Page 139 of Ruthless Lullaby

"So, you did," I state. "Do you realize what you’ve done?"

Maurice falls silent and stares at me with shame and guilt etched on his face.

"Look at me," I demand, my pitch rising with each word. "Tell me the truth. Did you divulge every detail to my sister? The launch, the location, the timing, everything?"

He squirms uncomfortably, unable to meet my burning gaze. "Yeah, I mentioned a few things," he confesses weakly. "So what?"

My heart sinks as I realize the gravity of his irresponsibility. This can't be happening.

“Maurice, can you not think straight?” My voice rises to a crescendo as I stare at him with fiery rage burning in my eyes. “Alexis works for StarDust! She gets paid to expose people’s deepest and darkest secrets! The more scandalous it is, the more money she makes. And now she’s here, interviewing Maron about things she’s not supposed to know about!” My frustration and anger boil over, and I’m fuming. I can’t believe the level of his stupidity.

But Maurice doesn’t seem to get it. He dismissively waves his hand, his eyes glazed over from the booze he’s been drinking. “Don’t be so fucking dramatic, Mindy,” he mutters, his words slurring together.

Dramatic?

I can’t believe this is happening. What am I supposed to do? Shall I find Maron and tell him? How am I supposed to get hold of him when he’s surrounded by an ocean of paparazzi and reporters?

"Mindy, please," Maurice whines, his words coming out as a drunken mess. "I miss you so much. We were a good team together, remember? I know I screwed up, but I've changed. I swear." I open my mouth to try to interject, but I decide to stop myself. My mind is no longer focused on his stupid plea. All I’m thinking about is how to fix the mess he and my sister have created.

"Maron is poison, Mindy," Maurice goes on. "Don’t you see that? He will destroy you. He's a ticking time bomb, involved in dangerous schemes and working with very bad people... you have no idea."

"Maurice, shut your mouth!" My blood boils with rage. "You're wasted and spewing out nonsense."

"It’s not nonsense!" he argues, his voice growing louder. "I hate to say this, Mindy, but my brother is a criminal and a monster. I may look like a loser, but I'm the one trying to do the right thing here."

"Yeah right," I retort sarcastically, "It’s always the good guy who gets drunk and harasses his ex-girlfriend."

"I'm not harassing you," he slurs, trying to grab my hand again. "I'm trying to save you. Can't you see that? Maron is going to ruin your life, Mindy. But I can take care of you. We can start over, just you and me."

I give him a look of disgust. "Come on, Maurice."

"Don’t, ‘come on Maurice’ me!” He scoffs. "Don’t you see that I’m trying to help? You should be grateful you lost his baby. This is your second chance to cut ties with Maron for good. You still have a chance to come back to me."

My mouth drops open as I gape at him. So, he knows about my miscarriage too. Why am I not surprised? Of course, my sister told him. Why wouldn’t she? She didn’t even come to visit me at the hospital, but she still made sure to spill my secrets.

I really want to throw up. Anger boils inside of me, fueled by the hurt coming from someone who is supposed to be family. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Maurice." I stand up abruptly, ready to storm out of here and leave Maurice's toxic presence behind. I should be on my way to find Maron and talk to him instead of listening to Maurice’s bullshit.

"Mindy," Maurice says, his voice cracking. "I swear to God, if I can't have you back, I'll fucking kill myself."

I feel my blood run cold as I stop in my tracks. "That’s not fair, Maurice. You can’t threaten me like that."

He looks at me, his eyes wild and desperate. "You don't believe me? You think I'm bluffing?"

"No, I don't believe you," I say, my voice shaking from distress. "Sober up, get your head straight, and stop emotionally blackmailing me!"

He lets out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Oh, I'm gonna sober up alright. But I'm not doing it without you."

With a shaky hand, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a blister of Tramoxine. My heart seizes in my chest.

"I'll take this right now," he slurs, his eyes glazed and desperate. "The entire fucking thing."

No!

He wouldn’t!

I stare at him in horror. "Are you out of your mind? It's lethal with alcohol, Maurice! You of all people should know that!" I reach for the blister in his hand. "Give me the damn thing!"

He swats my hand away. "No!" he’s shouting now, his fingers fumbling with the lid. "I don't fucking care anymore, Mindy. I can’t go on like this, knowing you're with Maron."

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