Page 93 of Bitter Confessions

Ariana clutched her purse with both hands as she shook her head. “No one.”

“Not even Rami?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ariana’s face crumple before she looked away. She stared straight ahead as Ariana struggled to compose herself.

“You haven’t told Colette?” Ariana asked in a husky monotone.

“Not yet.”

“What is Roth going to do?”

“What do you think he should do?” she countered.

“I tried to get help. I was clean for a couple of months, and then Dad died and...”

The anguish in her sister’s voice made Jasmine’s throat thicken.

“I know it’s wrong. I tried to stop, but...”

“You’ve relapsed half a dozen times this year.”

Ariana’s breath gusted out of her in a white cloud. The fact she didn’t try to dispute the claim spoke volumes. Roth’s meticulous investigation, as she’d suspected, was too detailed to give his victims any wiggle room when he decided to show his cards. The fact he gave her this opportunity to deal with her sister before he took control filled her with gratitude. She had one chance to warn her sister she had to change, or else.

“This can’t go on. There’s too much at stake. Not just for you or the company, but for Kye and Bailey as well.”

Ariana blinked rapidly. “I know.”

She examined her sister, trying to decipher what was going on behind that blank mask. “What made you break your streak today? Is it work? With Colette out, is it too much for you to handle?”

Ariana surged up from the bench and pivoted to face her. “I’ve been managing just fine on my own.”

She rose and went toe-to-toe with her sister. “You haven’t been managing. You’ve been coping. The evidence of that is in your purse.”

Ariana jerked as if she’d been struck.

“I haven’t told Colette or Rami, because I hoped you were in recovery. Can you get clean, or should I involve them?”

“No!”

Ariana’s forceful outburst made a bundled-up passerby pause. When Ariana glanced at him, he blinked before giving her an admiring smile. Even distraught, the looks Ariana had inherited from her supermodel mother short-circuited ninety percent of the male population.

“I’ll go back to my therapist,” Ariana got out, the words clearly paining her.

“Maybe you should go to Narcotics Anonymous.”

Ariana went rigid.

“Perhaps you need to be around others who understand?—”

“I can do this on my own.”

“I think Rami has a right to know,” she admitted.

Ariana took a threatening step toward her. Jasmine looked up at her older sister’s beautiful, enraged face and silently dared her to touch her. Roth had given her lots of hands-on practice. Ariana didn’t stand a chance in a physical altercation, despite her height. Let Ariana explain to the family why she had a black eye or a shattered cheekbone. Her sister may be outraged, but she was pissed. Pissed she had to deal with this situation in the first place. Pissed that all of them had something to hide. There were such bigger things at stake, yet her sister thought she could intimidate her when she’d held her own against their father and dealt with the force of nature that was her husband daily.

“Colette deserves to be informed too.” When Ariana opened her mouth to argue, Jasmine added, “And Lyle. They need to prepare for the worst if you can’t get this under control.”

Ariana turned away, but she grabbed her sister’s arm.

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