Page 214 of Only Be Mine

“Seth has always hated me.”

The word hated carried weight.

“From the beginning,” Trevor continued. “He didn’t like that I was there for you. That I stepped in when he couldn’t.”

I stayed silent.

“He’s been waiting for something like this,” Trevor added. “A reason.”

He turned back toward me.

“And you handed it to him.”

There it was.

The shift.

The blame.

“I didn’t hand him anything,” I said softly. “I needed to know if I was crazy.”

Trevor’s mouth twitched. “You’re not crazy.”

There was no warmth in it.

Just assessment.

“Did you tell him where you found the ring?” Trevor asked.

My pulse jumped. “No.”

He watched me carefully. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He moved closer.

Slow.

Predatory calm.

“If I call him right now,” Trevor said, “and ask him where you found it… what would he say?”

My heart pounded so loudly I thought he might hear it. “He’d say he doesn’t know.”

Trevor studied my face.

Searching for micro-reactions.

Lie detection mode.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

I held still.

“You need to understand something,” he said softly. “If Seth thinks he can go to the police with this, if he thinks he can make noise, he’s wrong.”

A chill slid down my spine. “You wouldn’t…”