Page 77 of Trust No One

“Gabe. Lying to me isn’t going to help.”

“I’m not lying. We never took any pictures. I was sure of that.”

“Except this time around on your phone.”

“Just a few.”

“That’s all it takes, pal.” I scanned the empty legal pad, unwilling to write a note that would make this moment feel too real. “When did you two reconnect?”

“May.”

“How’d you meet this go-around?”

“I do the lawn service at her office building.”

“How long before you two were in bed?”

“A week. I was feeling lost. Maria and the job. Your cousin can be very hard and judgmental.”

“Is Amy a possessive woman?”

“She wants more, but she understands I can’t leave Maria or my child.”

“When was the last time you saw Amy?”

“Eight days ago. We met at her place. I told her we had to stop. Maybe take a break for a while. I was truthful about us from the start.”

His definition of truth didn’t fit mine. “She the type to poison your wife?”

I used to believe . . .

Apologies erased the past.

But here’s the truth.

They don’t.

The outline of the sin always remains.

And even if I pile on enough I’m sorrys . . .

the stain never fades.

Chapter Thirty

Raine

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Gabe wasn’t surprised by my question.

“No. She’d never take Molly from her mom.”

“She or we?”

“Molly loves her mother.”

“But you both discussed a life without Maria.”