Page 53 of Twisted Fate

“You’re not going to take her from me.”

“I’m not trying to. I swear.”

“And you willneverreplace Sarah.” A sob ripped from my throat. His mother’s words from weeks ago ricocheted in my head.You will never replace Sarah. You aren’t good enough for my son. You never will be.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as he stared at me like I was a stranger. Like he didn’t know me at all. And I realized, he didn’t. If he thought I was capable of doing what he accused me of, then he never really knew me at all. And I apparently didn’t know him either.

“You need to leave,” he said, his expression turning to stone.

“Vance.” My voice was weak, all the fight dissolving from my body.

“Now,” he demanded, his tone low and menacing, brokering no argument.

With tears streaming down my face, I ran out to my car and got inside. My hands shook, my vision blurring as I tried to put my key in the ignition. It took several tries, but when the engine finally roared to life, I let out a relieved sob. I needed to get out of here and away from him. With each passing mile the crack in my heart grew until finally it was split in half.

I was in love with the wrong man. It was an act of twisted fate that I’d fallen for my dead cousin’s husband. And now that he believed I’d stolen from him, I might never get to see my daughter again.

How could he think I’d do something so sneaky and callous? He clearly wasn’t over Sarah’s death—which was completely understandable—nor was he in any way ready to move on. We’d rushed into things, and now my heart was paying the price.

My mom was pulling an apple pie from the oven when I burst through the front door, my tear-stained face and swollen eyes red and puffy. The scent of baked apples and cinnamon that usually put me at ease did little to comfort me.

“Delilah,” Mom’s worried voice called as I sprinted up the stairs. I ignored her and went straight to my room. But she wasn’t far behind. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I couldn’t answer her. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs wouldn’t draw in air. I was going to suffocate.

“Delilah, you’re scaring me. Is everything okay?”

I turned to face her, and she gasped, taking in my red rimmed eyes and look of anguish. “No,” I squeaked out and shook my head.

Then I proceeded to tell her everything. From the night I broke up with Chad to the party where it all happened. From falling for Vance and starting a secret relationship with him to the moment he shattered my heart to pieces. Through gut-wrenching sobs and broken sentences, I laid it all at her feet.

Her eyes matched mine when all was said and done. She sat cross legged with me on my bed, held me when I cried, and murmured soothing words against my hair as I fell apart. But looking at her now, she looked just as spent as I felt. The moment I told her about Chad’s assault, she went white as a ghost and covered her mouth as sobs wracked her body.

“There were moments after you moved back that I wondered if there was more to the story, but I couldn’t let myself believe it. I just kept thinking you would tell me if something was wrong. I was naive and buried my head in the sand.” She winced as guilt and remorse washed over her features.

“It’s not your fault. I shut everybody out.”

“I’m your mom. I should’ve known. At the very least, I should have asked.”

46

Vance

My heart was racing,blood pounding in my ears from the confrontation with Delilah. I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to take Sarah’s necklace. When had she gone into my room to get it? Did she really think I wouldn’t notice she was wearing my dead wife’s jewelry? She was seriously demented if that was what she thought.

“Fuck!” I roared and raked my hands through my hair. How did I let this happen?

I needed to gather myself and calm down before I went to pick up Charlie from Darla’s. She was going to ask where Delilah was, but I didn’t know what to tell her. She would be so disappointed Delilah wouldn’t be with us to see the Christmas lights, but I couldn’t have her around us right now.

I went to the mantle and studied the picture of my family. Sarah left a hole in our lives, one that could never be filled. Had that been Delilah’s goal all along? To take Sarah’s place? The moment I saw her standing there wearing that necklace, looking so much like Sarah it hurt, my mother’s concerns about Delilah’s intentions echoed in my mind. She’d been right all along.

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I drew in a deep breath. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” I asked into the empty house, hoping for a sign. I closed my eyes and hung my head, waiting in vain for an answer. All I could see was the wounded look on Delilah’s face and the devastation shining in her eyes. She played her part well; I’d give her that. She had become so enmeshed in our lives, I no longer questioned her intentions. I even included her in decisions regarding Charlie, letting the fact that she was Charlie’s biological mom cloud my judgment. I trusted her, and she broke that trust when she went into my room and took something that belonged to my wife, the wife she knew I was still mourning.

That’s what I get for sleeping with the nanny.

Shit, what was I going to do about a nanny now? Charlie was still going to preschool half a day, but I’d need someone to pick her up three days a week. I wasn’t about to let Delilah come back after what she’d done.

Maybe my mom could help me out for a bit until I figured out something else. But that meant I had to tell her what happened. She already didn’t care for Delilah and had voiced her concerns. I hadn’t heeded her warning, and now I was paying the price.

I headed to Darla’s with the weight of Delilah’s betrayal weighing heavy on my shoulders. I needed to hold my daughter, to feel the reassurance of her presence. No one would ever take her from me.

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