Page 82 of What the Wife Knew

“Because I’m the one who earned it all.”

My effort. My money. My dead parents.

“Don’t do that.” Her voice was softer now. Sweeter, as if she sensed she’d gone too far. “We’re a team. We were supposed to continue being a team. You promised we’d separate long enough for you to remove Addison from our lives forever then we’d return to normal. You’d take the public hit for cheating on me, and I’d be graceful and take you back.”

“That is still the plan.” Not really.

“But Addison outmaneuvered you. Your guilt made you sloppy.”

Every nerve jumped to attention, ready to strike. “Be careful about the words you throw around, honey.”

I stood up as a signal the conversation was over. My work was done. I’d set the groundwork. Painted Addison as volatile and dangerous just as I’d done all over town. When the time came, people who barely knew her would line up to talk about her violent side. The rumors about how I’d married an unstable woman who lied about being pregnant would build. Whispers about how when I found out she tricked me and confronted her my mysterious “accidents” started.

That’s when the power balance would shift in my favor. She’d need my help to avoid the police and the angry mobs. She’d panic. Her type always did when the money stream dried up. She’d hand over her supposed evidence to secure her freedom. I’d let her think she escaped the worst of my retribution. Then I’d get rid of her because I was not going through this bullshit again.

I had no choice but to kill her.

“Consider what we have as a death pact.” I chose words calculated to produce the reaction I wanted.

Kathryn actually backed up. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

That was more like it. Her being afraid of me was new but not a bad thing. A little fear would keep her in line. “If I go down, you go down. We’re in this together.”

Some of the tightness eased from around Kathryn’s mouth. “What if you can’t beat Addison?”

Not an option. “I’ve never lost before. I won’t lose this time.”

Chapter Fifty-Three

Her

Present Day

The only good thing about Richmond being exposed for some of his gigantic faults was my newfound ability to go out for coffee. I had a clear lane, one that would likely close, but not before I got out for some air. The whole excursion took twenty minutes. I enjoyed every minute of it until I turned back onto my street.

Portia. Standing at the gate to the house. She wore another all-black outfit and pulled it off. The kid had style. But instead of her usual cool teenage detachment, she flitted around and repeatedly pressed the buzzer for the house intercom. She’d turned into a fiery ball of tension.

I pulled into the driveway and lowered the window on her side of the car. “What are you doing?”

She rushed over. “Is my mom with you?”

“The answer to that question will always be no.” Kathryn. Always Kathryn. At the end of every problem, there she was.

Portia bit her bottom lip. “This is bad.”

She had perfected the art of ignoring everything and everyone. Not today. Panic ran through every jerky movement and harsh breath. I could see her hands shaking.

“Hey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Mom saw the news and lost it. The thing with Dad’s business partner. All the surgery stuff.” Portia’s gaze bounced around the yard and to the road. She was wound up and looked ready to pop. “Her cell kept ringing and she got more and more upset. Then she grabbed her keys and stormed out.”

The more out of control Portia got, the calmer I became. One of us needed to stay in control. It sounded like Kathryn’s tantrum meant she needed a few minutes alone to cool off. That seemed like a mom thing to do and not an emergency.

“Why do you think your mother came here?” I was the last person Kathryn would run to. She had friends. Charity people. Someone who wasn’t me.

“She blames you for stuff.”

Hard to argue with that.

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