Page 127 of Her Wicked Plan

“Look at me now.” I chuckle under my breath at her words. I’m far from that proper young woman my mom wanted me to be. “Does anyone ever come to visit you?”

Her fingers slow even though the song she is playing is cheerful. The speed at which she plays and the out-of-tune piano sound make it dreary. “No. If my mother were still alive, she might have come to see me.”

A pang in my chest happened—a feeling I wasn’t used to and wasn’t aware could happen to me.

“But then again, if I got sent here after killing him and she was still alive, I’m not sure she would want to. She was so blinded by her love for him. He couldn’t possibly do anything bad. Even when he beat her.” Her body shivered at the memory.

“Sounds like my sister.” The words come out before I register what I’m saying. Shit. I didn’t want her to know anything about my past, although she had spilled everything on me. “Why were you so insistent on being my friend?”

“Do you want the truth?” She peeks over at me to see my head nod. “When I got here, there were whispers about you—that you were the one to watch out for.” The knowledge makes me grin. “I was fragile . . . I’m still fragile, so I figured if I befriended you, none of the other patients would pick on me.”

I allow her words to sink in before I speak. “Protection?”

“It’s stupid, I know, asking the scariest patient in this ward to be friends with me for my own personal reasons.” She pauses for a moment. “When you pulled that knife on me, I realized it would never happen.”

I don’t apologize for that. I don’t want her to think I’m going soft. I mean, I already complimented her. “I don’t do friends.”

“I know.”

“It’s just easier to be alone.”

“I get it,” she states, but not in a mean way; more of an understanding way. “You’ve been kinder than normal to me lately. Talking with me and whatnot. I’ll take that over a true friendship because if it isn’t something you want, Veronica, then I’m not going to force you to be friends with me.”

Nodding slightly, I stand from my seat as she continues with her song. She scoots over to the middle of the bench, taking half of my spot while she picks up the speed.

I stand there for a moment, thoughts running through my head about everything she said to me.

“Eliza?” Her name is quiet, and I’m unsure if she even heard me, but then she glances up at me. “You’re not fragile. I’m not sure who told you that you were, and we may not be friends, but I’ll always have your back.” Something flashes over her face. Gratitude. “Let me know if someone gives you any issues, and I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you.”

Not saying anything else, I turn to leave the room when I see Leo standing in the doorway. The sight of him sends chills through my whole body. I remember how he felt inside of me, wanting that to happen again today, tomorrow, and the next day.

His eyes find mine, and he swallows hard. His head jerks to the side, gesturing for me to come with him, and with no hesitation, I do.

“Have a seat,” he tells me as he shuts the office door.

He sounds professional, which leads me to believe this is a normal session.

Shame.

I sit down as he paces behind his chair, not taking his own seat. Running his hand over his mouth and through his hair, the look in his eyes tells me he is at war in his mind. “Are we going to talk about my problems today or yours?”

He halts his steps, gazing over at me. “What?”

“Seems that you have a lot on your mind.”

His teeth clench, and then words spill out, “We didn’t use a condom.”

“I’m aware.”

“You’re not on birth control,” he points out.

“Obviously,” I state.

The panic in his voice, his face... he is worried that I’ll get pregnant, and oh, what a scandal that would be. Pregnancy isn’t an option, and it isn’t part of the plan. Why would I be dumb enough to put myself and him in that position when I desperately want out of this hell?

Which is why he needs to know the truth.