Page 83 of Malicious Marriage

Dean clears his throat tightly and it takes him a second to speak. “We set up alerts on all known bank accounts that Hailey might have had access to. I was working on the assumption that if she had been taken a few months ago, then it had to be money-related, and there were a few quiet accounts in her name that hadn’t been touched since her father died. An old checking account was flagged so we came to investigate.”

“Shit.” Hailey sighs. “I knew that was a bad idea.”

“No.” Duke is suddenly by her side and pulling her close while sliding one hand over her abdomen. “We knew it was a risk.”

“I didn’t think anyone would care after four years.”

“Why not?” Dean asks.

Hailey shrugs. “Malcom was never after the family assets for money. He has plenty of his own. He just wanted the businesses. Dad always bailed him out of everything so Malcom didn’t need me to access the main accounts. So I thought no one would care about the small accounts he set up in our name. We need the money, you see.” Hailey’s hand moves over Duke’s. “I’m pregnant. Twins. I just wanted to see if I could access what was left in there and then use that to siphon what we needed from the main accounts.”

“There’s barely anything in the checking account, though,” Dean says with a strained voice. “Not enough for life with twins.”

“True, but the Byrne millions wouldn’t notice a couple of million slipping away.”

“Millions?”

My heart sinks as Dean speaks.

“But the Byrne fortune is gone.” Dean’s eyes meet mine. “Right?”

Hailey scoffs. “Oh, my God. She really fucking played you, didn’t see? My father comes from oil, okay? The Byrnes are rich. Like mega old-money rich. We’ve just always been quiet about it, and a lot of it is locked up in property and business, but there is no way Malcom could blow through all of that cash.”

There’s a haunting betrayal in Dean’s eyes that’s smothering me the longer we look at one another, and I can’t breathe. He’s looking at me the same way I saw him look at his phone when talking about Trisha.

“Is that true?” Dean asks tightly.

“Dean, I?—”

“Is ittrue?”

“I…” I have no words. I’m still reeling from Hailey’s revelation and nothing else makes sense. My lies are crumbling, my life is falling apart around me, and now Dean is looking at me the exact way I feared, and the exact way I desperately wanted to avoid.

“Speaking of,” Hailey says. “Now that you’re here, I don’t suppose you can actually help with that, can you, Clover? Raising kids is expensive and I want my babies to have the best life.”

I can’t think. I can’t breathe. Everyone’s judgmental looks of hatred are so overwhelming that it feels like the walls are closing in around me, and I’m seconds away from being crushed.

I have no other choice.

So, I run.

36

DEAN

Ishould go after Clover as she sprints from the room, but for some reason, I don’t move. It’s like I’m rooted to the spot, unable to lift either of my legs while my mind spins out of control.

Upon arriving here, I told myself I was prepared for anything. If we were to face European sex traffickers, then I brought enough security to keep Clover safe. If we were dealing with something even more sinister like organ harvesting, then I would deal with it appropriately. I was even prepared for Hailey to be fine, assuming she had simply lost track of time in Europe or had run out of money due to the family’s financial situation.

But not this. Nothing like this.

Hailey is alive and fine because she ran away. The family isn’t in financial ruin. And Clover lied to me. About a lot of things.

I don’t know how to feel. An array of emotions clashes together in my chest, but none of them dominate. Every time I get angry, it’s replaced by upset or annoyance and shock. They constantly rotate and I can’t settle on one or the other.

Why? Why would Clover lie? It’s not even a small lie. Fudging a few months to hide fouryearsis one hell of a leap, but what did she have to gain? What was her endgame here?

Confusion finally gives way to action and I bolt from the bar, only to find a completely deserted street outside with Jack looking all kinds of alarmed.