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I blinked a few times, not sure I’d heard her correctly.Jessica?“I’m sorry, who?”
Faye nodded. “Yes, Jessica. You didn’t know, did you?”
I shook my head slowly, trying to process what she was saying. Holden, the man who I was falling for, despite my best intentions coming into this competition, had dated Jessica, the only other contestant I trusted here.
I struggled to breathe, feeling like I’d been punched in the gut. Neither had lied to me, but it sure as hell felt like it.
“I didn’t know,” I said quietly, hardly able to believe it. “Jessica mentioned that she’d been here several times with her parents for official business. But she never mentioned that…”Why not?
“Several of the women have been here before and knew Holden prior to the Contention,” I added. “Do the others know they dated? Is it public knowledge, and I look like an idiot?”
Faye quickly shook her head. “No, no. It’s nothing like that. No one else seems to know. It must have been before I started working here, but Garrett brought it up to Holden when he—” She broke off, her eyes widening.
“What is it, Faye?” My heart was racing, and my face was hot.
Her brow furrowed as she said, “Holden told Willow he wanted to plan their date. He said he knows what Jessica likes.”
A lump formed in my throat as a million thoughts whirled through my head. I turned and paced the room, unable to stay still as my mind played out various scenarios. Had they tricked us all? What if they were secretly working together? I couldn’t imagine Jessica being so deceptive, but crazier things had happened.
“Jessica has never acted too competitive,” I said, thinking out loud. “She doesn’t seem that worried about the competitions, either. What if she and Holden have made some kind of agreement?”
“I don’t know,” Faye said, “Jessica seems so shy and innocent.” My thoughts exactly. “But I supposed it could be an act to keep her safe. Maybe she wants people to underestimate her.”
I glanced sharply at Faye, my stomach twisting. “What if she’s been using me all this time? What if I thought she was my friend, but she wants me to help take her to the end, to watch her back…?”
It sounded crazy, but again, this was the Contention we were talking about. Where women randomly challenged each other, sometimes to the death.
“Kayden.” Faye came up to me and stopped my pacing, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t jump to any conclusions. That wasn’t my intention in telling you. I want you to be aware of the facts and that people aren’t always what they seem.”
I nodded mutely, afraid I might cry if I said anything. I wasn’t usually overly emotional, but this felt like a betrayal.
“Do you want some time to yourself?” Faye glanced at the clock. “We still have a few hours before dinner if you want to be alone.”
“That would be great,” I managed to say, and thankfully, she left right away.
The minute she was gone, I sank onto the bed, my legs suddenly weak.
Was Faye right? Was I jumping to conclusions?
Honestly, I didn’t know. I’d only been here a week, and a lot had happened. I barely knew these women—barely knew Holden. Yet the idea of him and Jessica working together—being together—made my chest ache and my stomach twist. I didn’t have any right for it to, though.
I sat there lost in my thoughts, unaware of how much time had passed until I realized I still hadn’t washed off from the competition. I rose from the bed and headed toward my bathroom. As I passed my desk, I noticed an envelope that hadn’t been there this morning.
Apprehension washed over me as I took in the expensive oversized cream envelope and the script on the front.
I snatched up the envelope and stared at it, almost afraid to see what it said. My heart pounded, and blood roared in my ears as I flipped it over and opened the unsealed flap. My hand shook as I unfolded it, my eyes scanning the words:
My dearest Kayden,
I regret to inform you that after today’s competition, you have been selected for elimination—
I dropped the letter as if I’d been burned, unable to see through the blur of tears. It didn’t matter, though. I’d seen enough.
Dismissed.
A single sob escaped before I clapped my hand over my mouth. No. I wouldn’t lose it. Not here where the other women could hear me fall apart. I glanced at the doors that led to my small covered patio. Only two stories up, I could make my down from the outside and not have to risk running into anyone. The woods were just beyond, beckoning me with the promise of solitude.
Quickly, I made my way out and down to the ground, then practically sprinted to the edge of the woods, shedding my clothing as soon as possible once I was safely beyond sight.
