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The three steps to the couch exhausted Lisbeth as she slumped into the cushions. All the adrenaline, rage, and utter confusion rushed through her bloodstream, leaving her body depleted.
Samson paced the floor, muttering random curses and throwing off a murderous aura. Okay, perhaps those were the wrong choice of words considering Edward’s parting remark.
Lisbeth cradled her head in her hands and felt Samson standing over her. She peered over her fingers into his face but couldn’t read his expression. Anger, frustration, pain?
“That went well,” she deadpanned because when all else failed, she turned to sarcasm.
“That guy had a lot of fuckin’ nerve coming in here giving you shit.”
“He might’ve been justified since I just broke off our engagement while another man hid in my bedroom.” She pulled a pained expression she felt to her core.
“I hate to break it to you, babe, but I think he was more pissed off about being late for his father’s campaign announcement.”
She huffed out a heavy sigh because Samson was right. Once again, Lisbeth thought a man was devoted to her, only to find out the opposite was true. How had she missed Edward’s egotistical behavior and his sheer bossiness? Juliet saw it from the beginning, and even Willow, who had her head in the clouds most times, saw it too.
Her mother liked him because he had a steady income, and he’d managed to charm Evelyn with his old-school manners, but etiquette and a bank account didn’t equate to love.
“Looks like he knows quite a bit about both of us.” This day couldn’t get more awkward, so she might as well address the elephant in the room, or did he think she was going to ignore Edward’s last comment?
Samson rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “There’s a part of Yvette’s story I left out.”
He paused long enough for Lisbeth to send up a quick prayer. It was bad enough her ex-fiancé was an alleged sex trafficker.
Please don’t make my old flame a murderer.
The couch cushion dipped beside her, but Lisbeth kept her eyes trained on the carpet. She couldn’t look at Samson; she didn’twantto look at him no matter what he said next, not having the strength for any more revelations before ten in the morning.
“I told you Yvette and I did a lot of drugs.” Samson’s voice wafted around her. “The higher she got, the crazier she became—she threatened to jump off the roof and bolted from the apartment. I went after her, and she was standing on the ledge by the time I got up there. I was yelling at her to get down, but she wouldn’t. I remember trying to reason with her, but she kept fighting with me, then . . .” his voice trailed.
Lisbeth turned her head in his direction. “Then what?” Her heart raced as she gripped the couch cushions, not sure she wanted to hear his next words.
“Nothing. I must’ve blacked out. The cops were at my door the next morning, and I was back in the apartment in bed.”
“But you don’t remember leaving the roof?”
“I don’t remember anything after us fighting and her standing on that ledge.”
“And the cops didn’t question you?”
“Sure they did, but Frank stepped in, and suddenly they backed off. Frank even paid for her funeral. As we left the gravesite, he thanked me for taking care of the problem.”
“In other words, he thought you pushed her.”
Samson shook his head. “I know I didn’t, but I can’t remember what the fuck actually happened either.”
“And now Edward must have this information and plans on using it as leverage.”
“You believe me, right?”
Lisbeth blew out a long-held breath. “Right now, I don’t know what I believe.” She stared at the far wall. “I’ve been engaged to a man I never knew, then a man who shattered my heart ten years ago reappears, and I fall right back into his arms without a second thought. Now because of my bad choices, the future of your club and my business is most definitely in trouble.
“You see what you’re doing to yourself, right?”
Lisbeth tore her gaze away from the wall to glare at Samson. “Finally seeing the sham my life is and taking responsibility for acting so foolishly?”
“More like beating yourself up for being human.” His light blue eyes pierced through her, which only increased her embarrassment.
“First you, then Edward—one mistake after the other.”
