Page 197 of Her Wicked Plan

His throat bobs as he swallows. “That’s what love does to you. It changes you as a person for the better. Jennifer told me that when we met, she was in a dark time in her life, and meeting me...” He collects himself, only for his voice to crack. “She said that falling in love with me pulled her out of that darkness. That the light that grew within her was because of the love she felt.”

My chest rattles as I cry. Chloe's hand intertwines with mine, giving a gentle squeeze.

“Without love, she didn’t know what the point of life was, and I am so grateful that I could remind her that the purpose of life was to love and be loved.” His eyes find my sister and I. “I’m thankful for all the years I got to love her. I am thankful to her for giving me two amazing children. And I am thankful for all the years they got to love her.” My breath shutters. “Jennifer’s love was like no other. I am beyond happy that everyone in this room got to experience it. Today, we say goodbye to Jen, but may her light live on forever.”

He bows his head, his speech ending. When he sits beside me, I take his hand in mine. Chloe reaches over me to hand him a tissue. “That was beautiful, Dad.”

A sad smile appears on his lips as a thank you.

After the service, we all pile into our cars and drive to the cemetery—a parade of death.

We each threw different flowers on the casket as they lowered her into the Earth. Five of her favorite flowers going to rest with her. The crowd disperses, and my family remains the only one.

Dad claps a hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t we head back to the house for coffee?”

I nod, my eyes still on the glossy, wooden casket settled at the bottom of the grave. “I just need a minute.”

I feel a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder, and he walks off. Carter follows behind, talking his ear off while Chloe attempts to silence him. Their voices become quieter the further away they get.

Staring down at the hole in the ground, I want to say something, but I’m not sure what exactly I want to say. My mouth feels dry every time I open it for words to come out.

Dad’s speech hit me hard. When he talked about light and dark, I couldn’t help but think of Veronica. Why does she have to invade my mind as much as she does? Oh right. Because I’m in love with her.

Dad fought for Mom's love. He didn’t give up when she turned him down; in the end, he won.

It's not that I’d have to fight for Veronica’s love. I think she loves me in her own way. She might not admit it, but the woman shows her love in how she cares for me, and here I am, turning her down.

I revisit the idea even though I told myself not to.

The purpose of life was to love and be loved.

The words my father spoke sink into my broken heart, and because of that, my mind shifts.

What’s the point of life if you don’t fight for the person you love? Rolling my jaw, I look up at the sky because I want to say this to my mother. Her soul is somewhere in the air, not in the coffin six feet under.

I shut my eyes, inhaling a long breath. “I hope you can forgive me for this, Mom.”

CHAPTER 50

Veronica

It’s dark.

Cold.

The blanket beneath me won’t help melt the ice that has sunk into my body. I could try it, but then I would have to worry about being itchy on top of everything else.

It’s been almost a week since Leo had left to visit his family. I’ve been brainstorming other ways for him to give in to my plan the past few days. None seem to work, given the first one I thought of was supposed to do the trick.

He fell in love with me. He hasn’t muttered the words; honestly, he doesn’t need to say them for me to know. Getting him to fall for me was easier than expected. He already had a fragile heart and the need for someone to reconstruct it.

Dr. Bennett found me reading in the lobby when he informed me that Leo wasn’t returning when he was supposed to. Said there was a family emergency and left it at that. Dr. Bennett doesn’t realize how close Leo and I are; therefore, he wasn’t aware that I knew about Leo’s mother. The family emergency, sadly, was most likely that his mother died.

After Henry left me alone to read my book, I couldn’t. My eyes were unfocused from the words printed on the pages, the tiny inked letters became blurry as I spaced out. Images of Leo shattering with the loss of his mom made my skin hot with anger for him. Anger at losing someone he loved so dearly.

My heart ached for him. It was a strange feeling.

I’d felt rage for him despite leaving me in the garden and dismissing the plan I had drawn up. The rage burning inside me was the height of an emotion I’d never felt.