Page 71 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"What do you want, Allison? Is it Andrew? Do you want him back? Is that what this is about?"

There was silence for a minute. "I want him to pay for what he did, and he will. You might, too, Lauren, if you don't stay out of this."

"Stay out of what?" I asked, but there was no answer as the call abruptly ended.

My heart was racing as I set down the phone. Allison had sounded very angry. Andrew must have talked to her. He must have told her to go. But now she was even more pissed. More determined to stay and make Andrew pay for something. I'd never met someone so vengeful before, and it was terrifying because I was more convinced than ever that she was the one who had shoved me off the yacht.

ChapterSeventeen

I woke up Tuesday morning with a headache and a sore hip. I hadn't slept well after Allison's disturbing phone call. I'd wanted to talk to Andrew about it, but it was almost midnight before he returned, and by then I thought it was better to just let it all be until the morning.

But that conversation would still have to wait because Andrew was gone, leaving a note on the table next to me saying he was going for a run with Colin, and he'd be back by ten thirty for our eleven o'clock spa appointment.

I was dreading another day of smiling and pretending everything was romantic and wonderful, when it was anything but. It would take all my acting skills to fake our newly wedded bliss. I was going to have to tap into how I used to feel about Andrew, before I started to doubt everything he said, everything he did.

After showering and throwing on a sleeveless dress that Megan had approved for this particular photo shoot, I went into the living room, wondering if Andrew might have left his computer open or some other clue lying about, but there was nothing.

A knock came at the door, and I was happy to see Ethan through the peephole. I needed to talk to him about Allison.

I opened the door. "Good morning."

"It's not good," he said grimly. "Is Andrew here?"

"No. He went for a run with Colin. What's wrong?"

Ethan stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "When did Andrew leave?"

"I'm not sure. He was gone when I woke up around nine. He said he'd be back by ten thirty for our spa appointment at eleven."

"What happened last night after we talked?" Ethan asked. "What time did Andrew get back to your suite?"

"I think it was around midnight. But I didn't speak to him. Did you talk to Allison yet? Because she called me last night and basically threatened me."

"What time was that?"

"Around eight. She said I have nine lives, and if I don't stay out of her business, I'm going to get hurt. She's the one behind everything that is happening to me."

"Lauren—"

"All the signs point to her," I said, ignoring his interruption. "Everything from the message in the bridal suite, to my horse getting spooked, to her conversation with me on the boat. She's the only one with the motive to hurt me."

"Even if it was her, there's nothing we can do now," he said.

I didn't understand his grim tone. "Of course there's something we can do. We can talk to the police, get her arrested, questioned. We have to stop her from trying to hurt me again."

"She's not going to hurt you, Lauren."

"How can you promise that?"

"Because she's dead."

My jaw dropped in shock. "What?"

"Allison is dead. She was found on the ground in front of the model villas under construction on the hillside. It looked like she slipped through some temporary flooring on a balcony and was killed on impact."

I heard what he said, but it made little sense. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I saw her body. There will be an investigation, of course. But there were no active cameras in the area, and apparently, no witnesses. A maintenance person found her a little after six this morning. It looked like she'd been dead for hours. She probably fell sometime last night."

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