Page 94 of The Wrong Side Of Us

I made my choice and waited. I heard a sigh, whether of relief or not I couldn’t tell until I heard her voice.

“Hey, little sis…I think it’s time we have a talk.”

Chapter 36

Evelyn

I’d gone mute.

Sure, I’d seen Hannah at my mother’s funeral, but to hear her voice, to have this one on one conversation through the phone, was too much. Every emotion possible I felt. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This is what insanity feels like.

To talk the person that had caused so much harm was difficult. I didn’t hate her; I didn’t think I ever could. I forgave her even though she would never ask for forgiveness, but that didn’t mean that the damage wasn’t there.

“Evie, did you disconnect?”

It pierced. It was like she’d stabbed a knife in my chest and then twisted.

It hurt.

“No,” I said, doing my best attempt to hide the vulnerability in my voice. “I’m still here.”

I’m still here.

Those words held a deeper meaning than I was willing to admit. I was still there. As terrified as I was of her hurting me, I knew that if she ever came around, I’d be there.

Did that make me stupid?

Her voice interrupted the thoughts running through my head. “How are you? Are you doing okay?”

She’s never asked that before.

“I’m fine, yeah,” I lied. “You?”

She laughed softly. “It’s boring, really. Nothing to do here.”

We both paused. I didn’t trust myself to say anything else. Hannah, on the other hand, laughed once again.

Was she nervous?

“I, uh, I need you to come visit. There are a lot of things we need to discuss.”

I shook my head, knowing that she couldn’t see me. It was one thing to hear her voice through the phone. I couldn’t do it in person. I wasn’t prepared.

“I know it’s probably the last thing you want to do,” Hannah said, and I could have sworn she sounded sympathetic. “But there are things I need to tell you.”

“About?”

She hesitated. Was she thinking of a lie? Or would she opt for telling me the truth?

“It’s about Derek Hensley.”

My eyes widened, and I took a seat on one of the chairs on the balcony. I felt like she’d directed a punch to my stomach. Was she the one who had asked him to hurt me? I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes as the words sunk in. There would be no other way for her to know that Derek was around, unless she was spying on me.

“Evie?”

“Still here,” I choked out. “What about him?”

---