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Cal’s eyes roll. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Hey, is everything okay?”
I jump in place at the sound of Iris’s voice. She bends down to pick up the corkscrew I dropped, which gives me enough time to pull myself together and put on a happy face.
“Yup. I just couldn’t figure out how to properly uncork the bottle since I don’t drink.” My nervous laugh borders on hysterical, but Iris doesn’t seem to notice since she doesn’t know me.
“You should have just brought it to us. We could have done that.” She grabs the bottle.
I freeze as a breeze comes through the window, the scent of cigars permeating the air. I’m afraid the rapid beat of my heart will betray me with how hard it pounds against my chest.
Iris’s nose twitches. “What’s that smell?”
I look around the kitchen, doing my best to try to look confused.
Iris’s gaze lands on the curtain swaying in the breeze. “Ahh. Someone left the window open.” She reaches over the sink to shut it, only to pause before she drags the pane down.
“Everything okay?” I ask. The blood in my ears makes it impossible to hear much besides my own heartbeat.
Her back freezes. “Yeah. Just thought I overheard one of them trying to talk shit about us.”
This time, my fake laughter comes out more genuine. “Like Declan would dare talk bad about you. Safe to say he is obsessed.”
At least one Kane brother is loyal.
She turns around with a smile. “The same can be said about you. I don’t think I’ve seen Cal this happy in well…ever.”
I try to smile. I try so damn hard, my eye twitches and my cheeks ache.
Her head tilts. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Yup. Just fighting the early signs of a migraine.”
A small frown makes her forehead wrinkle. “Oh, no. Do you want any medicine?”
“I’ve got some in my purse. Hence the water.” I reach for the glass of water I left abandoned on the counter and lead the way out of the kitchen. I’m careful to keep my head held high despite the unbearable weight pressing down around me, threatening to drown me.
You will not let him break you.
Yet no matter how many times I repeat the phrase, bits and pieces of my heart break off and shatter against the floor, leaving an invisible trail of my despair.
As soon as I put Cami to sleep, I lock my bedroom door and pull out my phone.
SOS
Texts pop up instantly.
Delilah
Is everything okay?
Violet
What did he do?
I can always count on Violet to point fingers first and ask questions later. Tonight, I need to borrow some of her anger. At least that way I can feel something other than numbness.
Ever since I overheard the conversation outside, I’ve been on autopilot. Just going through the motions until I could crawl into a ball and process the last few months of my life.
