Page 163 of The Bad Husband

I spot Keira, who’s on the phone, her back turned to me, luckily, and I quickly scoop out my phone and walk to the side, hoping to get a snapshot of the man’s profile.

He’s booking it, with his face tilted down, when I make a bold move.

“Hey,” I bark, and he instinctively flicks his eyes to me.

I can’t tell whether he realized that I pressed the shutter when he looked at me.

Just as quickly, I retreat behind a column and move away without looking back.

Keira spots me and waves at me.

She’s still on the phone with Nicki when I pull up in front of her and slide my cell phone into her purse.

“Keep this for me. Don’t give it to anyone. I’ll be right back.”

She nods, and I instantly pull away.

I bump into Henrietta on the first floor.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she barks at me, and I signal to her that the security on the floor has already made a note of her berating tone.

“Watch your tone, Henrietta. And count your blessings. The next time we meet here, you could be on trial for murdering my father.”

She presses her lips together, her eyes dark like ink.

I point my finger to her chest.

“I never liked you. You know that. But I’ll give it to you. You have a rare quality. You’re patient. Not only sly but also patient. You played him. And you played my father. You also tried to play me. This was never about Damon West or your toxic relationship with him. It was always about the money. The money was never enough for you. Everyone’s money was yours. But you made a mistake. A big mistake. You put him in jail. The only man you shouldn’t have touched or messed with. The only man who mattered to me besides my father. Had you not done that, he’d be here, living his life. You’d still be out of your money, but you wouldn’t have a bounty on your head.”

Her eyes shoot lasers at me.

“You have lost your mind, you crazy little girl,” she says under her breath, grabbing my arm and shaking me hard.

I yank my arm out of her grip.

“You’ve completely lost your mind,” I grind out. “What did you think you’d accomplish by taking him away from me? You thought I’d just go away quietly. You thought you’d outsmart everyone? Well, I’ve got news for you. You're toasted, Henrietta Jones. You’re fucking toasted.”

I revel in the expression of shock sliding over her face before I move away, smiling.

Later, I exit the building and welcome the crisp air and the promise of a quiet Christmas season as the beautiful decorations sparkle under a few flurries of snow.

LILA

Brooklyn

The snow buried the street.

I can barely see the streetlights under huge hats of snow, and as I crack the window open and listen to the howling wind, I can hear the Christmas carols in the distance.

Not far from my apartment, there’s a small market with restaurants and stores, and music flows over the speakers.

I swear I can smell the freshly baked cookies in the Italian bakery around the corner.

I dwelled a lot on whether to sell this apartment and move upstate New York. Or even to New Jersey.

Or to Long Island.

Anything would work for me. I don’t mind commuting. And I didn’t mind living in the same place that quietly witnessed the departure of the only man that had taken up residence in my head.