Mom.
Mom: Call Dad and let him know right now.
I swallow, my trembling fingers swiping on the screen as I bring up my dad’s cell number.
My feet work on automatic, and I’m pulling the window up and stepping out onto the makeshift balcony before I know what I’m doing. My gaze wanders over to the parking lot and as soon as my gaze meet hers, she drives away.
Each and every time I’ve seen her she’s been driving a different car—this one a small black SUV.
I watch as she turns the corner and then click the green call button, listening to the ringing tone as I sit down on one of the metal steps.
“Sheriff—”
“Dad,” I breathe out.
“Sweetheart.” There’s a beat of silence. “Everything okay?”
“Mom told me to call you; she’s been here.”
“Fuck,” he murmurs. “I’ve put the feelers out and a couple of detectives are gonna meet us at your apartment tonight.”
“Okay,” I whisper, feeling like the child I was a decade ago.
“I land at seven thirty so I should be at your apartment by eight.”
Nodding, I clear my throat. “I’ll see you then.”
I’m about to disconnect the call when he says, “You need to tell Tristan. Go to his house earlier, you’re safer there than in your apartment.”
“I will,” I tell him, looking down at the watch on my wrist and seeing it’s only ten in the morning. “I’m going to wash up and get changed and then I’ll head over there.”
“I’ll see you tonight, sweetheart.”
“See you tonight.”
Ending the call, I lean back, the step above me on the fire escape digging into my back, but I don’t mind the small bite of pain, I relish in it because it makes me feel like I’m not floating away.
My mind wanders, trying to work out the best way I can tell Tris. I know I need to tell Nate, too, and I can’t help but think it would be much easier to tell them together. If they are both in the same room then I only have to go over it once.
But the thought of seeing Nate after ignoring him makes butterflies flutter in my stomach but also has my hands sweating in panic.
What if he doesn’t want me anymore? What if all of the drama is too much and he won’t see me the same? What if… What if he thinks I did it?
A lump builds in my throat and the burning sensation of tears tickles my nose. If I disappeared then I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this, but I can’t do that again. This time is different: not only do I have a family to protect, but I can’t walk away from Nate. I’ve been missing him so much and all I want is to scroll down to his name, press call, and hear his voice on the other end of the line. But I know it’s too late to do that now.
Steeling myself, I stand up, taking a quick look at my watch and realizing I’ve been sitting out here for nearly two hours, caught in my own thoughts.
I grab a shower, changing into a pair of light-blue jeans and a white tank top before slipping on my Converse and hooking my purse over my shoulder on the way out the door.
By the time I’m on the road and to Tris’s, it’s one thirty so I should get there about two. I’ll be an hour earlier than I need to be, but that will give me time to hopefully talk to Tris before he leaves for court. I need to formulate a real plan to tell him… everything.
The silence in the car is almost deafening, so I switch on the radio and listen to a song that’s been playing a lot recently before turning onto the road Tris’s house is on.
I feel like a stranger as I come closer to his driveway, like I don’t belong here. This was my home for six years yet all it’s taken is a couple of weeks for me to feel like I’m an outsider looking in.
The gravel crunches under my tires as I slowly drive along it, coming to a stop at the start of the fountain. My heart beats a wild rhythm at being back here. I keep my eyes trained forward, too afraid to look around in case she’s here watching me again.
Turning the engine off, I grab my purse and hook it over my shoulder as I close the door behind me.
The front of my Converse catches one of the small stones and it hits the bottom step leading to the door.
I take a deep breath, putting my key in the door and placing my hand on the doorknob, preparing myself to go inside the house I once called home.
“I know today wasn’t the result you wanted, but at least it shows you’re serious and willing to fight for him.”
“I really wanted him to grant us permission to see him,” Harm replies from the back seat.
“In due time, you will, but until then we need to file all your fostering paperwork. We can have these done and sent off by tonight.” I turn into Tris’s driveway, the gravel kicking up underneath the tires. “We can come up with a plan of action now that we know your rights.”
“Which are diddly squat,” Harm states.
“Stop being so negative, sunshine, it’s not like you,” Tris says before climbing out of the car with us behind him.
She sighs. “I’m allowed to be a little disappointed, Tris.”
I walk ahead of them, waiting at the door. Tris opens it and we all file into the kitchen, Harm switching on the coffee pot. “Coffee?”
I shake my head. “Not for me, I’ll just take a bottle of water.” Tris throws me a bottle and I sit down at the dining table, papers in front of us. “Shall we start?”
Harm holds up a finger to make us wait as her fingers fly over the screen of her cell. “Okay, now I’m done. I was just messaging my mom to bring the kids back.”
“Shit!” We both turn our gazes to Tris who has his head in his hands before he glances at me. “Amelia will be on her way over.”
“What?” The very mention of her name has me looking over at the pool house and my heart racing a mile a minute. “Here?”
He pulls out his cell. “I called her last night when you told us about court. My mom is out of town with Edward so she couldn’t have the kids and Tilly wasn’t supposed to be here so I had no one else to call.”
“She answered?”
My hackles rise as he shakes his head. “Her mom answered the phone but she put her on and she agreed to come. Sounds like she’s been staying with them.”
Her mom? So she wasn’t even at her apartment the whole time we were there? I feel stupid for pouring my heart out to her when she wasn’t even inside the damn apartment!
“I’ll be two minutes, I’ll call and tell her not to bother since the court time was moved forward.”
I watch his back, warring with myself as he stands up. “Wait—”
The doorbell ringing stops me from telling him not to call her. It’s too soon for it to be Harm’s mom so it must be her.
We all look at each other and Harm rolls her eyes. “I’ll get it then, shall I?”
Tris walks after her and I can’t stop my feet from following, wanting to see Amelia’s face as she realizes I’m here, too. But as Harmony opens the door, my stomach drops because it’s not the face that I wanted to see standing there. Instead there’s a woman with stringy brown hair she’s tried to neatly curl, her mouth pursed before she spots us and lifts it into a crooked smile.
“Can we help you?” Tris asks, standing in front of Harm when the woman doesn’t say anything, examining each of us in turn.
“It’s not what you can help me with, but what I can help you with,” she answers in a tone that isn’t one of a cold caller. In fact, she sounds quite pleased with herself.
If it wasn’t for the way she’s leering at me, I’d walk back into the kitchen, but I find myself drawn to her even though I have no idea who she is.
“And who might you be?” Harm asks, voicing my thoughts as she moves beside Tris, her arms folded across her chest.
The woman pulls a ratty file out of her worn, leather bag and holds it in her hands like it contains the secrets of the universe. “My name is Phoebe, but who I am is of no significance. However, the information in this file is something I think all three of you will be interested to see.”
Tris glances back at me with a “what the hell” expression on his face before he turns back around and starts to slowly shut the door. “I’m sure that’s true, but we’re very busy right—”
“It’s about Amelia,” she splutters, and hearing her name come out of this woman’s mouth makes me feel sick.
I step forward and push the door back open. “What did you say?”
Her crooked smile turns into a full-on grin as she starts to tuck the file back into her bag. “If you’re not interested then…”
I turn to look at Tris, wondering what’s going on. He shrugs with a frown on his face and sighs. “You have ten minutes.”
She steps inside when we all step back, watching her like she’s going to pounce at any moment. Her body language doesn’t seem normal as I watch her follow Tris and Harm without looking around. I’m not a snob, but she doesn’t look like she comes from money and anyone walking into this house would be impressed, but she’s not. It’s almost like she’s been here before with the way she moves toward the kitchen. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong but I notice she walks over to the table without looking around again.
Her gaze flicks over to the pool house and my back straightens. The goose bumps trailing along my arms and my gut instinct tells me this woman isn’t here out of the kindness of her heart.
I see Harm’s gaze narrow on her before we all take seats on the opposite side of the table, waiting for her to talk. She stares at us all a beat before looking out at the backyard again, a sneer pulling across her lips. Her eyes blaze with something I can’t place before she turns back to us, opening the file and sliding a photo of Amelia across the table.
My fists clench under the table. “Why have you got photos of Amelia?”
“I’m afraid the Amelia you know, isn’t actually Amelia.”
Tris laughs out loud, as do I. “You can’t be serious.”
He starts to stand but she blurts out, “Her name is Beth Waters and she’s a murderer!”
What did she just say?
I want to throw this woman out myself but before I can say anything, Tris lays a hand on my arm, making me stare at him. His Adam’s apple bobs as he visibly swallows. “What are you talking about?”
The serious look on his face tells me this woman has his full attention. He can’t seriously be entertaining this! “Tris, this woman is clearly unhinged,” I tell him, my voice trying to sound even but even I can hear the way it hitches.
Her eye twitches and her hands flail about in front of her as she shouts, “I am not unhinged, I’m simply a concerned citizen looking out for your children!”
She aims her statement at Tris whose brow furrows as he lets go of my arm. “My kids? How do you know about my kids?”
She shakes her head, tutting. “What’s more important is why you’ve been leaving them in the care of someone that’s capable of harming them.”
Tris stands, pointing at her. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t come into my home accusing people of things like that. Especially without proof.”
I pull in a breath. He mustn’t believe her after all.
The twisted smile she’s sporting stays firmly on her face as she hands him the file. “Here’s your proof.”
I can’t take my eyes off Tris as he flips through everything, his chest heaving as he throws the file on the table in front of me. “It’s all there.”
Picking it up, I flip through the news articles all depicting a “Bethany Waters” that looks exactly like Amelia. But it’s not until the last article that everything crashes down on me like a building collapsing in on itself and I realize that maybe this woman is telling the truth. Have I been fooled all along? “No, it’s not her, it can’t be.”
Harmony takes the papers out of my hands and I stand, spinning around and bracing my hands on the kitchen counter, my back to everyone as my world starts spinning.
“I had to tell you all before it was too late. I stopped by your house, but you weren’t in. I—”
I spin back around to face her. “You were at my house?” I pace up and down, everyone stopping what they were doing as the air gets sucked from the room when the door to the kitchen swings open, and in walks the devil herself.
I shake my head when I turn the key and the door is already unlocked; Tris always forgets to lock it. Pushing the door open and stepping inside, the soles of my Converse squeak on the marble floor. My gaze wanders over to the stairs at the black railing that flows up the side of it.
Nothing at all has changed inside, yet everything has.
Wiping my sweaty palms on the side of my jeans, I take a deep breath and shut the door behind me.
I place my purse on the table near the door before spinning around and walking down the hallway toward the kitchen.
I’m a few feet away when I hear voices which causes my brows to furrow. I wasn’t expecting anyone but Tris and Harmony to be here, but there’s definitely more than two different voices
Was this all a ruse to get me here? Would Tris really be that sneaky?
A deep, gruff voice says something, the tone thunderous before a female one replies. My hand stills on the kitchen door and I know it’s now or never. I have to tell Tris everything, explain to him that all I was trying to do was protect them all. If I don’t do it now, I’m afraid I never will.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep, calming breath before opening them back up and pushing the door open, taking two steps inside.
What I see in front of me has my feet sticking to the floor like they’re buried in concrete.
The door whooshes shut behind me, the air skirting across the exposed skin on my neck.
Nate’s green eyes focus on mine, shadowed with both anger and frustration—and is that relief sparkling behind it all?
I briefly meet Tris’s gaze and Harmony’s before someone else catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.
The goose bumps spreading along my arms tell me I know who it is before I look. I was waiting for something to come, but I never expected this.
When I turn my head and watch the woman with scraggly brown hair stand up and turn around, I know what I’m going to see, and when her dark, evil eyes meet mine, I suck in a huge breath.
“Phoebe?” My voice is raw, emotion blocking the normal sound.
“Beth.” I shiver at the sound of her voice; thick but with an edge to it it didn’t use to have.
I realize what she’s said a second too late, and my gaze swings over to Nate.
She’s told them.
“Nate—”
“It’s too late now, Beth.” My attention snaps to Phoebe as manic laughter overtakes her body. “They know who you are.” She takes a threatening step toward me. “What you are.” Her eyes flare with hatred before she spits out, “A murderer!”
No. No, no, no.
“I…” I can’t form any words. I’ve fell into a big, black hole and don’t know how to climb out. I turn my frantic gaze toward Tris, too scared to look back into Nate’s eyes to see the hatred that will surely be there. “Tris, I swear—”
“Is that your name?” he asks, his voice low and throaty. “Beth?”
I swallow, my arms wrapping around my waist. “Yeah—”
“Are you fucking serious!” he thunders, taking a step toward me. “You’ve been living under my roof for the last six years! I don’t even know who you are!”
“You do know me,” I whisper, willing my legs not to move back as he takes two more giant steps across the kitchen toward me and closes the space between us.
“I let you into my kids’ lives! You watched them when… oh, God, did you ever hurt them?”
Tristan has never shut down on me, but right now I don’t get any indication as to what he’s thinking. The Tristan I’ve known for the last six years—the one who has become like a brother to me—is slowly disappearing in front of my eyes, replaced by a man that looks like a stranger.
“What?” I seethe, my eyes widening. How could he think that?
Turning toward Phoebe, she’s now leaning against the refrigerator, watching us with a grin on her face. This is what she wanted—to see my family fall apart and leave me with nothing.
“Tristan!” Harmony exclaims, standing from the table and walking toward us. “You’ve not even let her talk.”
“Seems like the news articles did all the talking for her, unless she has anything to say for herself?” Nate interjects, aiming his statement at me.
My head reels back at his serious tone, and when I finally pluck up the courage to look at him, my breath catches in my throat at the blank, emotionless expression on his face.
“What articles?” I manage to get out.
He stares, assessing me, a muscle in his jaw ticking before he points to a pile of papers on the table. “Tell me we didn’t read them right, Lia—Beth, whatever your name is.”
I take a wobbly step forward, holding my breath as I walk past Tris and pick up the first piece of paper. It shakes in my hand and when I read the fake headline, my head whips toward Phoebe.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
She raises a brow, a manic, unhinged laugh escaping her again. She really is unstable. “Doing this to you?” She steps forward, her lips lifting up into a sneer. “You killed my baby!”
“You know what happened and it wasn’t that,” I whisper to her.
Her arms fly up and I flinch, thinking she’s going to hit me, but instead she slaps the sides of her head. My eyes widen as she keeps doing it, chanting, “You killed my baby,” over and over again.
“I didn—”
“You did!” she screams, her hands gripped in her hair as she pulls. “You were meant to be watching her! You did this! You!”
I shake my head, my throat burning as I try to swallow, backing away from her now outstretched hand. My mind is screaming at me to run away from the danger—her—as she starts to pace in front of us all. Turning around to face Tris, I say, “You don’t understand—”
“You’re damn right I don’t understand! Things haven’t been right with you for a while. You’ve been cagey for the last couple of months and then out of the blue you move out. And now this?” He watches me for several seconds, his gray eyes searching for something, but I can see the doubts he has loud and clear.
“I was going to tell you everything today,” I murmur, moving my gaze to Nate who is still standing against the counter, watching me like a hawk. I hold up the piece of paper. “These aren’t real, Nate. There were articles, but these aren’t them.”
I can tell he wants to say something to me but he holds himself back, walking over to the table and picking up an article. His eyes narrow and he turns toward Phoebe who now has her arms wrapped around her waist as she rocks back and forth in a standing position. “What dates are these articles from?”
Her head whips around, her dead-eyed gaze not really focusing on him. “You think I’m lying?” She shakes her head, turning her face down and whispering, “I’ll make her pay, Avery.” Her hand comes out, almost as if she’s stroking thin air as she smiles down at… nothing. What the hell is going on? I want to turn to Nate and beg him to believe me, but I can’t take my eyes off Phoebe as she looks back up at us. Her eyes go from loving to hateful. “She’s been telling you she’s Amelia when she’s not, and you think I’m the one lying? Look what she did to my baby!”
Silence rains down on us and as I turn my gaze to the other three people in the room, I can’t tell what any of them are thinking. Tris gathers Harmony in his arms on the other side of the kitchen, and her honey-eyed gaze meets mine. She doesn’t know me well, but I silently plead with her to believe me and the small smile that lifts her lips tells me she hasn’t been swayed by Phoebe.
Movement out of the corner of my eyes has my gaze swinging back to Nate and I stare as he pulls his cell out and starts tapping at the screen with his thumb.
“I don’t think, I know.” He glares at her, holding his phone out in front of him. “Care to explain this?”
I watch with wide eyes as she stays where she is, her lips twisting up on one side. She knows what she’s going to find if she looks at his screen. I don’t understand what her endgame is here, did she really think she’d get what she wanted by coming here and doing this? I can easily explain to them what’s going on and clear it all up, so why do this now?
“Why?” I ask, the word out of my mouth before I realize. “Why now, after everything?”
“You know why,” she says through gritted teeth. “You need to pay for what you did.”
I close my eyes briefly, taking a breath that doesn’t quite fill my lungs. “You’re not achieving anything here.”
The sound of the front door banging shut has us all snapping our attention toward the kitchen door before Izzie’s voice rings out. “We’re home!”
My panicked gaze bounces around the room, and when it lands back on Phoebe, she raises a brow. “Want to bet on that?”
Izzie bounces into the kitchen, her smile spreading even wider when she sees me standing here. “Amelia! You’re home!”
Panic thrashes through me like the waves in the sea on a stormy day at the look Phoebe is giving Izzie. Her beady eyes scan the length of Izzie, from the tip of her blond head to the pink sneakers on her feet.
“This must be Izzie.”
Phoebe moves toward Izzie and my instincts kick in, but I can’t get to her fast enough. Izzie looks up at Phoebe as she stops in front of her, lifting some strands of her hair and running it through her fingers.
I step forward, coming to a stop a foot away from Izzie, my hands reaching out to pull her away from the woman who is completely unstable.
“Stay away from her!” I hear Tris’s panicked voice warn, his footsteps coming closer.
“So beautiful, don’t you think, Avery?” She looks beside her, talking to empty space before her head slowly moves back around, her dead eyes meeting mine as she drops her voice so only me and Izzie can hear. “Is this why you came here? To replace my baby with another version of her?”
“Amelia?” Izzie’s soft voice asks, her eyes shining with confusion and fright.
I lunge forward as her other hand starts to lift, pulling Izzie behind me and squaring up to Phoebe. My gaze doesn’t move from hers as Clay and Harmony’s mom walk into the kitchen. My hand is yanked off Izzie’s arm, and when I tilt my head to the side, I see Tris’s murderous gaze, but it’s not pointed at Phoebe—the person he should be worried about—it’s directed at me. Can’t he see how dangerous she is right now?
Harmony’s mom stares at all of us in turn before asking, “What’s going on?”
“Could you take the kids upstairs for me, please, Tilly?” Tris asks, his eyes not moving from mine.
“I… sure.”
Tris walks Izzie over to Harmony’s mom, his muscles tense as he stands at his full height.
Harmony steps toward him. “Tris—”
“No,” he interrupts her, holding his hand up and waiting until both of the kids are out of the room. “Leave.” I take a relieved breath at him telling Phoebe to leave, but when he walks back toward us, his gaze focused on me, the breath is sucked back out of me. “You’re not welcome here.”
The burn of tears itches my nose and I try to swallow against the lump building in my throat to no avail.
“Tris, please—”
“Get. Out.”
I take a step back as his nostrils flare and for the first time since I’ve known him, I’m scared of what he might do or say. His breaths become pants as his chest heaves and I understand then. I understand that it doesn’t matter what I say or do right now, he won’t believe me when he has this woman standing in his kitchen.
However much I hate that he won’t hear me out and let me explain, I know he needs time to process—they all do.
“Tris,” Nate growls. “You’re not listening to her.”
“I don’t need to listen!” he shouts. “She’s been around my kids for six years and I haven’t got a fucking clue who she is!”
Nate’s nostrils flare and his green eyes meet mine. “Maybe you should let everyone calm down—”
“I don’t need to calm down, I need them out of my house and away from my kids!”
His words feel like a physical knife to the heart and I lift my hand to my chest and rub it, trying to soothe the pain.
I’m not going to get anywhere today. My plan to tell them all what’s been going on hasn’t worked, and right now I don’t know what to do or say. Dad would know. As soon as that thought flows through my mind, I realize I’m not on my own. Dad will be here tonight and he’ll be able to help me explain it all. I just need to wait until then. But first...
Nodding my head once, I straighten my back before saying, “I’ll leave as soon as she does.” Turning back to face Phoebe who hasn’t moved an inch and is still standing a foot away from me, I pull a determined expression on my face.
I stare at her, trying to understand what she’s thinking right now, but there’s nothing in her eyes. They’re as dead as they could ever be. This can’t be the end of her plan. All this time and all this build up for this? It doesn’t ring true; there has to be more to it.
“Out. Both of you.”
Phoebe’s lips lift up into a sneer and something flashes in her eyes briefly, what I see in their depths has a shiver rolling through me. A promise, of what I’m not sure, but I feel it in my gut that she won’t stop until she’s achieved what she wants.
She gives me one last look before turning around and walking toward the kitchen door while murmuring to herself. Turning her head at the last minute, she looks at me over her shoulder. “You’ll get what’s coming to you.”
It’s not a threat, but a promise.
Tris follows her out of the kitchen, holding the door open and looking at me expectantly.
I take one last look at Nate, begging him with my eyes to not lose hope in me before I shut off my emotions.
I walk through the door, down the hallway and out of the house.
Standing on the first step, I watch as Phoebe seems to disappear into thin air before I walk over to my car.
I stare after Amelia—or Beth, whatever her name is—wondering what the fuck is going on. That woman—Phoebe—is clearly deranged yet Tris sent Amelia packing as if he believes everything she said. We need to call the police!
I turn away from looking at the door to shove my cell in his hand, the screen showing the real article and not the doctored one that sits on the table.
“You should’ve let her talk,” I growl before running out the kitchen door after her.
“Lia, wait!” I shout when I get outside, but she doesn’t stop, quickening her pace toward the SUV. I jog in front of her, blocking her path. “It was her, wasn’t it?”
Her eyes don’t quite meet mine as she stares past me. “What was her?”
I think back to the day I walked into the pool house and tried to see what was in the package on her coffee table. “The packages; why you were acting so secretive; everything.”
She looks away, her face crumpling up before she gains control of her emotions and turns to look back at me.
“I…” She blows out a breath, her chest rattling with the force. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Nate. I’ve lost everything anyway.” She waves toward Tris’s house, her arm slapping against her thigh as she drops it, trying to sidestep me.
“Not even close.” I entwine my fingers around her wrist gently. “I just want to know the truth because I’m having a hard time piecing it all together.” She slips her arm out of my grasp and unlocks the SUV, not looking back at me as she opens the door. “I know you didn’t do it.”
Her hand pauses on the door before she says, “I want to tell you the truth.” Her gaze meets mine as she looks over her shoulder. “But not right now… I need… I—” Her ringtone interrupts us and she pulls out her cell, lifting it to her ear. “Dad.” Her tone changes—softening as her eyes close. “I’m just leaving Tris’s… yeah…” Her eyes open back up and her gaze bores into mine. “She was here, Dad… I know… Yeah, I’ll meet you there.” There’s a beat of silence and I hear a gruff muffled voice. “I love you, too, Dad.” Her throat bobs as she visibly swallows and moves the cell from her ear before she says, “I can’t do this right now, Nate.”
I take a step forward. “There’s more to this than what we’ve been told. I can help. Let me come with you and we can talk.”
She shakes her head emphatically. “No. Not right now.” She reaches her hand out to me but stops at the last second, her gaze flitting over my shoulder and widening at something. “I’ll tell you everything, Nate, but give me tonight to try and make things better before I explain it all.”
I grip my hair in my hands. “Do you know how hard it is to try and talk to you when you won’t give me a straight answer? I feel like if I let you walk away again I won’t get the chance to talk to you and sort through this clusterfuck.”
“You will,” she whispers. “I promise, I’ll explain it all tomorrow.” My eyes widen at her promise: she’s not the kind of person to make promises she won’t keep. “I swear I’ll tell you everything, I just need time tonight to talk to the detectives on my own.”
My fists clench by my sides at the mention of police. “I want to come with you. I should be there.” She sighs and it makes me even more frustrated. “Just let me help!”
Her nostrils flare. “I’m asking for one night, Nate, just give me that.”
“I’ve just found out the woman I love isn’t the person I thought she was, or at least her name isn’t. You could at least give me a minute since I’ve given you two weeks already!”
My head snaps around at the sound of gravel under someone’s feet and I see Tris walking over, but as I turn back around to talk again, Amelia is already in her car and turning the engine on.
“Amelia!” She shakes her head as she reverses her car and I run after her as she drives off, stopping after a few paces.
I turn around, directing my glare at Tris.
He holds up a hand. “Don’t, my head’s mashed enough as it is.”
I storm toward him. “Your head’s mashed? She needs help and you threw her out!”
“Can you blame me? All those articles in there fucked with my head and all I could think about were my kids.” He pauses as I get closer to him. “Her name isn’t even Amelia!”
“People change their name all the time! You read one of the real articles, you have your proof that she didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you still being hostile toward her?”
He shakes his head and lowers his voice as Harm appears at the front door. “I employed her to look after my kids and put a roof over her head for six years, Nate. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you—which I’m also a little pissed about that you didn’t tell me—but you have to put it to the side and think of the bigger picture here.”
“As far as I’m concerned, she was the best thing to happen to you and those kids. Whether her name is Amelia or not is irrelevant, you know she looked after Izzie and Clay as if they were her own.”
Harm walks over and gives me an understanding look before she turns toward Tris. “I’m going to have to play devil’s advocate and agree with Nate. That woman clearly needs help. She’s still grieving for the loss of her child.” She pauses and makes sure she has all of his attention before saying, “People deal with grief in different ways and do stupid things sometimes.” Tris turns his head away from her at her meaning. “Amelia has never given you reason to doubt her before, you should listen to what she has to say before cutting her out of your life.”
I don’t know what to think right now, all I know is that the woman I love is in trouble and I’m just standing here doing nothing to help her. “I can’t sit by while there’s a psycho out there gunning for her. We need to do something.”
“I…” Tris shuffles his feet before blowing out a breath. “I can’t. I just can’t, Nate. I have a family to think about.”
I shake my head, walking into his house to collect everything the woman brought with her.
I scoop up the file and shove the papers inside, grabbing my cell Tris must’ve left on the counter and make my way to my SUV.
Tris and Harm are still standing outside as I walk out and before I climb into my car to go to Amelia’s so she can put the pieces of the puzzle together for me, I leave with the parting words, “She was your family once. You remember that.”