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“For you, maybe,” I mutter. “I’m in college, so I can’t just vanish. Plus, my sisters and Liam would look for me.”
“Don’t worry, princess. You can defer for a semester, leave your sisters a note, and I’ll keep Liam plenty busy.” Victoria grabs one of Sophie’s suitcases from the closet and throws it on the bed. “Hurry up, Maddie. It needs to look like you left of your own free will. Take what’s important.”
“Where’s my phone?” I ask when I notice it’s not on my nightstand.
“You won’t be needing it.”
“You can’t just kidnap me and expect I’ll go quietly…” I stand, wondering if I can make it to the door without her grabbing me first. If she’s as crazy as Liam’s said, she might be carrying a gun.
Victoria smiles as if I’m not a threat. “Oh, you’ll go willingly. Trust me.” She rubs a hand over her small belly bump. “Because if you don’t, Liam will suffer the consequences.”
My heart stops as my breath hitches. I have no doubt she would take it out on him, considering the bomb she dropped tonight. Her father’s bodyguards have been following him for weeks and probably have all the evidence she’d need to prove his infidelity. Lord knows what they’d do to him once revealed.
“Tick tock.” She taps her wrist where a watch would sit. “Take what you want, or I’ll do it for you. And trust me, it won’t be those sports bras and booty shorts you wear around my husband and do yoga in.” She clicks her tongue. “And those car rides.” She dramatically rolls her eyes. “It’s like you two weren’t even trying to hide it.”
“You’re the one who had us followed,” I say aloud when I realize the truth. Liam’s relentlessly asked for her to get her father to stop watching him, but it was Victoria all along.
“And you’ve underestimated what I’ll do to get what I want. I saved Liam’s life, and he owes me. So unless you want my family to know what my husband’s been doing behind closed doors, you’ll do what I say and walk out of here. Got it?”
I grind my teeth, knowing I have no choice. She doesn’t love Liam like I do—even if she pretends she does—so she won’t think twice about jeopardizing his life. All she cares about is getting her trust fund money and doesn’t care what happens to him in the process.
“Fine,” I say begrudgingly. Grabbing my necessities, I watch her closely as she types on her phone. “Do I at least get to know where I’m going?”
“On a plane,” she says dryly, not taking her eyes off the screen.
“For how long?” I ask, digging through my closet.
“As long as it takes.” She finally looks at me. “That’s all you need to know.”
As long as what takes? This is sounding worse by the second.
I glare at her, though she’s not fazed. “How am I supposed to know what to bring?”
“There’ll be a washer and dryer. Whatever fits in your bag should be enough,” she says with amusement. “The bathroom will be stocked with whatever you need,” she adds. “You’ll have a warm bed and food, so don’t worry. In fact, it’s going to be like a luxury vacation compared to being in this dump.” She snickers and sticks her nose up as if this place is filth, which pisses me off. I’d rather sleep in a cardboard box than go where she tells me.
After grabbing a few things from my closet, I dig around in my dresser for leggings and underwear.
“Don’t forget to take your school shit or whatever it is you do. It has to look like you brought your essentials.”
“I’m a dancer,” I tell her, reaching for my backpack that already has some of my notebooks, books, and practice clothing.
“Well, whatever. Make it look like you left to go live with a friend, so they don’t question it.”
I snarl but keep my lips tight as I move around the room, making it look like I left of my own free will. “They’ll never buy it,” I whisper to myself.
“Liam’s life depends on it,” she reminds me before locking her gaze with mine. “By the look on your face tonight, he didn’t tell you we were expecting. But you care about him, so I know you’ll do whatever you can to keep him safe.” The amusement in her tone has me digging my nails into my palms. I want to rip out her throat.
“If they’re even his babies…” I mutter.
“They are, trust me. We’ve had a lot of sex. Unprotected.”
My blood boils, nearly causing my entire body to overheat. According to Liam, they were together once since they got hitched, and he used a condom. I so badly want to trust his word, but after this shitstorm, I don’t know what to believe.
