Page 25 of Perdition
Groaning again, she pushed herself up on her elbow, reached for the phone, and snapped her eyes shut at the name flashing on the screen. When the phone buzzed again, she opened her eyes, squinting against the flood of daylight through the guest bedroom window.
Apparently, Sorsha had been calling all morning—and she wasn’t the only one.
There were calls from Warwick too, and, of course, from Frost.
She had a text from Nadia, two from Cilla, and a weird meme from Val—a cat flipping her the bird with the words, “Fuck mornings” blinking in glitter font over its head.
She snickered at that because—fuck that morning.
When the phone buzzed again, flashing Sorsha’s name, she heaved a sigh, closed her eyes, and answered.
“Hey baby,” she croaked.
“Mom! I’m like ten minutes out from the house—War called me,” Sorsha exclaimed, which meant both of her kids somehow knew what was going on.
Not a surprise; they were smart and perceptive as hell—they got that from her, of course. That and Mads had nearly got the cops called on him after his many attempts to get into the house using the incorrect key code.
Sorry not sorry!
Emily rolled over onto her back and let out a breath.
“I’m at your aunt’s house,” Emily replied.
Sorsha hummed, then remarked, “That means you’re both hungover.”
Lord, that girl knew too much about her mom and aunt’s shenanigans.
“I’ll stop by No.27 on my way,” Sorsha said, immediately making Em’s stomach grumble. The mom-and-pop café, No.27 Cafe, was a local coffee house and lunch spot in Clarks Summit that offered the best in homemade foods, including all their breads and bagels. Honestly, Em would live there if the owners would let her—their food was that freaking good! “Breakfast sandwiches on sourdough, and café mochas?”
God, that sounded amazing. Cheri would agree…after she got over her pounding headache.
“Yeah, baby, that would be wonderful.”
From the college to Cheri’s house, the café was out of the way, but Em, Cheri, and Sorsha would all agree it was worth theinconvenience. Also, giving back to a local small business always felt good, especially since Em, as a small business owner herself, knew just how special the community was. Did it matter that the café was connected to a rather popular flower shop owned by the same family? No. Competition was healthy, so Em didn’t mind giving them their due. Also, Central Park Flowers helped her out a few times when she was low on certain blooms for wedding bouquet arrangements.
“Okay,” Sorcha chirped, but then added, “And don’t think we aren’t going to talk about what War told me, Mom.”
Before Emily could even muster a reply, her daughter ended the call.
Em huffed, rolling her eyes. Damn, her sassy little girl had grown into a mouthy yet kind and determined woman. Just like her momma used to be.
When did that change?
When did she become the woman who quietly took life’s bullshit to the chest and then just kept walking like she hadn’t just been damaged? When did she become the woman who stood in the corner, silently watching her husband fawn over and lean in close with another woman? When had she become that woman who ignored the signs because it was easier than believing what she could see with her own eyes and hear with her own ears?
What she’d been seeing was her husband, up close and personal, during club activities with that club whore, Sarah. What she’d seen was the man she married—a man of integrity and honor—morph into a man who’d order one of his own best friends to seduce a woman for money her brother owed to the club. What she’d seen was an empty bed, an empty home, an empty call and text log, and a buttload of empty promises.
And what she’d heard….
Her heart shuddered.
Her husband, her one and only, feltstuckwith her. Apparently, their life-long love story was too tame, too stale, too boring for an MC president who had all the wild, fresh, and exciting he could ever want right in front of him.
Out with the old and in with the new…woman.
Pressing her eyes shut against the burning rush a tears, she threw back the covers and slid off the bed. Opening her eyes once more, she tried to ignore the pounding in her brain and the shredding in her chest from her thoughts, and headed to the bathroom to shower.
She kept several changes of clothes in Cheri’s guest room, so once her shower was done, and she felt less like death warmed over, she pulled on black sweatpants, a Stray Kids t-shirt she’d stolen from Sorcha—because she just couldn’t get over how sexy that Felix was—and dragged herself out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen.