Page 65 of Cruel Riches

Before they could say anything else, I dashed away from them and out of the library.

My whole body thrummed with fear as I ran across campus. Every space felt haunted. Every shadow filled with menace. Every sound startled me, even the leaves rustling in the trees.

I finally made it back to my dorm and slammed the door behind me, hot tears stinging my eyes.

“I know what I saw,” I muttered to myself as I collapsed onto my bed. “They’re just messing with me.”

As I lay there breathing deeply, my pulse slowed, and regret began to needle at my guts. Now that I was thinking about it with a slightly calmer mind, I was beginning to realize that my version of events sounded totally absurd.

Even if Nate had paid Laurel and Ruby to set up the terrifying library prank—if you could really call it a prank—there was no way he could’ve paid the librarian to be in on it. He had no idea that she would come over and reprimand us when I started screaming, because any of the library staff could’ve been in that area at the time. He had no way of knowing it would be her.

I definitely saw something in the stacks, though. That meant one of two things had to be true. I was either losing my mind or hallucinating. But why would that be happening?

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up and looked over at the giant box of chocolates on my bedside table.

No way….

I grabbed my phone and called my mom. She answered on the second ring. “Lexie, I was just about to call you. I saw the news. I really think you should come home,” she said, voice laced with concern.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t sound okay. You sound scared.”

“Really, I’m fine. There’s police and security guards everywhere,” I said. “I was just calling to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Did you send me a gift at the start of the semester? Like a congratulatory thing?”

She went silent for a moment. Then she let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, honey. I should’ve sent something,” she said. “I’m so proud of you for getting into such a good school. But I’ve been so busy with everything here, and I—”

I cut her off. “Mom, I’m not trying to guilt-trip you. Someone sent me flowers and chocolates a while ago, and I wondered if it was you. That’s all.”

“Oh. No, it wasn’t me. Maybe it was your sister. Or maybe you have a secret admirer.”

Or a psychopathic stalker,I silently added. “Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I have to go.”

“Okay. Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“I will. Love you.”

As soon as I ended the call, I grabbed the box of chocolates and tipped them all into the trashcan near my desk. I was almost certain that the flavored filling in each chocolate had been laced with some sort of hallucinogen.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My nightmares had become increasingly vivid lately, to the point where they felt like they were really happening to me, and the only thing I’d changed recently was my bedtime habit—every night, I had some chocolate and watched Netflix before I went to sleep.

Nate was responsible for drugging the chocolates, of course. Who else would do something so cruel and phenomenally fucked up?

I had no idea how he managed to fake my mother’s handwriting for the note he left on the box, but it was good enough to fool me. He was even clever enough to add in the postscript note telling me not to thank her for the gift in case it embarrassed her. That stopped me from calling and finding out that she hadn’t sent it in the first place.

Until now.

I set my mouth in a grim line, trying to figure out my next move. I already knew that Nate wanted me to leave the island, and now it seemed clear that he was trying to make me think I was losing my mind so that I’d be driven away in fear and confusion.

I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t report him to anyone in order to stop his campaign of terror against me. It was the same old story—if I actively went against him, he’d reveal my secret to the world.

“Fucking asshole,” I muttered, squeezing my hands into fists.

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