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The twisted smile she’s sporting stays firmly on her face as she hands him the file. “Here’s your proof.”
I can’t take my eyes off Tris as he flips through everything, his chest heaving as he throws the file on the table in front of me. “It’s all there.”
Picking it up, I flip through the news articles all depicting a “Bethany Waters” that looks exactly like Amelia. But it’s not until the last article that everything crashes down on me like a building collapsing in on itself and I realize that maybe this woman is telling the truth. Have I been fooled all along? “No, it’s not her, it can’t be.”
Harmony takes the papers out of my hands and I stand, spinning around and bracing my hands on the kitchen counter, my back to everyone as my world starts spinning.
“I had to tell you all before it was too late. I stopped by your house, but you weren’t in. I—”
I spin back around to face her. “You were at my house?” I pace up and down, everyone stopping what they were doing as the air gets sucked from the room when the door to the kitchen swings open, and in walks the devil herself.
I shake my head when I turn the key and the door is already unlocked; Tris always forgets to lock it. Pushing the door open and stepping inside, the soles of my Converse squeak on the marble floor. My gaze wanders over to the stairs at the black railing that flows up the side of it.
Nothing at all has changed inside, yet everything has.
Wiping my sweaty palms on the side of my jeans, I take a deep breath and shut the door behind me.
I place my purse on the table near the door before spinning around and walking down the hallway toward the kitchen.
I’m a few feet away when I hear voices which causes my brows to furrow. I wasn’t expecting anyone but Tris and Harmony to be here, but there’s definitely more than two different voices
Was this all a ruse to get me here? Would Tris really be that sneaky?
A deep, gruff voice says something, the tone thunderous before a female one replies. My hand stills on the kitchen door and I know it’s now or never. I have to tell Tris everything, explain to him that all I was trying to do was protect them all. If I don’t do it now, I’m afraid I never will.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep, calming breath before opening them back up and pushing the door open, taking two steps inside.
What I see in front of me has my feet sticking to the floor like they’re buried in concrete.
The door whooshes shut behind me, the air skirting across the exposed skin on my neck.
Nate’s green eyes focus on mine, shadowed with both anger and frustration—and is that relief sparkling behind it all?
I briefly meet Tris’s gaze and Harmony’s before someone else catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.
The goose bumps spreading along my arms tell me I know who it is before I look. I was waiting for something to come, but I never expected this.
When I turn my head and watch the woman with scraggly brown hair stand up and turn around, I know what I’m going to see, and when her dark, evil eyes meet mine, I suck in a huge breath.
“Phoebe?” My voice is raw, emotion blocking the normal sound.
“Beth.” I shiver at the sound of her voice; thick but with an edge to it it didn’t use to have.
I realize what she’s said a second too late, and my gaze swings over to Nate.
She’s told them.
“Nate—”
“It’s too late now, Beth.” My attention snaps to Phoebe as manic laughter overtakes her body. “They know who you are.” She takes a threatening step toward me. “What you are.” Her eyes flare with hatred before she spits out, “A murderer!”
No. No, no, no.
“I…” I can’t form any words. I’ve fell into a big, black hole and don’t know how to climb out. I turn my frantic gaze toward Tris, too scared to look back into Nate’s eyes to see the hatred that will surely be there. “Tris, I swear—”
“Is that your name?” he asks, his voice low and throaty. “Beth?”
I swallow, my arms wrapping around my waist. “Yeah—”
