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The space is expansive and sunlit, with exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the room with golden afternoon light.
Everything is set up perfectly.
A freshly assembled easel stands in the center. Jars of clean paintbrushes rest on the work table. A cold lunch waits on the counter—because, of course, Hunter thought of everything.
I should be thrilled.
But instead, I stand there, phone in hand, glaring at the unsent text I’ve rewritten five times.
I want to tell Hunter that I hate how easily he keeps secrets from me.
That I can’t believe he never told me about Lars’s daughter.
That it bothers me more than I care to admit.
Just as I perfect my wording, my phone rings.
For a second, I assume it’s Hunter—maybe his ears are burning.
But then I see the name flashing across my screen.
Not Hunter.
Not even close.
It’s the number saved under “Lying Ass Bitch.”
Naomi.
What the hell does she want?
Chapter 39
Before She Betrayed Me
MEGAN
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say flatly as I answer the phone, my grip tightening around the device. Naomi’s name flashing across my screen is like a ghost from the past, a reminder of all the ways she’s failed me.
“What do you want?”
A soft chuckle floats through the receiver, casual, almost amused, as if we’re still old friends catching up over coffee instead of former roommates estranged by betrayal.
“Wow,” Naomi muses, completely unfazed by my hostility. “You were never this mean when we lived together.”
I scoff. Is she serious right now?
“That was before I realized you had a habit of standing by while your fatherkidnapped me and tried to kill the man I love.”
There’s a pause. A beat of silence.
“I deserved that,” she finally says, her voice quieter. “But no, I’m not calling because of my father. And I don’t know anything about him trying to hurt Hunter.”
I let out a cold laugh. Typical Naomi.
“You don’t know because youchoosenot to know,” I bite out. “You’re happy to bury your head in the sand, aren’t you? Just like you did when your father held me against my will for days, and you did nothing. Have you conveniently forgotten that?”
“I apologized for that, Megan.”