Page 33

Chapter 33

Scarlett

“For the last time, Mom. I’m not taking the money,” I mutter into the pillow.

From her scoff above my head, it’s clear she heard me.

“Honey, that woman was right about one thing; this is the most we’ve ever seen in our lives. Think about what this could do. We could finally get a nicer place, which is exactly what you’ve been working so hard to achieve.”

“On my own merit,” I reply fiercely, propping myself up and glaring at her. “I’d rather work my ass off than use that blood money.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” Mom chides me.

I shake my head, dropping back on the bed and staring at the posters on the wall. That money might not be compensation for a literal body, but it still feels like I’m being paid off for something that died.

My heart.

“Whether or not you spend this money, it doesn’t change the fact that this guy has been playing you all along. At least, you have something for your trouble.”

“You sound just like her,” I mumble.

“I seriously wanted to punch her lights out, but that part made perfect sense. Let Aiden go, cash the check and move on. The right guy will come along when you’re ready and guess what? You’ll look back on tonight like the bad dream it really is.”

I keep staring at the wall, not answering. She finally blows out a frustrated sigh. “I hope your dad will talk some sense into you when he gets here,” she says.

My head finally turns when she closes the door on her exit. I rise from the bed, still numb to the core after that revelation earlier. It’s hard to believe the same guy who asked me to trust him would hurt me like this.

As I take my T-shirt off, I spot the check on the dresser. I pause, the shirt still dangling in my hand. Mom is right; that money could change our lives. A lovely house in a nice neighborhood, clothes of my own that actually fit, a second-hand car and I’d be set until I’m done with medical school, earning my own money.

It’s quite tempting.

Yet, something feels off.

Since day one, I proved that Mrs. Hunter hates my guts. I’m not good enough for her son. She even called me a tramp. Why would she go to such lengths to offer me so much money? Wouldn’t she simply be satisfied with knowing her son is two-timing me?

No, this doesn’t add up—

Mom’s sudden exclamation brings the disturbing thoughts to a pause and my heart flies in my throat. I grab the closest weapon—my laptop and dash toward the door, just as it flies open.

Aiden.

“That’s it. I’m calling the cops,” Mom threatens as he stands in the doorway, his furious expression fading into a loaded stare. She pushes past him. “I told you, she doesn’t want to see—for heaven’s sake, Scarlett, put some clothes on!”

I gasp, lifting the T-shirt from the floor to cover myself. Aiden keeps staring, his expression getting furious again. “Mrs. Pierce, with all due respect, I’d like to speak to Scarlett alone, please.”

“Oh, hell no. I’m not leaving you alone with her, you two-timing—”

“Mom, it’s okay,” I assure her. She scowls, her mouth twisting, no doubt holding back a few choice words. With a huff, she pushes past him again.

“Please turn around,” I say to Aiden. “I was in the middle of changing when you barged in.”

Aiden scoffs. “As if I haven’t seen everything.” Still, he turns, his focus locked on the door.

Lifting my night dress from where it’s resting on the bed, I drag it on. “All clear,” I mutter.

He faces me again, more furious than before, which triggers my own anger. “Why the hell are you looking at me like that, huh? You’re the one who hasn’t answered my calls all day. Which is no surprise, considering you’re back with your ex.”

A slight tilt of his brows is the only sign he just heard what I said. He keeps staring at me silently, which pisses me off even more.

“Why would you do that to me, Aiden? Knowing you were still with Casey, why didn’t you leave me alone—?”

Aiden steps toward me so suddenly and fast, the remaining words fly down my throat. “You enjoy playing the victim, don’t you?”

My head jerks back. Of all the responses, I didn’t imagine that one . “Victim? What are you talking about?”

He pulls out his phone and swipes across the screen, then turns the device toward me. “Tell me this isn’t you.”

I peer closely at the screen and my heart sinks. For months, I’d hoped—no, prayed—that those security cameras weren’t working, or that no one would be wise enough to request them. One glance, and I’d be in trouble. I know how this looks.

“It is me,” I mutter. “But it’s not what you think.”

“You don’t know what the fuck I think, Scarlett,” he growls. “How about you start by explaining why you were there that night.”

“Tabitha asked me to meet her there,” I reply. “We were pulling an all-nighter at her place and she was coming to pick me up.”

“Why there?” he presses. “Why not at the front of the campus?”

“I don’t fucking know!” I yell. I point at his phone. “That was me trying to call her. She was already ten minutes late.”

“Oh, very convenient,” he snaps, shoving the phone in his pocket. “I suppose she will corroborate your story if I call her, right? What was your endgame? Who are you trying to destroy?”

“You sound stupid, Aiden, trust me,” I snap, beyond furious. He won’t even consider what I just said.

“Is it me?” He steps even closer, forcing me to tilt my head back. “Were you trying to get back at me for that stupid little incident?”

Rage surges through my veins. “That ‘stupid little incident’ made me miss a week of school out of sheer humiliation,” I snap. “Don’t you dare downplay what you did to me—”

“Ah ha.” A triumphant gleam fills his eyes. “So, that’s it. You wanted revenge. Well, sweetheart, you fucking got it and so much more.” He spreads his arms. “So did I. The sex was awesome, truly.”

“Fuck you!” I push at his chest and he backs off, chuckling dryly.

“We already established that—” The smirk immediately vanishes as he stares at the dresser. In what looks like slow motion, he reaches for the check.

“Wow.” A watery gleam fills his eyes, which leaves a knot in my stomach as he turns his attention to me. “I called her a liar but fuck, she was telling the truth. I bet you’re waiting on pins and needles for the bank to open in the morning, huh?”

“I wasn’t planning on cashing it—”

“Bull-fucking-shit,” he snaps. “Why the fuck is it on your dresser and not in her purse?”

“Wait a minute.” I shake my head to clear it. “You’re quite upset for someone who’s not only back with their ex, but planning a fucking proposal. Yeah, your mom was kind enough to supply that information. She also showed me the photo you took at Casey’s party tonight. All this time I’d been worried, you were just fine.”

Aiden steps come back at me. “Whatever you saw in that photo—”

“I don’t fucking care!” I bark. “I’m a revengeful bitch and you’re a two-timing asshole. There. It’s settled.” I push past him. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”

He hesitates, as if about to say something.

“Get out!” I yell.

“The bank opens at eight-thirty, just in case you want to be first in line,” he mumbles on the way out.

I slam the door behind him, then let loose a blood-curdling scream. Spotting the check on the dresser, I grab it, then rip it into pieces. Mom comes in, gasping when she sees the remnants on the floor.

“We’re going to make it, Mom,” I announce, my chest heaving with harsh pants. “Someday, we’re getting out of here, not influenced by people with hidden agendas who look down on us, but by my hard work. I know, it’s heartbreaking to let all this money go, but—”

Mom pulls me into a crushing hug, sighing deeply. “I’m sorry for that moment of weakness, honey. It’s just hard living like this from day to day, that for a minute, all I could think of was the chance to escape this life. We’ve survived this for many years and I’m sure we can handle a few more.”

I hug her back tightly. “There’s nothing wrong with being weak sometimes.” For a moment, I was also tempted to take the money. Aiden’s disgusting behavior made me even more grateful that I didn’t surrender to that urge.

Something heavy and painful shifts inside me as I thaw out. I can’t believe I fell for him. I gave myself to someone who thought nothing of hurting me, of belittling me. Why did I assume he was a good guy, what, because he bought me a new bike? Protected me from his friends? Ensured that I finished before taking care of himself?

As Mom walks out of the room and I drop back on the bed, it hits me. Every good thing Aiden has done was to cancel his terrible actions. He made them slash my old bike. He made me a target by accusing me of something I didn’t do.

He’s not my hero. Aiden is a villain through and through.

The first sob breaks free, then another, until I’m curled into a ball, crying until my face hurts, then my thoughts turn to the phone call that implicated me.

To the person on the other end of that phone call.

Which means...

The other villain is Tabitha James.