Page 133 of His Wicked Revenge

I hope.

I’ve never seen him that angry before. Sure, he was mad when I planted that knife on Aiden without telling him. And he did get upset about Slater. Even when his whole agenda was getting revenge on me, he was angry, but the night of the wedding was… different.

As I step outside, the cool air clears my head of the thoughts running wild. I tug my coat tighter around me while I head downtown. There is a bookshop I want to visit, and I am dying for another book to read. It seems like that hobby I took up in the asylum stuck with me when I got out. Usually, I would drive the beat-up car I own, but I think a walk would be good for me.

Ten minutes later, I am browsing the aisles of the quiet bookstore. The lights are dim, and the shelves are old and deep brown. A speaker somewhere up front plays faint classical music, but the further I go toward the back of the store, the less I hear it. This shop has always been a calm space, and the cozy vibes always quiet my mind.

While strolling down the aisle, I realize I’m not alone. A woman stands at the far end with her back to me. Her head is down as she, I assume, reads the back of a book. I turn my body toward the bookshelf and scan the spines, hoping one will stand out.

Shuffling sounds come from the back, and when I glance, I see that she is setting the object down and picking up another. Where she stands is a dead end, meaning she will have to pass by me in the narrow aisle way.

Returning to the books, I hear the woman turn on her feet and see her face from the corner of my eye. I completely lose focus on the book as she is about to go around me. Once she passes behind, I whip my head in her direction.

“Eliza?”

She stops walking and slowly turns around to face me. “Uhm, hi.”

“You’re out,” the statement comes out just above a whisper.

“I’m sorry?” Eliza tucks a box against her side, and my eyes follow. A puzzle. Seeing it makes me smile as I remember when we sat in the common room working on them. “Do I know you?”

Do I tell her who I am? Or do I act like she looks familiar and let her leave? Because of how often she tried to befriend me at Black Lake, Eliza may be the only person who was actually happy to see me.

I chew on my bottom lip as I contemplate, but then I decide to tell her. If my sister, of all people, knows that I am out, then why can’t Eliza? Between her and Stephanie, Eliza is the one who would be less likely to snitch on me.

With my eyes still on the puzzle, I gesture towards it. “I haven’t done one of those since you forced me to work on them with you.”

Slowly, I lift my eyes to hers. Her dark skin glows like usual, even with the warm lighting. However, her two different-colored eyes look darker under these dim lights. They seem confused but then pop open when she realizes.

“Veronica?” she asks warily.

“The one and only.” I smirk.

“They never caught you?” she whispers in disbelief.

“Nope,” I say. “Why? Did the asylum say they did?”

Her head bobs side to side. “Kind of, but not really. I think Dr. Bennett was helping the police track you down. The police thought they had a lead on you.”

I crunch my eyebrows together. “Then why did you think they caught me?”

“That’s what Dr. Bennett told us. But now, seeing you, I think he said it so the girls would stop talking about you.” She gives me a sad smile. “He was so angry that you ran; he didn’t want to hear the others say your name.”

Of course, he was angry with me—probably still is, seeing as he told that lady in the park that they were still looking for me. It reminds me that he told her they might have an idea where I was.

Given that it’s been a few months since that happened, I’m going to say Dr. Bennett told the woman this to calm her down.

They never knew where I was.

The knowledge that the police and Henry haven’t come close to finding me makes me feel proud.

“It wasn’t confirmed since Dr. Bennett wouldn’t tell us what happened, but there was a rumor that Dr. Madden ran with you. That there was something between the two of you.” Eliza shifts on her feet. “When he never had another session with Ruby and wasn’t seen around the asylum, everyone thought the rumor to be true.”

I could lie to her and say that my running had nothing to do with Leo, but knowing that the girls at the asylum were talking about Leo and me being a thing makes my ego soar.

“He did run with me.”

Her jaw drops. “The rumors were true? You two had a thing?”