Page 67 of Exposed

Wait.

Trippy is real.

Dying Trippy is real!

Unbelievable.

“Yeah. Love you too. Bye.”

The moment he tosses his phone into the cup holder, I exclaim, “You’re married? You kissed me and held my hand and spent the night at my house and touched my bottom,and you’re married?”

He frowns at me, but I don’t let him answer.

“You’re a monster. No, you’re worse than a monster. You’re a cheating monster.”

He raises his voice to match mine. “I’m not a cheater.”

“It doesn’t take sex to cheat. And it doesn’t matter that it might’ve been for show. You touched me and you have a wife. I feel horrible.” I look out the window and start talking to myself. “Like this couldn’t get any worse. He cheated, and I’m the other woman. I don’t even know what to do. I hate myself.”

He cuts into my audible thoughts. “Would you stop? Just quit talking. I’m not married, and I’m no cheater—in any way. Good God, Trippy would have my ass if I cheated.”

“Does that mean Trippy is real and dying? I thought that was just a part of your story.”

“Oh, Trippy is real, all right, but she’s not dying. Trippy is living her best life running people over with her new golf cart.”

“That’s insane. Everything you say is insane. I don’t believe aword you say. If you’re a cheater, that makes you a liar. You can drop me off. I won’t be a willing participant to the games you’re playing with women’s emotions.”

“As much as I don’t want to sleep on your lumpy-ass sofa again, if I drop you off and leave, Carter’s guy will be right back at your door, but no one will be there to stop him this time.”

I shake my head and realize we’re changing lanes to exit.

We’re almost to Colony Park.

“You’re not staying,” I utter as tears pool in my eyes. “I’ll call the police if I have to. Just plain old nine-one-one. I’m done with agents and contracts and informing anyone about anything. It’s stressful and turned me into someone I don’t want to be.”

“For fuck’s sake,” King mumbles and picks up his phone again. This time he puts it on speaker.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m making you a better person,” he growls.

The name Lake Scanlan comes across the screen as the phone rings twice. A female voice sounds across the line and proves to have the same phone manners as King. “What now? Are you calling to tell me we won’t see you at all before we go back to Springfield?”

King glances at me with a hiked I-told-you-so brow. “Who are you to me?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” she asks.

“Who are you to me?” King repeats. “The sooner you say it, the sooner you can return to your drama-filled life.”

“You’re the most annoying brother in the world, King. And now you’ve proven you’re going crazy too. What is wrong with you?”

Sister.

Oh my gosh.

“I’m trying to prove to someone I’m single and not a cheater.”

The woman laughs.

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