Page 81 of The Secrets of a Sin

Verity?

Why the hell would he be by Verity’s room?

I wanted to cry. I wanted to punch something and scream at the possibility of him and Verity together, but another part of me told me it was nothing. There was no possible way he would be with her and do that to me.

“Are you okay?” I ask on a swallow that burns my throat. She smiles at me then grabs my hand softly, intertwining our fingers together.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just don’t like him.” She admits, and all I can do is nod because what else can I do?

I couldn’t let her know about Arsen and me. I couldn’t let anyone know about us, but the stabbing feeling in my heart made me want to peel over and cry. I needed a way to talk to him now, to ease my mind, and for him to tell me I was the one he wanted. I needed his possessiveness.

“I have an idea.” She rubs her soft digit over the top of my hand. “How about we go out? We can have a girl’s night and have some fun.”

That sounded like an awful idea and something that I had no intention of doing. Being out alone with Annalise sounded like trouble. Dangerous trouble that I didn’t need to get in.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I shake my head. “I’m not really in the mood to go out, anyway.” I try to remove my hand from her grip, but she only tightens it.

“Come on.” She pleads. “It’ll be so much fun. Plus, I want to make up for being awful to you.”

Her eyes shone with a hopeful glimmer, but I wasn't falling for her tricks again. Like I mentioned once, she’s always used to getting what she wants.

She continues to stare intensely through me, but the ringing of a phone interrupts us. She moves her focus to her back pocket and pulls out her phone before answering it.

“Hello?” She asks.

Her eyebrows dip in confusion, and she stands up.

“Hold on, Verity. I can barely hear you. Where are you?”

She pauses, listening to Verity on the other end.

“You're at Club69? With who?”

Her eyes then fill with flames.

“Priscilla’s there? She never told me she was going out?”

Finally, her mouth forms into a straight line.

“Arsen? As in Arsen Hale is there?”

What the hell?

Everything inside my body shuts down, and the only thing left is pure wrath. Why was he in a fucking club? Was he there with Verity?

My eyes burn with the need to cry, but I need to hold it together. I couldn’t let her see that I was crying because of him, even though my heart felt as though it was being ripped out of my chest and repeatedly stepped on.

“Verity, you’re breaking up. I can barely hear you anymore.” Annalise tries moving around the room to get a good signal, but as she removes the phone from her ear, she curses.

“Well, I should probably go and check on them and make sure they’re not doing anything stupid.” She growls out, irritated, as I slowly rise to my feet.

“I think I changed my mind. I want to go with you.”

* * *

I was dressed like a slut. A short black dress that barely covered my ass and clung to my body like a second skin. Since being at St. Catherine's, my wardrobe consisted of uniforms and comfy clothing, and I happened to like the simplicity of it. But as I walked along the concrete sidewalk leading to the crowded club, I felt like an entirely different girl. Not exactly like the old Charlotte, but someone new.

Someone I wasn’t quite sure I liked yet.

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