Page 177 of The Ruthless Note

I manage to keep my mouth shut and grab the pillows that got knocked off the bed. As I work, I spot my bedsheets and wince. There’s no amount of laundry detergent that can fix that mess.

Fully dressed, I walk outside and knock on the bathroom door. “Dutch, I put your clothes out here.”

Not waiting around, I head to the kitchen and start making breakfast.

A few minutes later, I feel Dutch’s overwhelming presence get closer and my neck stiffens.

“Cadey,” he says carefully.

“Not now, Dutch,” I interrupt him.

He hesitates. I glance over my shoulder and find his eyes looking more brown than honey, the scary amber tamed by the shadows in the room.

“Later,” I promise. “If my sister comes back and sees you here, I won’t know how to explain it.”

His eyes narrow on me, tearing me to pieces without even trying.How will I ever go back to being numb around you?

He walks forward, picks the ring box off the table and jams it on the counter next to me. “Later.”

I watch him leave and then wilt against the counter, glad that he didn’t make a fuss. I’m not ready to deal with Dutch yet.

Turning back to the stove, I push the spatula in the eggs when I hear a knock on the door.

Did Dutch forget something?

My heart pattering, I spring to the door and throw it open.

But it’s not Dutch on my doorstep.

I see familiar brown eyes, messy brown hair and a face that was once beautiful but is now marked by all the bad choices she’s made.

The blood drains from my face. A resigned sigh builds in my chest.

I step back, letting her in. “Come in, mom.”

CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR

CADENCE

I walk into school on Monday in a daze. Everything is different today. This past weekend, my world completely shifted and then it shattered.

Put one foot in front of the other Cadence. Don’t stop.

Dutch isn’t here, but Sol is.

He stops me in the hallway. “Cadence, can I talk to you later?”

I nod, averting my eyes and wondering if he can see the marks that Dutch left on me. Wondering if he can smell Dutch on me still.

He doesn’t though. He looks troubled. I wonder what he wants to talk about.

When we near the hallway for music class, I see a crowd of students craning their necks, trying to look inside. Two grizzly bouncers are stationed at the doors leading into the room.

My lips tighten when I near the crowd. They’re all whispering, cell phones raised and eyes glinting with hero worship.

Is there a celebrity inside?

I stumble forward and try to look into the class too, but there are too many people in my way.