AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He turned around and sighed at her. “Elisa.”
The way he said her name sounded just like Harris. All exasperated and concerned. She didn’t buy any of it.
“There’s no one else here, Josh.” She threw out an arm. “You can tone down the performance. There aren’t any witnesses to appreciate it.”
“Wow.” He swore under his breath. “You really are losing it.”
Crazy. Unraveling. Unhinged. The words he didn’t say lingered right there. At least now she knew he was going to ride this out. Insist this was about her, not him. Use this ginned-up example as one more piece of evidence that she was not okay.
“You think that’s an appropriate thing to say to someone who’s suffering from a mental health breakdown?” she asked.
“I think it’s time for you to admit this whole thing—all the stuff about seeing people and investigating Abby—is about destroying me, and I don’t know why. I love you and think of you like a sister.”
“Lucky me.”
He exhaled. “I’m trying here, Elisa.”
She would not crumple at his feet. She took out her phone and showed him the screen. “You know how I know that text isn’t from me? See? No message to you.”
“Did you delete it?” he asked.
He had a ready response for any question or fact she sent his way. That made sense since, for decades, he’d mastered the art of shirking responsibility for everything. It was hard to compete with entrenched self-denial.
“There was nothing to delete.” Truth existed. She held on to it, not letting her mind wander or doubt, even though a tiny voice in her head pulled her in that direction.
He shrugged. “Maybe you accidently re-sent an older message? That would explain the mix-up.”
More deflecting. He made the situation he created her fault. Her mistake.
She would not bend. “No.”
“Well, the how and why don’t really matter. It all worked out fine.” He grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter. “And I like to spend time with Nathan, so we’re good.”
“There’s no response.”
He frowned. “What?”
One tiny piece. That’s all it took to trip him up. For someone so practiced in the art of gaslighting he lacked follow-through. Always had. Always would.
“That text you received?” She meant the fake one he created about picking up Nathan. “You got that but didn’t text me back.”
“That’s not—”
“I looked at your phone, remember? It’s not there.” She watched his fingers clench and unclench around that apple. “So, I wonder how I was supposed to know you could get Nathan and I didn’t need to call Harris.”
He didn’t say anything for a few seconds then he set the apple down on the counter. “You know I love Nathan.”
“Just as you loved Abby and Candace and Lauren.”
His eyebrow lifted. He looked more amused than pissed off. “Are you making an accusation?”
It was her turn to shrug. “Just having a conversation.”
“You know if you can’t be here for Nathan I will be. Forever. That’s a promise.”
No,thatwas a threat. Elisa heard it loud and clear. “Lucky for Nathan, I’m not going anywhere.”
Josh smiled. “Let’s hope not.”
