Page 91 of Malicious Marriage

Trisha looks like the cat that got the cream, with a proud, arrogant gleam in her eye. And she is right, but not about what she thinks.

Herproofthat Clover was tricking me and lying to me brings me an unexpected revelation about Clover’s motivations. If she was disowned by her family then she definitely isn’t a plant working for Malcom. Which means when we met, she was penniless and she lied about more than just her sister.

I crumble the paper in my hand and turn away from Trisha. “The doorman will see you out.”

“What?” Her shriek is painful to my ears. “You’re not going to say anything? Not a thank you, nothing?”

“Get out, Trisha. I never want to see you again.”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“No,” I say as I open the door. “You’re trying to help yourself. Go home to your baby, Trisha. Focus on being a good mother instead of this poisonous fucking snake. Goodbye.”

As I leave, she tries to rush after me but she’s quickly intercepted by a couple of my guards, and I walk until I can no longer hear her indignant, furious yells.

“Shit.” Jack grimaces as he meets me at the end of the hallway. “She’s still got some lungs on her.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Anything useful?”

I nod, then shake my head. “I need to speak to Clover. Can you put a tail on her? I don’t want to interrupt her time with Bobby. That’s got to be hard on her.”

“Sure thing.”

“Good. Let me know when she’s home.”

“Absolutely.”

I walk away from Jack and head toward the bar, aching for a drink. As soon as she’s free, I’m going to make Clover tell me everything.

No more lies.

39

CLOVER

After spending a day in the hospital with Bobby, I sit alone in the smothering silence of my kitchen with absolutely no thoughts. I’m too drained to think, too tied to move, and too heartbroken to care.

My sister.

My beloved sister.

I spent years dreaming of what our reunion would look like. I played out fantasies of rescuing her from pirates or saving her from traffickers. I would kick down doors and kill everyone to save her and we’d run away through the cityMissionImpossiblestyle. She was always so grateful to see me, so excited to be rescued and thankful that I never gave up looking for her.

Never once did I imagine that she would hate me for finding her.

Closing my eyes, all I see in my mind is the anger on her face as I replay the moment she walked through that door. All my immediate relief at her being alive and well immediately shriveled up into pain as she basically accused me of not only being the worst kind of sister, but of doing the wrong thing by coming to find her.

The only answer she gave me that made any sort of sense was when I asked her why she contacted her old school friend about her teacher. Turns out his name was the answer to one of her account security questions and she’d forgotten how to spell it. Nothing more. Nothing sinister like I’d feared.

Hailey left all the sinister shit behind with me and ran off to her new life in Greece with a man who loves her.

Opening my eyes, I catch my reflection in the microwave’s glass door. My hair is a fluffy mess, my eyes are red and raw from crying, and my skin is pale. I need to shower. Take off two-day-old makeup. Maybe get some food.

But I don’t move.

Frankie asked me if it was worth it when I called to give him the terrible news about Bobby. He apologized for it once we met at the hospital but his question lingers in my mind.