Page 104 of Heartless Sinner

"I'm sure if I dug deep enough, I'd find out how much. Maybe from your bank statements."

"Stop it."

"Stop what? Are you begging me not to look." She gives me a vicious smile that makes her cold eyes look more evil. "You know what? I don't think I need to do anything more. The truth is written all over you. You're a gold-digging nobody from a small town with nothing. You're only here because of Micah Delarosa. You got that part in yourmovie dealbecause of him. This"—she points to the screen—"is the real you. You don't belong here. What you need to do is go back to where you came from." Each word is a nail in my coffin of humiliation.

"That is enough." Genevieve is right beside me, but I feel like I'm slipping away into a black hole, the edges of my vision growing dark.

"Oh, please, Genevieve. Since when did the Delarosa family start bringing trash into their home? Normally, people take it out."

The moment Eloise spits out that last word, Genevieve lands a slap across her face so hard it leaves a mark, the crack echoing through the stunned silence.

Eloise is so shocked she touches her cheek and winces, her fingers coming away with blood. Her perfect makeup is smeared, revealing the ugliness beneath.

"My mother didn't love me," whispers the battered version of me on the screen. The words float through the air like ghosts. Dr. Polinsky is now beside me, trying to comfort me. "She left me when I was nine. That means she didn't love me, right?"

My voice trails off. How fitting, because I have no voice now, either. The silence in the room is deafening, pressing against my eardrums like a physical force.

I always knew the answer to that question. No, my mother didn't love me, and now everyone in my newfound life knows it, too. The knowledge sits like ice in my stomach.

I'm so embarrassed I can barely breathe. The air feels too thick, too heavy. Seeing myself so broken breaks me all over again and I realize I can't fight. I don't want to. I shouldn't have to.

My legs tremble beneath me, threatening to give way.

Tears blind me before I even turn to flee. When I do, I rush off the stage, but only to crash into a pair of strong arms that hold me in place. The impact stuns me, but the familiar scent of sandalwood and safety grounds me, anchoring my heart.

Through my tears, I look up to see Micah.

He releases my arm to touch my cheek, drying my tears with a gentleness that makes my heart stutter. The calluses on his fingertips catch slightly against my skin, grounding me in the present. Then he looks away from me and stares up at Eloise, anger replacing the tenderness. The change in his expression is like watching storm clouds roll in over a peaceful sea.

Someone steps up beside us. It's Giovanni, Micah's father. Brahm is here, too, and Lorenzo, Micah's other cousin.

They all saw the video. The knowledge settles like frost in my veins, but when I realize they look just as disgusted at Eloise as Genevieve, their collective presence feels like a wall of protection around me, the air charging with their quiet fury.

Micah takes my hand and I’m surprised when he walks me right back onto the stage, where Eloise still stands, gaping.

Her eyes are round with terror, amplified by the bruise on her cheek from Genevieve’s slap. “Micah?—”

“Apologize tomy wifenow.” His voice holds a dark tone I’ve never heard before.

“But, Micah?—”

“Apologize to my wife right the fucknow.” His voice is so loud it carries across the room like thunder.

I look from Eloise to Micah, taking in both their reactions. She looks smaller and not nearly as powerful as she did before Micah arrived.

Micah looks like a heartless man who has no regard for bullshit. Eloise can see it, too. That’s why she looks at me, her lips parting to apologize.

“I’m sorry.” The apology is as fake as her.

“Say it louder soeveryonecan hear. And say her name. It’s Scarlett.”

Eloise tenses at the order, but she knows she can’t fuck with Micah, so she doesn’t try. “I’m sorry, Scarlett.”

“Now you listen to me. From this day onward, you are not welcomed anywhere near me or my family. So, don’t you ever come near my wife again or try shit like this.”

Eloise trembles. “How can you pick her?”

“I love her. It was easy.”

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