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What was I thinking, slipping into his residence to retrieve the pendant?
Silence blanketed the kitchen.
Without a doubt, Vera, Reggie, and Tabby knew the shoe belonged to me. Not a single day passed without them teasing me for my attire.
They couldn’t understand why I didn’t let the price of my clothes determine my value as a person.
A briny drop of sweat trekked down my forehead to my eye.
Breathe.
Just breathe, Farrow.
But I couldn’t.
My chest caved. I smothered my mouth with a palm, hoping it stifled the sound of my breaths.
Another second of silence, and they’d hear me. Surely.
For once, Reggie’s shrill voice saved me. “Oh, that’s awkward. I believe this one’s mine, actually.”
“No, no. I think it’s mine.” Tabby elbowed her out of the way. “I always bring a flat pair when I go to parties. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m quite the dancer?—”
“But don’t you remember, Tabby…” Reggie clamped a hand on Tabby’s shoulder, probably digging her acrylics into the bone. Her tone carried an eerie threat. “…that I borrowed those…shoesfrom you that night because mine got lost when I saved an injured bunny in Mr. Sun’sgarden?”
I dug my teeth into my inner cheek, wrangling back a frantic laugh. As low as I’d gotten, I hoped I never became this pathetic.
This Cinderella bull crap was right up their alley.
I bet if Zach had come in with a used menstrual cup, asking if it belonged to one of them, they’d give him a demonstration to prove they were the rightful owners.
Vera put an end to the debate before Reggie made a valley out of Tabby’s shoulder. “It’s Tabitha’s shoe.”
Tabby was the costliest of her two daughters, so I supposed Vera wanted her off her hands sooner rather than later.
She nodded, reassuring herself she’d made the right decision. “Definitely hers.”
More silence.
Unfortunately for my so-called family members, Zach Sun was too smart to buy into their bullshit.
Good news for him.
Devastating news for me.
His fingers tightened around the shoe. “Do you have any other daughters, Mrs. Ballantine?”
My shoulders tensed.
“What? No. These two are more than enough. They keep me busy. Trust me.” Her hands curled into fists. “Ha. Ha.”
More silence.
Zach didn’t feel the need to fill the void with meaningless words. It was probably the only good thing about him.
Finally, he set the knockoff Vans down on the island. “Are you certain, Mrs. Ballantine?”
“Well, I would know if I had an extra daughter tucked away in the house, would I not?”
