Page 87 of The Life She Had

Oh, yes. I understood. Every broken bone and bruised inch and bloodied cut understood.

Be a good girl, and bide your time.

But I had bided my time, hadn’t I? First with Aaron. Then with Liam. Bided my time, plotting to kill Liam, because my experience with Aaron taught me that fleeing was never enough. I needed to get rid of Liam, permanently. Then I couldn’t go through with it, and this was my punishment. The universe was slapping me down for my failure of will.

You made your bed. You lie in it.

Why was Liam pulling this now?

Was it Daisy?

That evening, when he said he wanted to sleep with her, was I supposed to snarl and rage and send him on his way? Is that when he planned to pull the trigger?

Mmm, no, Celeste. Sorry, but that isn’t how this is going to work. Remember, I know your real name...

“You said we have a problem.” My voice was quiet, as if I feared the answer. “What is it?”

“Not here,” he said, with a meaningful glance toward Daisy’s room. “Outside.”

I followed him into the hall. Then I hesitated.

I should have killed him last night. I had the chance, and I couldn’t go through with it, and this is my punishment, rightly so. My punishment for not being strong enough.

“I’m not going into the forest in my underwear,” I whispered. “Let me put something on.”

I scurried back into the room, tugged on a loose shirt and then opened a drawer.

“Looking for this?” said a voice from the doorway. It was Liam, twirling a gun. My gun.

I audibly swallowed.

“Come along, Lizzy.”

He turned and strode out. I eased open the drawer, reached up to the tape and pried off the gun I’d really been reaching for. Daisy’s gun. I pulled on my jeans, stuck the gun in the waistband, and followed him out.

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