Page 114 of The Misfit

The request sounds so much like caring, like protection, like everything I’ve been missing. I want to believe in it. Want to trust this version of him that’s been so perfect tonight.

“Go.” I wave him off, forcing a smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He disappears into the crowd with that natural grace of his, and I lean against a marble column, letting myself breathe. The night hasn’t been nearly as terrible as I feared. Lee’s attention, his careful consideration, his obvious effort to make things right—it all feels like maybe, just maybe …

“Oh, I never thought he’d give you a moment to breathe,” Katherine says, coming up the stairs toward me. “How fortunate for me. Please join me for a drink. I want to chat, girl to girl.”

I sigh. “If you want to warn me away from Lee again …”

She waves her perfectly manicured hand. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

She steps up beside me and hovers her hand behind my back to guide me, but not touching at least. If only to keep the peace, I follow.

We only go a few feet down to another area, giving us a better view. “Quite the turnout,” she says proudly. “Emma is pleased.”

“I’m sure.”

“So many old family friends showed up. And look, there are a couple now, talking to Lee.”

Whatever platitude I’d lined up dies in my throat as I spot him across the room.

He’s not with Emma.

Instead, he’s speaking to two men I recognize instantly. The same ones who cornered me that day at the library. The ones who made me feel so unsafe, so threatened, that Lee’s offer of protection seemed like salvation.

It wasn’t salvation, though … was it? I watch them interact—the easy familiarity, the way Lee checks to ensure no one’s watching. The world crumbles beneath my feet. The pieces click together with devastating clarity.

The perfectly timed harassment.

The convenient offer of protection.

The careful manipulation of my fears.

My knees weaken, but I force myself to stay upright. Force myself to keep watching as one of the men laughs at something Lee says. Force myself to accept that everything—from those first threatening encounters to this very moment—was calculated.

I was never anything but a means to an end.

A solution to his family problems.

A puppet in his performance.

The crystal champagne flutes on nearby tables catch the light, throwing prisms across the marble floor. They blur as tears threaten, but I blink them back. I won’t give him, or anyone else, the satisfaction of seeing me break. Especially not Katherine, standing here so pleased with herself.

I raise my chin as I meet her shrewd gaze. “You knew?”

She shrugs slightly. “Only today, when the private investigator I pay to keep an eye on Lee showed me his recent photos.” There’s no bite in her tone. She doesn’t need to hurt me further, not when she’s already won. And she knows that.

I nod.

I made a deal. I gave my word. I’ll see this through—and then I’ll walk away.

From him. From this. From everything I was stupid enough to believe was real.

Even if it kills me.

Even if part of me still wants to believe in tonight’s perfect performance.

Even if my heart breaks with each new understanding of just how played I was.

---